A very rare and one of the earliest photos of a production Spitfire. K9788, courtesy of Jeff Turner and his old mate Den Wood. After all these years Den, who was 94 when I got sent this photo, was "over the moon" that he had been able to share this gem with a wider audience.12th July 1938 at Eastleigh. He was a 14 yr old boy living nearby and on that morning his neighbour asked him if he wanted to come and see the new Spitfire they were about to fly. Hopefully you can read the K9788 markings. Climbing in to the cockpit is Jeffrey Quill, and helping him is Mutt Summers, in the white coat.
A stunning piece of history buried away in a personal photo collection for 80 years. I'm very grateful to Jeff and Den for the opportunity to see and share this!
Next K9814 with Jeffrey Quill at the controls, taxying for takeoff to the Paris Airshow 1939.
Rare photos for you guys.
- Lewis - A2A
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Re: Rare photos for you guys.
WOW, thanks for sharing. There is something so very British (And of the era) of a kid being invited along by his neighbour to what will have been such a cutting edge military hardware roll out lol
cheers,
Lewis
cheers,
Lewis
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Re: Rare photos for you guys.
That's a very cool picture(s) and it's awesome you were able to help Den to get it out there for others to appreciate!
Rob Wilkinson
A2A: Civilian Mustang, T-6, Bonanza, Comanche, Cub, C182, Spitfire, P-40, Cherokee, P-51 - VATSIM P4 and some other stuff...
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- Killratio
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Re: Rare photos for you guys.
My pleasure guys.
This is another photo that is not commonly seen (although it is around). I've posted it on my build thread but I'll put it here as well.
This is almost certainly K9787, the first production Spitfire, given the level of instrumentation and the tests that were done by that aircraft.
And here is the prototype K5054. This photo is reasonably common but is rarely seen reproduced at this size and quality.
The King inspecting a Spitfire in 1938. Of note is the original "ring" style door latch which only had a two position latch, open or closed. There was no "half cocked' on that arrangement. You can also see the chromed warning horn behind the seat, made by Smiths and actually just a plain old motorcycle horn!
This is another photo that is not commonly seen (although it is around). I've posted it on my build thread but I'll put it here as well.
This is almost certainly K9787, the first production Spitfire, given the level of instrumentation and the tests that were done by that aircraft.
And here is the prototype K5054. This photo is reasonably common but is rarely seen reproduced at this size and quality.
The King inspecting a Spitfire in 1938. Of note is the original "ring" style door latch which only had a two position latch, open or closed. There was no "half cocked' on that arrangement. You can also see the chromed warning horn behind the seat, made by Smiths and actually just a plain old motorcycle horn!
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