WIX Archives
Re: Karel Bos/Historic Flying new Spitfire
Posted by PeterA on Wed Jun 26, 2002 03:20:45 PM
In reply top Re: Karel Bos/Historic Flying new Spitfire posted by Paul McMillan on Wed Jun 26, 2002 06:43:28 AM
: Yeah their is a Photo in Flypast
:
: Ex Burma UB425 painted as 'UB424' believed to be MH750 but
: not sure. Prehaps now in UK Mr Arnold can go over with fi
: ne tooth comb and discover if it is this serial!
This is a very difficult aircraft ot identify. Both firwall and cockpit plates were souvenired by locals when it was on display at Mandalay. Following a brief and fruitless examination at Mingladon, I spent some days with it in Missouri and still could not find a positive ID. I made a provisional stab with MH750 as the top fuel tank has evidence of the projected firewall c/n from MH750. I now know this is not the ID of the fuse. On the plus side there is evidence of modification to the fuselage with an extra door on the stb. side for an oblique camera plus bracketry for two vertical cameras in the belly. I am advised by the Israelis that they converted two such aircraft, one crashed and the second 20-42 was shipped to Burma with one of four possible Burmese serials one of which was UB425. For me this evidence is sufficient to state that the aircraft is 20-42 of the IDFAF beyong reasonable doubt. Not there but getting closer. So OK you Israeli historians can you make a tie up with anything to 20-42? The aircraft is from the Czech source. The guys at HFL are fully briefed to scour for evidence of serials. It will come. The aircraft internals are strangely painted in olive rather than grey green paint. I believe this is evidence of a very late mkIX from outside the CBAF factory. Possibly the Leiceter Street facility.