THE LATEST IN AVIATION HERITAGE
Return to flight approaches for two-seat Spitfire
Supermarine Spitfire T.9 MJ772 is currently undergoing engine trials at the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar in Kent, with a first postrestoration flight due soon.
Although built as a Mk.IX in 1943, the aircraft was converted to two-seat configuration in 1950. Its current operators hope to fly a D-Day veteran in the back seat over the Normandy beaches on June 6 to mark the 75th anniversary of the landings.
The fighter served with 341 (Alsace) Squadron of the Free French Air Force from Perranporth, Cornwall in January 1944. The unit moved to Merston, West Sussex, in preparation for D-Day, and on June 6 itself, Sgt Habib flew a sortie over the landing grounds and chased off a Focke-Wulf Fw 190.
