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Royalistflyer
13th Nov 2017, 13:52
I believe there were one or more VIP passenger carrying Spitfires built during the war. Does anyone know anything of these - who operated them, who were they for, how many were there? And are there any pictures?

treadigraph
13th Nov 2017, 13:59
I believe that is PRXI PL983/NC74138, operated by the US Embassy in the UK and raced by Lettice Curtis who is in the cockpit.

The window is the camera port.

The aircraft was destroyed in a sad accident at Rouen in 2001 - but it is currently under rebuild in the UK.

Royalistflyer
13th Nov 2017, 14:03
Why did the US Embassy operate it?

megan
13th Nov 2017, 14:14
For the Air Attaché to get around, the US operated the Spitfire in a number of squadrons during WWII, though none were ever built for the purpose of transporting VIPs.

http://spitfiresite.com/2010/04/uncle-sams-spitfires.html

History of PL983 as provided by treadigraph post RAF service.

Vickers Armstrong Ltd, Eastleigh, July 22, 1947.
- Loaned.
US Embassy, Civil Air Attache, Hendon, UK, January 27, 1948.
- Registered as NC74138.
Vickers Armstrong Ltd, Eastleigh, 1949.
Shuttleworth Trust, Old Warden, 1950-1983.
- Static display, 1950-1975.
- Moved to Duxford for rebuild to fly, August 30, 1975.
Roland Fraissinet, Marseilles, France, April 14, 1983.
Roland Fraissinet, East Midlands Airport, UK, June 6, 1983-1987.
- Registered as G-PRXI.
- Rebuild complete.
- First flight, East Midlands, July 18, 1984.
Doug Arnold/Warbirds of GB Ltd, Biggin Hill, October 1, 1987-1992.
David Arnold/Flying A Services, North Weald, 1992-1999.
- WFU, stored dismantled, 1992-1998.
Juston V. Fleming, Goudhurst, Kent, 1999-2001.
- First flight, June 8, 2000 as PL983/JV-F.
- Crashed during airshow, Rouens, France, June 4, 2001.
-- Pilot Martin Sergeant fatally injured.

NutLoose
13th Nov 2017, 19:01
There were various aircraft types modified for carrying pax, one involved fitting a seat and small screen where the front fuel tank is in front of the cockpit, I think that was a Hurri. Mossies were used on VIP runs to Sweden, the VIP housed lying on a hammock strung in the bomb bay, one such pax being disturbed as the doors dropped mid trip.

Didn't Eisenhower use a modified P51?

edit: yes during DDay and the battle of the bulge, see

http://www.354thpmfg.com/media_thestarslookdown_pt1.html

The Germans used to carry engineers in the tail boom of the FW190 when moving bases, but there were reports of some during DDay getting pounced by Mustangs and refusing to abandon their engineers to their fate.

There was an item designed for the Spit that was a glorified body bag with a loop on the. Front that hooked over the wing gun barrel tubes, it was built but funnily they couldn't find anyone to try it out.


From The Spitfire Story (Alfred Price):

Modification devised by Group Captain Barwell, commanding Biggin Hill in 1943, to enable a Spitfire to carry a couple of passengers. The man-sized canvas bag was laid out along the top of the wing. It had a loop to secure the forward part to the cannon barrel, and it was attached to the trailing edge of the wing inside the flap. It is believed the scheme was never air-tested with a live passenger for want of a necessary volunteer!
(pic from Public Archives of Canada)

NutLoose
13th Nov 2017, 19:14
Here you go, a picture of the Spitfire wing bag and versions of the Harrier and F35 wing pods

The EXINT Pod - Think Defence (http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2014/04/exint-pod/)

treadigraph
14th Nov 2017, 07:42
The two seat Spitfires were modified by Vickers after the war to provide trainers for the Irish Air Corps and Indian AF.

There were several incidents of Spitfires flying "two-up" during the war, with two stuffed into the cockpit - Tony Bartley mentions doing thus in his autobiography. Then there was Margaret Horton, accidentally carried aloft draped over the tail plane of Spitfire VB AB910; still flying with the BBMF! Margaret died just a few years ago, as did her pilot, F/L Neil Cox.

Royalistflyer
14th Nov 2017, 16:56
I suppose if anyone needed a high speed transport before the Mosquito, a modified Defiant could have been the easiest to do.

megan
15th Nov 2017, 08:07
I don't think anyone ever accused the Defiant of being a high speed mode of transport.

BEagle
15th Nov 2017, 09:09
About the only 'high' thing about the Defiant was its stalling speed - or so my late father's ex-FAA Albacore / Barracuda business partner once told me. "I was following some ruddy old Stringbag on finals; trying to stay behind it the Defiant nearly spun me into the deck!"

MPN11
15th Nov 2017, 09:11
Hardly surprising, I would think!