Flightpath - May 2018

10 |FLIGHTPATH

Spitire Sixteen

The relatively dormant Australian Spitfire

populationhasreceivedanumberofsignifi-

cant boosts recently, none more so than the

acquisitionofMk.XVITE392whicharrived

at Archerfield Airport, Queensland, on 1

March for restoration by Performance Aero.

It is an exciting addition to Brad Bishopp’s

expanding Bishopp Aviation collection.

TheSpitfirehasnotflownforthepastten

yearsandwasacquiredfromtheLoneStar

FlightMuseum(LSFM)inHouston,Texas.

Itwasoneofthemuseum’saircraftdamaged

by Hurricane Ike in 2008, but is well on the

road to recovery.

Built at the Vickers Supermarine Castle

Bromwichplantin1945asaLFMk.XVIe

and delivered to 9 Maintenance Unit at

GosfordinJunethatyear,TE392was

stored until February the following year.

Although delivered to 126 Squadron RAF,

theunitwasdisbandedon10Marchand

TE392wastransferredto65EastIndian

Squadronwhereitreceivedunitmarkings

of‘YT-X’.Thefightermovedonthrough

severalotherunitsand,as‘8Q-X’,itsfinal

flying unit was 2 Civilian Anti-Aircraft Co-

operationUnitatLittleSnoringwhichused

Spitfires and Beaufighters as target tugs.

On 16 September 1952 it was issued to

TheSpitirewaspaintedas‘JF-O’anddisplayedatRAFGaydoninSeptember1958.Thereason

‘VZ477’ was used was because “the serial was all straight lines and easy to paint on the aircraft”.

[Peter Arnold Collection]

TE392’s last ‘posting’ with the RAF was as a gate guard at RAF Kemble and it is seen here o

n 4 September 1969.[Peter Arnold]