Warbird Information Exchange

I have come across a near keepsake from the ill-fated Spitfire MK297, which burned in a hangar fire in Canada many moons ago. I was curious if and where any remnants of this airplane exist.

Thanks,
Gary

Hi Gary--

Curious: I've been emailing various people about this subject this week. The intense heat in the north bay of Hgr#3 during the infamous fire meant that nothing light-alloy survived...only steel components (and those were badly oxidized). In the case of the Spitfire, that meant basically the main gear legs and the windscreen frame. The cleanup crew had trouble even finding MK297's remains...More of the Hurricane survived, as much of the core of that airframe was steel tube. Incidentally the engines from both aircraft were out for overhaul at the time. It is said one of the currently flying Hurricanes sports the exhaust stacks from C-GCWH!

Now if one could track down that windscreen frame and/or those gear legs..."thin but robust provenance" (as they say over on FP) could take over...cool idea...

S.

Thanks for that info, Steve. I've been at home, out of commission all week, but whenever I'm able to get my fat-ass off the couch and get back to my office, I'll post a picture of the piece of the airplane that I have. It's nothing much, but it's pretty cool.

Gary

Gary--

I've got a chunk from the aftermath of the fire too; all it is is a "blob" of metal about 8" long, part of a prop blade I think, which I picked up off the tarmac a few weeks after the fire. I intended to use it as a base for 1:72 Spit and Hurricane models in the markings of the two lost aircraft...may still do that someday. (The Spit was to take on 1944 RAF finish, similar to the present Russell Group airplane. It had been stripped of its "Piece Of Cake" 1940 camo shortly before the fire.)

Wish I could say I knew where the identifiable Spit/Huri bits were now, but (so far) no idea...

S.

I have heard, but never confirmed, that the landing gear struts from the Hurricane were incorporated into the fibreglass replica that the CWH has on display.

Jeff

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The true north strong and free

I think your right about the landing gear. I think there was a couple of parts used in its completion. SOmething tells me the spinner is real as well?

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Cheers,
Peter

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Happier days.

Back when Howard Pardue and Jack Gaulding were sponsors, probably 1985.

Some of these pictures were taken when Nelson was putting fuel cells in the gun bays.

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Brad

Well, here is the piece of that airplane that I have now. It's definitely an original, as the placard on the inside, although damaged, was painted on by the factory............






I know it's nothing much, but I thought it was pretty cool.

Gary

Ah! MK297, alive and well and living in Midland, Texas.

Certainly some Spitfires today have started out with less than this...and the provenance is bullet proof.

Shortly after the fire at Hamilton, I did make an official enquiry for historic purposes to ascertain if any of the aircraft had survived even if just the steel parts. "Absolutely nothing", was the 'official' reply.

Here is the self same panel at Kalidjati in the Dutch East Indies in February 1948. Service test pilot Tub Bruggink prepares for a flight.

Note the aircraft is fresh out of the box and still carrying its former RAF serial, later to be H-116 and then H-55 ...and also sporting a later fit pointed broad chord rudder.

PeterA

Image HVDM coll.

SAD...

Hmmm...is there a data plate?

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Zane Adams
There I was at 20,000 ft, upside down and out of ammunition.
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Cool info Peter. Any other pics of this bird?

Gary

Gary,

Any news on the CAF's 'new' Spitfire? The last I heard, it was at Camarillo awaiting an overhauled engine.

Well, that's pretty much the latest news.
Gary

Gary--

That is fantastic...As Peter says, projects have begun with less. What a souvenir, in any case.

Totally unrelated to this thread, I'd been emailing offboard about the aircraft lost in the Hangar 3 fire; got several photos scanned, will, when time allows, get some of them onto Photobucket and thence onto WIX. NX9BL/MK297 spent her final two and a half years of existence at CWH, so I have a few shots of her in her last days (backward-turning Seafire XV prop and all). No shots post-fire, though, as very little was left and what happened to the meagre remains is anyone's guess...It does occur to me that, besides the main gear legs and windscreen frame, the engine bearers ought also to have survived the fire (unless they went with the Merlin to JRS?), but all I've ever heard cited are the gear legs and the windscreen frame.

More of the Hurricane survived, since much of the core structure of a Hurricane is steel tube. I do have pix of that. What a wrenching sight. And yes, the gear legs on the GRP Hurricane mockup in the museum now are supposed to be the original set from C-GCWH/5377, cosmetically refurbished...of course the GRP thingies do not normally come with gear, being intended for mounting in flying pose on pylons. The rest of the Hurricane remains lingered around the CWH hangars, and then next to the old airport firehall, for about a year, then disappeared.

The other aircraft lost in the fire were the TBM (partly fueled at the time, it exploded during the fire, producing the huge fireball seen in the best-known newspaper pic of the disaster), the near-completed Auster 6 (some of the frame of that, too, being steel, survived), the fuselage of the Stinson 105 (the wings were stored elsewhere and still exist), and CWH past-president Dennis Bradley's Rockwell 680V Turbine Commander.

Sorry, that's a tad O/T, but it helps round off the story...

So, Gary, when can we expect the new MK297 to go onto the US register??

S.

That's kick ass Gary.

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