NZ $4 Million Griffon Engined Spitfire XIV to Roar in Blenheim

A battle-hardened World War II Spitfire fighter has been delivered to its permanent home at Omaka airfield, near Blenheim, New Zealand.

Repost and embellishment: The 70-year-old aviation marvel is one of only six Spitfire Griffon Mark 14 in existence, and the only one of its kind in the southern hemisphere.

The plane was delivered by a direct flight from Auckland to the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre hanger on Sunday.

Spokesman Graham Orphan (above) said the plane would eventually be included in the planned WWII display at the heritage centre. The plane was on loan from owners, the Chariots of Fire fighter collection, he said.

"We are thrilled to get it, and it is a privilege not only to have it based in Marlborough, but also in New Zealand.

"In terms of historic aircraft this is the Rolls Royce of Rolls Royce powered fighters."

NH 799 Pre-Crash in the 1990s

The Spitfire Griffon was involved in a crash at Wanaka in 1996 which almost claimed the life of aviation entrepreneur Tim Wallis.

Hours of painstaking restoration over 19 years had brought the Spitfire back to its original condition, right down to the pilot's leather seat in the cockpit. It is valued at $4 million.

Wallis was reunited with the plane when it appeared at this year's Omaka airshow alongside two other Spitfire in the Twilight Extreme segment of the show.

Photos Harry Mole

Powered by a 2250 horsepower V12, the Supermarine Spitfire Griffon saw action with the Royal Air Force in India and Burma in the later stages of WWII, Orphan said. The engine's roar was known as "the sound of victory".

"It is the final salute to piston-powered engines before jet fighter came."

Orphan was convinced people would flock to the heritage centre to see it.

"Spitfires have a magnetic appeal that transcends all age groups."

The first stage of the display when completed later this year will include the Spitfire Griffon, alongside the Focke Wulf FW190, Russian Yak 3 and Avro Anson bomber from the heritage collection.

The Spitfire will fly in special events at Omaka during the summer  - The Marlborough Express

Spitfire FR Mk.XIVe NH799 (ZK-XIV) is owned by 'The Chariots of Fire Fighter Collection' and based at Omaka airfield, New Zealand. Post restoration first flight 2 April 2015, with John Lamont at the controls. Purchased by the Chariots of Fire Fighter Collection, who are based at Omaka, in 2010. Restored to airworthy condition by Avspecs Limited at Ardmore Airport, Auckland. The restoration was completed in time for the Classic Fighters Airshow held over the Easter weekend (3–5 April 2015) with NH799 is resplendent in a South East Asia Command (SEAC) colour scheme, and wears the individual letter T with the serial NH799 both in white.

NH799 was previously owned by the Alpine Fighter Collection at Wanaka until it crashed on take-off on 2 January 1996 which seriously injured pilot/owner Sir Tim Wallis. Was initially restored to flight by Historic Flying Ltd at Audley End, UK, and flew on 21 January 1994 (as G-BUZU and codes AP-V).

The Mk XIV was the most important of the Griffon powered Spitfires, and the only one to see significant wartime service. It used the two-speed two-stage supercharged Griffon 61 or 65, giving 2,050 hp and a significantly improved performance at higher altitudes when compared to the earlier Griffon powered Mk XII. The Mk XIV was based on the Mk VIII fuselage, already strengthened to cope with the Merlin 61 engine. Early models used the “c” type universal wing (four 20mm cannon or two 20mm cannon and four .303 inch machine guns), while later production used the “e” wing (two .50 inchy machine guns instead of the .303s).

The Griffon engine improved the performance of the Spitfire at all heights. Tests in early 1944 found it to be faster than the Mk IX at every altitude, with the best rate of climb yet seen. The only area not to see any improvement was manoeuvrability, which did not rely on the engine but on the airframe. It had a similar advantage over the Fw 190A, which had a similar performance to the Mk IX. The only problem posed by the Griffon was that it span in the opposite direction to the Merlin. Merlin powered Spitfires had tended to veer left on takeoff. The Mk XIV veered to the right instead.

The superior performance of the Mk XIV made it the ideal aircraft to deal with the menace of the V-1. No.91 Squadron, based at West Malling, ended up with the best record against the flying bomb, shooting down 184 with its Mk XIVs.

From September 1944 the Mk XIV was used with the 2nd Tactical Air Force. It equipped all twenty Spitfire squadrons on the continent between D-Day and VE-Day. Its role in Europe was normally armed reconnaissance, searching for any enemy targets behind the German lines. It could carry up to 1000 lbs of bombs, or in a FR role 500 lbs of bombs and a camera.

More survivors:

...and a close relative, (if only by paint scheme) not so lucky:

(Ps- no right to the photos claimed. Happy to credit, link or remove. Simply a fan page)

Restored Bristol Blenheim

Restored Bristol Blenheim sees the light

 Global Aviation Resource reports that May 30th the  Imperial War Museum Duxford the Aircraft Restoration Company’s Bristol Blenheim appeared in public as a complete aircraft for the first time since its long-term rebuild began in the summer of 2003.

WW 2 Blenheim

ARCo recovered their first Blenheim from Canada in the 1970s (RCAF serial 10038). The airframe was originally license-built by Fairchild Canada as a Bolingbroke Mk.IVT; essentially a Blenheim Mk.IV with some modifications and North American hardware/instrumentation. ARCo worked on the aircraft for twelve years, restoring her as a Blenheim Mk.IV (registered as G-MKIV). She made her first flight in May 1987, but was involved in a touch-and-go landing accident at Denholm Airfield just a month after and written off, miraculously without loss of life. Undeterred, her restoration crew determined to get another Blenheim back in the air. They obtained a further Canadian-built Bolingbroke IV (RCAF 10201), and managed to get her flying again in just five years as G-BPIV; their previous experience helping greatly to speed up the rebuild progress. She flew again in June 1993; the world’s only flying Blenheim was a huge hit on the air show circuit!

When she was airworthy

Unfortunately, the Blenheim crash-landed again in August 2003; this time at Duxford. While the aircraft suffered considerable damage, she wasn’t broken beyond repair. The Blenheim’s crew didn’t give up on her and formed a trust to ensure her continued operation in the UK.  They contracted ARCo to provide two full-time engineers to support the restoration project undertaken by Blenheim Duxford Ltd. (and supported by The Blenheim Society).

The Blenheim has undergone a thorough rebuild inside Duxford’s Hangar 3, and more recently in ARCo’s workshop. Interestingly, the team has decided to rebuild the aircraft to Mk.I standard. The bulk of the aircraft is nearly identical to a Mk.IV, except for the forward fuselage which is radically different. The Mk.I is essentially extinct (as are British-built Blenheim IVs, with no complete examples known to exist), but a few forward fuselages survive. One of these ended up at Duxford a few decades ago.

Ralph Nelson, a Bristol employee, had converted it into a peculiar automobile during 1946, using the chassis and power train from an Austin 7

The Mk.I fuselage comes from Blenheim L6739, a Battle of Britain night-fighter veteran. The Blenheim Society obtained the “car” intending to rebuild it into a fully operational nose section for a potential swap with the Mk.IV nose. The team had already begun this process before the 2003 accident, so it seemed logical to blend what they had already completed into G-BPIV’s restoration once that began. They rolled out the freshly restored “Blenheim Mk.I” in night fighter camouflage just a few days ago, and will eventually mark her as L6739. ARCo ran one of the aircraft’s Bristol Mercury engines on May 23rd, and expect to run the other very soon. If all goes well, she will be flying again very soon and delighting air show audiences again across the UK

Blenheim Survivors

BL-200 (bearing the Hakaristi) at the Aviation Museum of Central Finland.

There are currently no Blenheim or Bolingbroke aircraft that are airworthy. One airworthy Blenheim had been rebuilt from a scrapped Bolingbroke over a 12-year period, only to crash at an airshow at Denham within a month of completion in 1987.

Denham Bolingbroke Crash

A replacement Bolingbroke Mk IVT was rebuilt to flying status in just five years and painted to represent a Blenheim Mk IV in RAF wartime service. It began appearing at air shows and exhibitions in the UK, flying since May 1993 and was used in the 1995 film version of Shakespeare's Richard III. This aircraft crashed on landing at Duxford on 19 August 2003; the crash was feared to have made it a write-off,  but it is presently undergoing an extensive repair and conversion to the Mark I "Short nose" version by The Aircraft Restoration Company (ARC or ARCo) at Duxford, most of the work being done by volunteers.

The Duxford Crash

Funds are raised through donations and also by The Blenheim Society who run a Grand Flying Draw among many other activities. The aircraft is currently in the Aircraft Restoration Company hangar at Duxford and is the property of Blenheim (Duxford) Ltd.

In Canada, a number of other Bolingbrokes survived the war but were summarily consigned to the scrap heap. Postwar, enterprising farmers often bought surplus aircraft such as these for the scrap metal content, tyres for farm implements, and even for the fuel remaining in the tanks. Some surviving examples in Canada of the Bolingbroke can be traced back to this period. The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, Ontario is rebuilding a Bolingbroke to airworthy status. The Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum in Brandon, Manitoba has restored the exterior of one Bolingbroke, painting it in the Air Training Plan yellow color. This particular aircraft is on display at a location on the Trans-Canada Highway in Brandon. A restored Bolingbroke is on static display at the British Columbia Aviation Museum in Victoria, British Columbia. The Canadian Museum of Flight at Langley Airport, Langley, British Columbia has on display the restored nose and cockpit section of a Bolingbroke, and holds the rest of an entire airframe in storage pending future restoration and display.

In Finland, the sole surviving original Blenheim in the world, a Mk IV registered as BL-200 of the Finnish Air Force, has been completely restored and is now on display at the Aviation Museum of Central Finland at Tikkakoski.

Finnish survivor- the only intact and complete original Blenheim

In the summer of 1996, a Bristol Blenheim Mk IVF was recovered from the sea, a few km off Rethymnon, Crete. The aircraft belonged to No. 203 Squadron RAF and was downed by friendly fire on 28 April 1941. The Blenheim was restored and moved to the Hellenic Air Force Museum. In Arizona, the Pima Air Museum has a Bristol Blenheim Mk IV on static display