1945 Vickers-Supermarine Spitfire FR XVIIIe
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Dernière version équipée du Griffon à compresseur à deux étages ; aile F ; armement E ; verrière en goutte d’eau ; capacité de carburant plus importante; appelé FR XVIII (pour FR 18 ans après 1945) équipé d’un appareil photographique monté dans le fuselage (300 exemplaires)
Built at Chattis Hill, 1945.
Delivered to Royal Air Force as SM845, 19??.
– Allocated to 39 MU, May 30, 1945.
– Transferred to 46 MU, December 1945.
– Shipped to Karachi, arriced February 28, 1946.
– Transferred to South East Asia Air Command, February 28, 1946.
Delivered to Indian AF as HS 687, December 31, 1947
– In active service until late 1950s.
– Used as Airfield decoy at Kalaikunda AB, early 1970s.
Ormond & Wensley Haydon-Bailli, Duxford, 1977-1978.
– Recovered from Kalaijunda AB, India, 1977.
Marshall Moss & Richard A. Boolootian, Lancaster, CA, 1978-1981.
– Shipped unrestored from UK to California, 1978.
– Stored, crated, Lancaster-Fox Field, CA, 1978-1980.
David C. Tallichet/MARC, Chino, CA, circa 1981-1987.
– Restoration started, Tulsa, OK (later Casper, WY).
Adrian Reynard, Kidlington, UK, 1988-1992.
– Shipped to UK for completion of restoration.
Adrian J. Reynard/Reynard Racing/Park Avenue Investments Ltd, Witney, October 1992-1997.
– Restored Audley End, UK, 1992-2000.
– Registered as G-BUOS.
Historic Flying Ltd, Audley End, Essex, UK, 1997-2009.
– Restoration completed.
– First flight, July 7, 2000.
– Flew as SM845/GZ-J.
Biltema Sweden Holding AB, Angleholm, Sweden, 2009-2010.
– Registered as SE-BIN.
– Crashed during landing Tynset, Norway, August 21, 2010.
— Pilot fatally injured.
Spitfire Ltd, St. Helier, Jersey, UK, 2012-2016.
– Reregistered as G-BUOS.
– Restored to airworthy by Historic Flying Limited and Airframe Assemblies Ltd.
– First flight, December 17, 2013.
– Aircraft is based at Humberside Airport, Kirmington, England.
