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    This page documents a history of a specific aircraft. The details provided vary from aircraft to aircraft and are dependent on the research and amount of data uploaded to the Aerial Visuals database.

    Airframe Family: Supermarine Spitfire
    Latest Model:Spitfire LF.Vb
    Last Military Serial:BM597 RAF
    Construction Number:CBAF-02461
    Last Civil Registration:G-MKVB
    Compressed ID:Supermarine Spitfire LF.Vb sn BM597...
    Latest Owner or Location:Historic Aircraft Collection, Duxford Airport, Duxford, Cambridgeshire / Cambs, England

    EDIT THE HISTORY HERE    		 If you can add to the history or would like to submit a correction please use the editor to do so.

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    Dates

    Event

    1942

    Constructed as a Spitfire LF.Vb.

    Taken on Strength/Charge with the Royal Air Force with s/n BM597.

    New serial number assigned: 5718M RAF

    April 1950

    Transferred to RAF Hednesford.
    Displayed as a gate guard.

    From July 1955 to 1960

    Transferred to RAF Bridgnorth.
    Displayed as a gate guard.

    From 1960 to 1967

    Transferred to RAF Church Fenton.
    Operated with markings: PR O
    Displayed as a gate guard.

    14 February 1967

    Transferred to RAF Henlow.

    16 October 1967

    Loaned to Pinewood Studios.
    Used as a mould model for Spitfire replicas built for movie The Battle of Britain.

    13 February 1969

    To American Aerospace and Military Museumn, Pomona, CA with new c/r N597N (SPITFIRE VB, BM597).

    From 4 June 1969 to 1975

    Returned from loan to RAF Church Fenton.
    Markings changed to: PR O
    Displayed as a gate guard.

    15 November 1972

    Civil registration, N597N, cancelled.

    1975

    Transferred to RAF Linton-On-Ouse.

    From September 1979 to 1988

    Transferred to RAF Church Fenton.
    Displayed as a gate guard.

    June 1988

    To Tim Routsis/Historic Flying Ltd, Cambridge.

    From 2 May 1989 to 4 November 1993

    To Historic Flying Ltd/Tim Routsis, Audley End with new c/r G-MKVB.

    4 November 1993

    To Historic Aircraft Collection/Guy Black, Duxford keeping c/r G-MKVB.

    Restored.
    Made airworthy.

    Operated by Historic Aircraft Collection, Duxford Airport, Duxford, Cambridgeshire/Cambs, England.
    View the Location Dossier

    Markings Applied: JH C
    In the markings of 317(Polish)Sqn.

    From 1993 to 1997

    Restored.
    Markings Applied: JH C, BM597
    The work was carried out at Audley End.

    19 July 1997

    First flight.

    4 August 2007


    Photographer: Terry Fletcher
    Notes: Star attraction at the 2007 Tatenhill Fly-In

    13 October 2013


    Photographer: Arjun Sarup

    13 September 2014


    Photographer: Robert Nichols
    Notes: at Duxford Autumn Airshow

    9 July 2017


    Photographer: Thomas Delvoye

    22 May 2021


    Photographer: Fred Taylor
    Notes: Photographed at Duxford, UK on 22 May 2021.
    Credits
     Data for airframe dossiers come from various sources. The following were used to compile this dossier...
    Internet Sources
     Aerial Visuals - The Locator by Mike Henniger, Senior Editor
    Civil Aviation Authority of the United Kingdom
    Federal Aviation Administration in the United States of America
    Warbirds Directory, 6th Edition (2013) by Geoff Goodall
    Individual Contributors
     John Bennett
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