Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Brian Smith flying Spitfire Mk.Ia AR213/P7308 - G-AIST and Anna Walker flying Spitfire LF Mk.IXe, ML417, N2TF during the Duxford VE Day Flying Day 2025.
AR213/P7308 was built by Westland Aircraft at Yeovil, UK in 1941. It was assigned RAF serial number AR213 and delivered to the RAF aircraft storage depot at 12 Maintenance Unit (MU), Kirkbride in July 1941. It then went to 57 Operational Training Unit (OTU), Harwarden, where it stayed until February 1943, when it was transferred to 53 OTU at Llandow. Following a number of landing accidents it was repaired, stored and struck off charge in November 1945. It was purchased by Group Captain Allen Wheeler in October 1946 and allocated the UK Civil Registration of G-AIST. It was then stored at Old Warden and later, Abingdon before being made airworthy for the 1968 movie ‘Battle of Britain’. It was bought by Patrick Lindsay in 1974. A number of ownership changes followed until acquired by the current owner - Spitfire The One Ltd in 2011.
The aircraft is powered by a Rolls Royce Merlin 35 and wears the colours and markings of Supermarine Spitfire Mk IIa P7308 XR-D flown by Pilot Officer (P/O) William R Dunn, of 71 'Eagle' Squadron based at at RAF Hawkinge on 27 August 1941. P/O Dunn was the first American air ace of World War 2.
Spitfire ML417 is owned by United States of America based Tom Friedkin/Chino Spitfire LLC, registered as N2TF.
Built at Castle Bromwich, England and delivered to 6 Maintenance Unit (MU) at RAF Brize Norton on 28 April 1944. It then went to 84 Group Support Unit on 30 May and was allocated to 443 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) on 2 June, based at RAF Ford, Sussex where it was given the unit code letters 21-T.
The squadron saw action on D-Day 6 June 1944 and by late June was based at St. Croix Sur-Mer in Normandy, France. On 26 June Flight Lieutenant (Flt. Lt.) W.A. Press claimed a Focke Wulf FW.190 as damaged/probable over Roen. On 3 July the aircraft at St. Croix and then on 9 July it received flak damage while flying over Falaise. It was repaired by its unit on both occasions.
On 13 July Flt. Lt. Prest claimed a Messerschmitt Bf.109 as damaged/probable while flying ML417 over Alençon, Normandy. Further flak damage occurred over the area of Caen on 25 July and on 7 August undercarriage damage, which was repaired by 410 Repair and Salvage Unit (R&SU) with ML417 returned to 443 Squadron on 12 August. On 23 August the squadron was at Illiers L'Eveque and on 29 September Flying Officer (F/O) R.A. Hodgkins claimed two Bf109s destroyed while flying ML417 from La Culot in Belgium, during which the Spitfire sustained battle damage and after was again repaired by 410 R&SU.
On 5 October ML417 was allocated to 126 Wing and issued to 442 Squadron RCAF. It remained with RCAF units for all of its military service, going to 401 Squadron on 12 October 1944 and then 442 Squadron on 8 March 1945, 441 Squadron on 5 April, then 442 Squadron again, followed by 412 Squadron and finally 411 Squadron on 29 June 1945.
After the end of the war in Europe ML417 went to 29 MU, RAF High Recall, in August 1945, where it was stored until being sold back to Vickers Armstrong at South Marston, Wiltshire on 31 October 1946.
During 1947/48 it was converted, by Vickers Armstrong at Southampton, into a two seat trainer, for the Indian Air Force and a new constructors number was issued, with 6S730116 on the fuselage firewall plate and 6S735188 on the cockpit plate.
The Spitfire was test flown carrying serial G-15-11 before delivery to the Indian Air Force, who allocated it serial HS543 when it arrived in India.
Details of its life with Indian Air Force aren't known. It was found stored in a compound at the Indian Air Force Museum in palm in 1967 and bought by American senator, Norman E. Gaar in April 1971. It was shipped from Bombay in December 1971 on the SS Elena EF, arriving at Charleston, South Carolina, USA on 15 March 1972. It was then stored in New Orleans before its engine, Merlin 266 No. V332968, went to Chicago to be overhauled by Paul Szendroi. In November 1972 the airframe went to Fort collins, Colorado, for restoration by Darrell Skurich, although little was done.
ML417 was then sold to 'The Fighter Collection' England and sent to personal Plane Services at Booker, for rebuild into its original single seat configuration, registered G-BJSG.
It flew again on 29 January 1981. Since then it's been flying in markings identical to those that it had as 21-T with 443 Squadron, RCAF on D-Day 6 June 1944.
It remained with The Fighter Collection at Duxford, England until 2001 when it was sold to its current owner and shipped to Houston, Texas, USA before going to the Planes of Fame Museum at Chino, California.
It returned to Duxford, England where it flew again on 20 June 2023, for the first time since 2001.
This Video and Audio content is
Copyright © StephenKeeler (HightFlight/SkyHighFlightTV) All Rights Reserved
Brian Smith flying Spitfire Mk.Ia AR213/P7308 - G-AIST and Anna Walker flying Spitfire LF Mk.IXe, ML417, N2TF during the Duxford VE Day Flying Day 2025.
AR213/P7308 was built by Westland Aircraft at Yeovil, UK in 1941. It was assigned RAF serial number AR213 and delivered to the RAF aircraft storage depot at 12 Maintenance Unit (MU), Kirkbride in July 1941. It then went to 57 Operational Training Unit (OTU), Harwarden, where it stayed until February 1943, when it was transferred to 53 OTU at Llandow. Following a number of landing accidents it was repaired, stored and struck off charge in November 1945. It was purchased by Group Captain Allen Wheeler in October 1946 and allocated the UK Civil Registration of G-AIST. It was then stored at Old Warden and later, Abingdon before being made airworthy for the 1968 movie ‘Battle of Britain’. It was bought by Patrick Lindsay in 1974. A number of ownership changes followed until acquired by the current owner - Spitfire The One Ltd in 2011.
The aircraft is powered by a Rolls Royce Merlin 35 and wears the colours and markings of Supermarine Spitfire Mk IIa P7308 XR-D flown by Pilot Officer (P/O) William R Dunn, of 71 'Eagle' Squadron based at at RAF Hawkinge on 27 August 1941. P/O Dunn was the first American air ace of World War 2.
Spitfire ML417 is owned by United States of America based Tom Friedkin/Chino Spitfire LLC, registered as N2TF.
Built at Castle Bromwich, England and delivered to 6 Maintenance Unit (MU) at RAF Brize Norton on 28 April 1944. It then went to 84 Group Support Unit on 30 May and was allocated to 443 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) on 2 June, based at RAF Ford, Sussex where it was given the unit code letters 21-T.
The squadron saw action on D-Day 6 June 1944 and by late June was based at St. Croix Sur-Mer in Normandy, France. On 26 June Flight Lieutenant (Flt. Lt.) W.A. Press claimed a Focke Wulf FW.190 as damaged/probable over Roen. On 3 July the aircraft at St. Croix and then on 9 July it received flak damage while flying over Falaise. It was repaired by its unit on both occasions.
On 13 July Flt. Lt. Prest claimed a Messerschmitt Bf.109 as damaged/probable while flying ML417 over Alençon, Normandy. Further flak damage occurred over the area of Caen on 25 July and on 7 August undercarriage damage, which was repaired by 410 Repair and Salvage Unit (R&SU) with ML417 returned to 443 Squadron on 12 August. On 23 August the squadron was at Illiers L'Eveque and on 29 September Flying Officer (F/O) R.A. Hodgkins claimed two Bf109s destroyed while flying ML417 from La Culot in Belgium, during which the Spitfire sustained battle damage and after was again repaired by 410 R&SU.
On 5 October ML417 was allocated to 126 Wing and issued to 442 Squadron RCAF. It remained with RCAF units for all of its military service, going to 401 Squadron on 12 October 1944 and then 442 Squadron on 8 March 1945, 441 Squadron on 5 April, then 442 Squadron again, followed by 412 Squadron and finally 411 Squadron on 29 June 1945.
After the end of the war in Europe ML417 went to 29 MU, RAF High Recall, in August 1945, where it was stored until being sold back to Vickers Armstrong at South Marston, Wiltshire on 31 October 1946.
During 1947/48 it was converted, by Vickers Armstrong at Southampton, into a two seat trainer, for the Indian Air Force and a new constructors number was issued, with 6S730116 on the fuselage firewall plate and 6S735188 on the cockpit plate.
The Spitfire was test flown carrying serial G-15-11 before delivery to the Indian Air Force, who allocated it serial HS543 when it arrived in India.
Details of its life with Indian Air Force aren't known. It was found stored in a compound at the Indian Air Force Museum in palm in 1967 and bought by American senator, Norman E. Gaar in April 1971. It was shipped from Bombay in December 1971 on the SS Elena EF, arriving at Charleston, South Carolina, USA on 15 March 1972. It was then stored in New Orleans before its engine, Merlin 266 No. V332968, went to Chicago to be overhauled by Paul Szendroi. In November 1972 the airframe went to Fort collins, Colorado, for restoration by Darrell Skurich, although little was done.
ML417 was then sold to 'The Fighter Collection' England and sent to personal Plane Services at Booker, for rebuild into its original single seat configuration, registered G-BJSG.
It flew again on 29 January 1981. Since then it's been flying in markings identical to those that it had as 21-T with 443 Squadron, RCAF on D-Day 6 June 1944.
It remained with The Fighter Collection at Duxford, England until 2001 when it was sold to its current owner and shipped to Houston, Texas, USA before going to the Planes of Fame Museum at Chino, California.
It returned to Duxford, England where it flew again on 20 June 2023, for the first time since 2001.
This Video and Audio content is
Copyright © StephenKeeler (HightFlight/SkyHighFlightTV) All Rights Reserved
