78 FLYPAST August 2018
TWO- S E ATE R S
Norway is reported to have
expressed the most interest, seeking
to convert its own Mk.9s, ideally
in-country. Discussions with
Argentina and Iraq proved fruitless.
In 1948, India and the
Netherlands became the first
customers for the Tr.9 (with 10
and 3 examples respectively). Both
had large fleets of Spitfires and
continuation trainers were a logical
purchase. The last of the Dutch trio
was struck off charge in 1957.
Indian trainer HS543 (ML417)
survived at Palam into the 1960s
and was shipped to the US in 1971.
It was acquired by The Fighter
Collection’s Stephen Grey and
brought to the UK in 1980. The
team at PPS at Booker brought
ML417 back to single-seat status,flying again on February 10, 1984.
It was exported to the USA in 2001.
Demonstrator Juliet-Mike became
the only two-seater delivered to
Egypt, an established Spitfire
operator, in April 1950. The country
received 39 Mk.9s in 1946 and four
years later, 19 F.22s.
The Irish Air Corps was the final
operator of the Tr.9, taking its six
in 1951, replacing Seafire IIIs. The
Irish two-seaters became famous
because all but one survives.
The last operational example,
163, was damaged at its base,
Baldonnel, in August 1961 and
retired to the technical school.
The final three were sold off
in 1968. This longevity greatly
contributed to the world’s Spitfire
‘warbird’ population.canopy, it would have been a more
complex conversion than the ‘high-
back’ Mk.8 or the Mk.9s.
At the same time the ‘sales pitch’
was being made to the RAF, an
export campaign was instigated with
G-AIDN flying to Belgium in June- A Mk.9 conversion, G-ALJM,
was sent off to Denmark and later to
Norway in October 1949.
Right
Rebuilt over a three-year
period from 1984 at the
Charles Church workshop
in Hampshire, former
Israeli Mk.IX PT462 was
completed as a two-seater
with low-profi le hoods.
It fi rst fl ew in July 1987
and is presently based at
Duxford.
Below
Both of the former Irish
two-seaters used in the
fi lm ‘Battle of Britain’
(G-AVAV and G-AWGB) wore
the codes ‘DO-H’ at one
time. At Bovingdon, Herts,
in late 1968, a technician
sits in the ‘above and
behind’ instructor’s
cockpit. ROY BONSER
“The last operational example,
163, was damaged at its base,
Baldonnel, near Dublin, in August
1961 and retired to the
technical school”