Iaf to restore vintaGe spitfire

The vintage aviation restoration scene is burgeoning. There is a great demand to see and possess rare and unique aircraft, especially of the World War II era. In Britain, there are over 80 air shows a year, small locally-run events to big displays such as the Royal International Air Tattoo, which specialises in piston-engine aircraft, mainly from World War II. In India, sometime back, a vintage DC-3 Dakota transport aircraft flew after an exhaustive restoration process in Britain. The restored Dakota bears Tail No. VP 905, the same as the first Indian Dakota that transported troops of 1 Sikh to defend Srinagar from Pakistani raiders in 1947.

Now, Indian Air Force has decided to undertake a similar exercise on a World War II era Spitfire fighter. One of the most widely produced Allied planes during the war, the Supermarine Spitfire was in service with IAF from February 1944 to January 1960.

The British-made singleseat Spitfires saw action in Germany controlled Europe and many other war theatres during the war. Around 22,500 Spitfires were originally built. Around 56 are still flying.

The Spitfire’s restoration work will be carried out by an external agency.

The exhaustive process will involve complete stripping down of the plane. It will be cleaned and refurbished. The final assembly will be done in Delhi, Then an airworthiness certification will be issued by the aviation regulator.

This Spitfire, bearing Tail No NH-631, the Mark-VIII version landed in India in February 1945. After seeing service first with the British Royal Air Force and then with different Indian squadrons and the Maintenance Command, the fighter plane was scrapped in 1950.

Aviation historians say that it was recovered by Air Cmde Harjinder Singh, the first Indian “Hawai Sepoy”, and flown to Ambala.It was moved to the IAF museum in 1967 and was flown on ceremonial occasions.