Aeroplane September 2017

AEROPLANE SEPTEMBER 2017 http://www.aeroplanemonthly.com 7

T

HIRTY-fi ve years after it

was recovered from the

depths of Loch Doon in

South Ayrshire, Supermarine

Spitfi re IIa P7540 was unveiled

in front of an audience of more

than 2,000 visitors at the

Dumfries and Galloway

Aviation Museum at Tinwald

Downs on 16 July, The aircraft

is now on permanent display in

a new purpose-built hangar.

Curator David Reid

commented: “This has been a

long time coming for us, but

we are immensely proud to

fi nally have this aircraft on

display. It is the only combat

veteran Spitfi re in Scotland,

with a fascinating history from

the Battle of Britain to a

training aircraft for Czech

pilots. The next stage of its

restoration can now begin, as

we refi t the cockpit and carry

out detail work on the rest of

the airframe. Eventually, we

intend to allow visitors to sit in

the aircraft, although this will

take some time to achieve.

However, to unveil the aircraft

in this, our 40th anniversary

year, is a tremendous

achievement for a small

volunteer museum.”

It took a fi ve-year search,

involving more than 567

separate dives, to locate the

wreck, which was brought to

the surface in the summer of

1982. The restoration has
      involved many museum
      volunteers and outside

Dumfries Spitfi re IIa unveiled

September 2017 News

groups: fuselage work was

carried out by the Aircraft

Restoration Group at Pickhill,

near Thirsk in north Yorkshire,

and the replica wings were

supplied by Gateguards UK in

Cornwall.

P7540 was built in October

1940 at Castle Bromwich and

issued to No 66 Squadron at

RAF Gravesend, Kent in time

for the closing few days of the

Battle of Britain. Among its

pilots was Flt Lt Bobby

Oxspring, with whom it saw

combat on several occasions.

It was also operated by Nos

609 and 266 Squadrons at

Biggin Hill and Wittering

before transferring to No 312

(Czechoslovak) Squadron on

6 July 1941.

312 was at the time fl ying

Hurricanes from RAF Ayr, but it

re-equipped with the Spitfi re

Vb at the end of the year. Six

war-weary examples of the

Spitfi re IIa, including P7540,

were used to aid the transition.

P7540 crashed on 25 October

1941 while being fl own by

26-year-old Fg Off František

Hekl on a familiarisation sortie.

It was only his second Spitfi re

fl ight. While passing low over

Loch Doon, the Spitfi re’s

starboard wing struck the

surface and the aircraft

crashed. Hekl’s body was

never found and he is

commemorated on a memorial

at the side of the loch.

We are immensely proud to fi nally have this

aircraft on display. It is the only combat veteran

Spitfi re in Scotland, with a fascinating history

MOSQUITO MOVED

TO EAST KIRKBY

PLANS to move Tony Agar’s de Havilland

Mosquito NFII HJ711 from the Yorkshire

Air Museum (YAM) at Elvington (see News,

Aeroplane August 2017) have been

brought forward by several months. The

machine was dismantled for transportation

to the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage

Centre (LAHC) at East Kirkby during the

weekend of 29-30 July. Experts from the

de Havilland Aircraft Museum, the LAHC

and a group of YAM volunteers ensured

that the disassembly of this precious

aeroplane went smoothly.

Spitfi re IIa P7540 wearing its freshly painted No 312 (Czechoslovak) Squadron markings at the Dumfries

and Galloway Aviation Museum on 16 July. VIA BOB SLOAN

Loading of

Mosquito NFII

HJ711 begins at

Elvington on 30

July. ANDY DAWSON

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