Hi All,
There are a number of people interested in this Spitfire, which is owned by Rolls-Royce.
There are a number of photos of the aircraft taken throughout its history on this other discussion forum topic:
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=20297
I sat in its cockpit when it was in the Rolls-Royce hangar at East Midlands Airport in the 1970s/early 1980s, when it was painted with the incorrect serial RM619 and coded AP-D. It was later painted as RM689/MN-E.
It crashed at Woodford in 1992 (tragically killing its pilot), and then started a lengthy rebuild to flying condition.
I contacted the Roll-Royce Heritage Trust for an update on this rebuild. Ian Craighead, who has taken over from Richard Haigh on the restoration of RM689/G-ALGT, kindly replied via email on Wednesday (28 Jan 2009):
"there has been only a little visible progress (but things have kept moving on).
We had some problems which meant that the wings have still to be finished and so the completion date is now estimated to be mid to late 2010.
While this seems some way off, it must be remembered that the aircraft is being almost completely rebuilt, there having been little left of the original upon which to base the new airframe. That said, everything original that was deemed to be reuseable was retained and has been restored allowing RM689 to retain her original identity.
As you might expect there isn't a one stop shop to get Spitfire parts and so we are reliant on new manufacture or parts becoming available through the "network".
However, it must be admitted that original estimates of the time for rebuild were optimistic.
The fuselage and tail are nearing completion and the Griffon engine has been installed. I am expecting one wing to be delivered by April 2009 with the other around June/July.
After the wings are fitted the aircraft will start to look more complete, however, there are fuel, hydraulic, electrical and pneumatic systems to be plumbed in and connected. From a personal viewpoint the wings will mark a significant milestone and the finishing post will be almost in sight.
In the meantime our PR XIX Spitfire PS853 continues to fly during the summer months, maintaining our presence in the air for the benefit of local charities and adding that little special touch for our customers.
The [Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust] website is admittedly woefully out of date with respect to the Spitfire and it is one of my missions this year to get it up-to-date and maintained on a regular basis. Your suggestion of 6-monthly updates is feasible. We do occasionally publish some information on Spitfire progress to Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust members and I hope that as completion nears I will be able to report more advanced progress. If you are interested in becoming a Trust member, please let this office know.
I am glad to hear that our Company Spitfires have fans abroad as well as here in the UK."
Regards,
David Eyre
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