Supermarine SpitfireIX MH434 & HA-1112-M1L Buchón/(G-AWHK) Blackpool Airport Taxiing Special !!!
Some History.....
The most famous military aircraft of all time and perhaps the most famous of all Spitfires still flying today, MH434 was built in 1943 at Vickers, Castle Bromwich. This Spitfire is remarkably original, having never been subject to a re-build. An absolute delight to fly, the aircraft is beautifully responsive and extremely manoeuvrable.
For its inaugural flight at the beginning of August 1943, MH434 was air tested by the legendary Alex Henshaw - a record breaking pilot from pre-war days (we highly recommend Alex Henshaw's book "Sigh for a Merlin") and Chief Test Pilot for Supermarine at Castle Bromwich.
Spanish links to the Messerschmitt Bf 109 date back to the Spanish Civil War, during which the type was flown extensively - and 'blooded' in combat - by the German-manned Legion Condor. Licence production by Hispano Aviación was to follow from 1943, but Germany struggled to provide components, drawings, engines and suchlike. Other powerplants had to be tried, and Hispano started out by producing the HA-1109 and then the HA-1112-K1L with the French-built Hispano-Suiza 12Z engine. Then the Rolls-Royce Merlin became available, and the first HA-1112-M1L Buchón took to the air in March 1954. Use of the Merlin gave the Buchón a significantly different appearance. It served the Spanish Air Force well until the mid-1960s. In 1968, a large number were supplied for filming of 'The Battle of Britain', heralding the Buchón's widespread use as a realistic Bf 109 substitute for movie and TV work, and at airshows. The Aircraft Restoration Company's example, appearing at RIAT 2015, is a 'Battle of Britain' film veteran and appears in the colours it wore at that time. Restored to fly by the Real Aeroplane Company at Breighton, it took to the air again in 2006 and was sold to the ARC that same year.
12 сен 2024
