Guy Martin's Spitfire - Sunday October 12th 19:30

Documentary about the restoration of N3200 at Duxford which apparently involved Guy Martin and his film crew. Looks like a one off, given the running time of 90 mins.

[Edit: It's on Channel 4]

Time for a brew, chief...

 

What a wonderful programme. Had something in my eyes near the end though which made them a bit moist.

 

very interesting, what got me was the amount of hand built work, that went on, skills that you cant go to college to learn

 

Great prog, wonder who the anonymous owner(s) are?

 

Inaccuracies in the commentary aside, it was a very good programme and gave a good insight into what it took to build a Spitfire.

 

Here's one I made earlier...

 

Piloted by Group Captain Johnny Springer of the BBMF who I had a long and interesting chat with at White Waltham (WLAC)

 

Last one....starting a Spit a few feet away from me was impressive!

 

A very interesting programme

 

thats one of the former gate guardians given to the BBMF, as spares airframes , its a mk16 , they have another one thats a static airframe, its an interesting story in its own right, because the BBMF fitters didnt have the official nod to restore it to airworthy condition, the flight restored it to airworthy condition, then told the pen pushers, um, that mk 16, we would like to put it back into the air, finally official sanction was given and it took to the air some 18 months to 2 years ago.

 

Yes i remember JS telling us a little about it but I wasn't aware of all the facts, fascinating, many thanks for that.

 

It's not that hard to find out - N3200 and P9374 are both owned by Mark One Partners, and you only have to poke around the website a bit to discover that the men behind the original project were Thomas Kaplan and Simon Marsh. Unfortunately, Simon Marsh died in a flying accident in 2013. Not sure who else is involved, but I believe those two guys were the main men.

http://markonepartners.co.uk/about-project

It is interesting to note that according to wikipedia, Mark One Partners also own the airframes of a third Mk 1, and a pair of Seafires...

Just catching up (was on Heathrow run this evening for the parents) - a very enjoyable program indeed.

 

Their P9734 is currently up for sale. Oh how I wish I had the money. To own a 92 Sqd Spitfire would be a dream come true.

 

Me too. Would it make you jealous if I told you I got to climb about P9734 a bit on our private tour round HFL/ARCo Have to admit I was not brave enough to push my luck and ask if I could sit in the cockpit. (I was only there tagging along, although the 10 year old son of the man I tagged along with did get to sit in the cockpit!).

Stu

 

Thanks for that. I do normally dig around for info but hadn't got around to it on this occasion.

 

As you didn't "cab" P9374 I'm not jealous. I haven't "cabbed" her either so I'll have to make do with having "cabbed" a fully armed 92 Sqd Phantom, both seats, three times.

 

Great to see the presenter has signed a contract with BMW for 2015, the way his TYCO Suzuki got obliterated on the straights by Michael Dunlop makes for an interested year ahead..

 

The ten year old me was desperate to sit in it, but the forty-something me intervened and refused to be the first adult to break ranks and ask...and it was only offered to the real ten year old present

 

Ageism.

 

just out of interest, once rebuilt, are these old airframes then zero houred as far as flying hours are concerned, ok i know that in reality, these are 99 per cent new aircraft