[Closed] Burma Spitfires update.

There doesn't seem to be much source material on this anywhere on the web, just the same press release getting repeated on various news sites, with the number of buried planes varying between 60 and 120, but there is a qoute from David Cundall himself...

“I’m hoping the discovery will generate some jobs. They will need to be stripped down and re-riveted but it must be done. My dream is to have a flying squadron at air shows.”

I hope they make a video diary of them digging them up..... very exciting !!

From what I can gather, nothing has been dug up yet, they've only been located by some sort of metal detectors and or sonar type equipment, so there's nothing to see yet.

120??? If this carries on, we'll have more Spitfires than Typhoons!!!

Rachel

I think they are buried at several locations, which is why the numbers vary.
A bit more background here, although some of it's a bit disappointing.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/9228910/Its-Spitfires-at-dawn-in-Burma.html

Sell your Spitfire quick as 2nd hand values are about to plummet!

I'm looking forward to the RAF claiming they still own them 😀

I'll be pleased if this is true, if only because it's one of those things that seemed so unlikely that I pretty much dismissed it out of hand-always nice when the world turns out to be weird.

Having spent 12 months re-riveting and sorting PS915 as an apprentice at work, I will be following this closely.

Fantastic aircraft.

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They'll have enough for a Big Wing

[i]They'll have enough for a Big Wing [/i]

I assume that's RAF talk for 'lots'.

That was my first thought - 20 or 30 of those rumbling over at a 500ft.

Hairs on the back of your neck standing up stuff.

I have to say I am a Spitfire nut, cannot tell you how exciting this is.

When I heard the Spitfire making a pass over Goodwood last month I positively legged it up the SDW to Bignor Hill to get a view. I still remember the symposium I went to 35 years ago, Douglas Bader and Bob Stanford-Tuck .. nostalgia

There are currently around 50 Spitfires and Seafires in airworthy condition worldwide with I think 16 in the UK alone (the RAF have five of them at Conningsby).
You'd probably need 60 or so to recreate the Duxford Big Wing (20 Spitfires in a squadron then three to five squadrons in a wing?)

There are currently around 50 Spitfires and Seafires in airworthy condition worldwide

But there is only one fully original plane still flying.

[proud son] my dad flew these in anger... [\proud son]

Fadda,

I can't top that! however my father, who sadly shuffled off a few months ago, worked on spits and hurricanes ( he was an expert on merlins and griffins)out in that area and i am sure he told me about them burying them so they could nto get into enemy hands.
Sniff

A bloke who use to repair my car for me was a mechanic on them during the war though he liked the Lancaster more.

avdave2 - Member
They'll have enough for a Big Wing

Taking almost as long as it took Leigh Mallory to assemble his...

Still pretty much my favourite thing on youtube:

But there is only one fully original plane still flying.

Hmm, can you expand on that.

Many components on the Spit (as with other aircraft) are time or service limited. For instance, the skin, rivets and frames of the Spit actually corrode away.

Interestingly, in the majority of countries, you can't make new parts to put on a airworthy Spit, you can only recondition original parts to the original specification. Using new parts would class the aircraft as an experimental design and lots of testing and certification would be required before it could be allowed to fly.

Although there may be 100% original Spitfires out there, I can guarantee they are not in a condition to fly, it's not possible.

EDIT: Creator and Proprietor of The Spitfire Shop, currently off-line.

Autotrader has 3 and a messed up one for sale.
Mum and Dad had 2 both ended up flying. Usually over a hedge.

Coyote, I'm curious to hear more about this 'fully original Spitfire'. Are we talking the oldest airworthy Spit that's had been rebuilt X number of times, of perhaps a very late Mk.25 that was found mothballed in perfect condition and just needed a change of seals and fluids to be airworthy?

my boss has one and was one of the people in the running for the contract to get these ones from burma.

Really amazing things to see up close.

Tucker. It was at Southport Airshow. Details are a bit sketchy but the commentary said that it was the only one left that had the same body and engine that it rolled off the production line with. Trying to find some more info now.

Same body eh? I'm not sure that's possible (something to do with the WWII rivets reacting badly with the skin material), but I'd certainly love to be corrected.

Right, anyone up for a trip to Burma and a bit of vintage aircraft Oceans 11?

Kermit Weeks has one that got 90% original skin and the BBMF fly one that still has German bullet hole repairs in the wing.

There were 16 flying at Duxford a couple of years ago, I was directly underneath, they were only about 50 foot above, lasted about 5 mins.
Really made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up! Rare to get less than four or five flying at the flying Legends airshow.
Cheers Kit 🙂
Edit PS One guy was offered a taxi :cry:ing Spitfire for £450 after they made the film The battle of Britain and couldn't raise the cash. 🙁