The Spitfire MJ444 Restoration | Parky checks in with Airframe Assemblies

[@busterdee8228]

I was not expecting to see a team of fabricators working at a near mass production pace. I had no idea such expertise was extant. Beautiful.

[@climbjt]

My grandfather owned a sheet metal fab company in London, and produced wingtips for the spitfire. My mother was 6 years old when she was evacuated to the country side during the Battle of Britain. So glad people are keeping these aircraft alive

[@brockkerby2290]

Glad to see my local Canadian pilot plane is coming back to life ! Mac Reeves of Madoc ONT , flew this spitfire in November 1944 . My great uncle was friends with him , and actually saw him overseas the day before Mac Reeves was killed March 28th 1945 . He is one of my many heroes , trying excited to announce im starting my documentary about him as we speak .

[@markallchorn2438]

How wonderful ! Been a Spitfire enthusiast since the age of 8 when l watched the film Battle of Britain being made over Eastbourne where our family used to run pleasure boats to Beachy head lighthouse. Our father explained to me how the Spit became the simblisum of freedom. I also fell in love with the wonderful sounding Merlin engine and still am at 63 !!

[@tempest957]

Superb! Such important work for future generations. Also to remember the genius of RJ Mitchel.

[@stewartgrant9832]

I've had the pleasure of a tour. The spar and D box are completely mind blowing. These engineers are on another level.

[@erniejoyce7347]

It’s great that Spitfires are still being built and restored. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if someone could build an iconic Vulcan bomber from new… I’d donate to that. The UK needs to see one doing flying exhibitions again.

[@rc166honda]

Absolutely fascinating, wonderful to see the engineering behind the beauty of the Spitfire. Many thanks for posting.

[@aerolegendsuk3033]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Nicho137Racing]

I think we're going to need Parky doing significantly more videos. Fantastic.

[@glennchuckie773]

Awesome, love it! Absolutely amazes me just how many and how quick they were building Spitfires back in wartime, especially looking at the details and craftsmanship going into MJ444 restoration. Much respect, for past and present! We live in Chelmsford and often see these beautiful warbirds flying over our house, Elizabeth (NH341) too 😊

[@aerolegendsuk3033]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@mambastu]

Fantastic to see these beauties being made still.

[@allannorman2359]

Enjoyed that good to see the both the Steves, such professionalism. They also made parts for my Naafi Van which were very intricate..

[@crazybadger617]

Great video, thanks for posting guys. Not sure how I feel though about taking such an iconic plane, working so hard to maintain as much of the original parts etc as possible, only to then rebuild her as a two seater. A type that to my eyes just doesn't look "right". I appreciate the need to offer rides to help raise money etc, but the idea that your taking an original LFIX and drastically changing what she was just doesn't exactly sit right. I almost feel like if your going to make a 2-seater then go for more of a "new build" like they have done with the FW190N's, and save the restorations for keeping them as close to the original as possible. But then again, without the two-seaters making money, maybe many of the restorations just wouldn't be financially feasible. Anyway...Great job again guys. Please keep posting these great videos showing the rebuild process.

[@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935]

This is only a nominal restoration anyway. Why not do a photo reconnaissance Spitfire and let the passenger peep out through the camera windows? (behind the _folding_ for entry pilot’s seat). After D-Day General Eisenhower had a well escorted flight over the bridgehead in a P-51B modified with a seat behind the pilot, there was no room for a parachute.

[@MrVolvobloke]

I'm with you. I know it's a controversial view but two seater spitfires just look wrong in my opinion. They would be better off just reserving those to the bubble canopy variant where the extra seat can be better hidden.

[@woooster17]

Spotted N3200 written on the jig post.. I sat in her cockpit a few weeks ago at Duxford. A beautiful restoration. I also sat in Hurricane BE505 afterwards. Very interesting making an immediate comparison between the two.

[@itsonlyme9938]

I never get tired of looking at a Spitfire it is timeless and graceful what ever angle you look at her. If it looks right it is right once said by R J Mitchel him self.

[@Dreamsofwings]

Wonderful to watch. Thanks so much for putting these videos up. Fascinating stuff! Keep ‘em flying!

[@jim5870]

Mk9 Spit MK923 5J-Z N521R was in the hangar where I apprenticed in in the 80's

[@allannorman2359]

Brilliant loved it, Steve you are a genius..

[@aerolegendsuk3033]

Thanks Allan

[@chansonducygne]

brilliant, love the shop tour 🙌

[@aerolegendsuk3033]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@dadgoggles884]

Amazing how much they can use when to me it just looks so twisted . Great film and looks like Parky has a new career as a presenter👍

[@patrickmccarthy7068]

Would love to work in a place like this, even if it’s cleaning the toilets!

[@alisonsadler7474]

Nice 👌 to see a other spitfire being restored from alison 😀 👍

[@leodis55]

Great to see another Icon of the sky taking shape and also we still have engineers in this trade with hopefully some younger people learning from the older experienced guys! Keep going, and maybe slip in a mossy !😁

[@lawtonlancaster5753]

Keep history alive.😊

[@edlangley4660]

Parky, you're an honorary Rigger.

[@tonybaines1857]

Parky you are a legend mate I live in Lincolnshire near where you were based at coningsby

[@Lamby60]

Utterly superb

[@aerolegendsuk3033]

Thanks a lot

[@knowledgebyte]

Saw you guys flying down near Kemble a month ago and tracked you back to Sywell I think. Can’t quite remember the exact destination. But the sound of the Spitfire and the impressive speed it was carrying made me think of you guys. I’m ex-RAF A-Tech-A and look forward to my bucket list of things to do.. one of them is getting a clutch of the controls during one of your customer flights on these superb rebuild projects. I have a 3DLabs model Spitfire printed out for test flying. So until then, I’ll dream about that day in the not too distant future.

[@mikenelson8786]

The detail is amazing.

[@davidbiddlecombe8602]

Wonderful film. I live close to North Weald, Aero Legends new operating base and have a holiday home on the IoW next to Bembridge airport, so this all seems very local. I look forward to seeing MJ fly at NW one day.

[@aerolegendsuk3033]

Sounds great! We look forward to flying you

[@knowledgebyte]

@@aerolegendsuk3033 just a matter of interest, but when will you be popping into Kemble?

[@joejoe2928]

****WHAT AN AWESOME. PRIVLEDGE TO FLY A SPITFIRE...AS YOUR DAILY WORK.********

[@peterhatfield5632]

Fabulous video about one of the icons of our industrial heritage. Talking of heritage, are all the fasteners and measurements done in in Imperial units, or has metric taken over?

[@trevormoore5024]

Wonderful 👍👍

[@aerolegendsuk3033]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@dale3852]

Wow.good work all of you

[@JamesBond-xq3tw]

Just amazing skill

[@raytrevor1]

Wonderful work being done and very interesting. I'm very glad that Spitfires are being built. But realistically what % of the 'restoration' is original?

[@aerolegendsuk3033]

Many thanks! It depends on each airframe and the condition of the salvaged wreckage. In any restoration to airworthy condition you would replace a considerable amount of of the airframe whether the aircraft was largely complete or the wreckage from an accident

[@burlatsdemontaigne6147]

Nothing flight critical. The wouldn't get certification using 80 year old aluminium. It's ridiculous to call these 'restorations'.

[@kobusdutoitbosman6240]

…most interesting Project complimént‼️ FASCINATING in fact 👊🔥 🪖

[@andrewmallard2301]

Cant wait to see her rebuild in person. When's the first visit?

[@andrewmallard2301]

Also love the fact, Parky is so hands on.

[@aerolegendsuk3033]

Thanks Andrew, you should have an email with the dates for the first two visits

[@keithnoneya]

Looking good. Curious how much of the original aircraft actually goes into an aircraft before it's considered an original or does it even matter? Thanks for sharing. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya

[@MandIadventure]

love

[@Jim610]

Parky, not sure I would have let you loose with on windy drill when we served together on Sqns various!

[@shanethepain2009]

Perfection

[@kevincollins1060]

Let’s be honest the craftsmanship is fantastic. But there’s no way it’s the spitfire that was pulled out of the ground, it’s a completely new aircraft

[@matthewpayne42]

I would rather see more Hawker Hurricane aircraft being restored than Spitfires these days.

[@andrewwaller5913]

Hurricanes are a lot harder to rebuild but Hawker Restorations in Suffolk have rebuilt many over the last 20 years. More flying than ever since the war.

[@brianwheway1933]

what i find facanating is these planes were produced in the war period at a rate of one or two a day, yet they take multiple years to restore! i would like to ask the guy, are these planes built now to a higher standard now, or were they the same buils quality as when the rolled off the production line.

[@jonniebyford]

Does anyone know of any videos about Project AA810 - the restoration of the Spitfire flown by Sandy Gunn - the aeroplane's final pilot (who survived, only to be murdered by the Gestapo in April 1944, after the 'Great Escape' from Stalag Luft III)? I know that it's due to be finished in 2024, that's all, and would love to see the aircraft extracted from the peat and ice that surrounded it when it was found in Trondheim, Norway, back in 2018.

[@djsbriscoe]

Is the airframe using pure aluminium or an alloy such as Duralumin?

[@david45ross]

Amazing how quickly the women back in the 40’s could knock these machines out!

[@MrBonito22]

Could some one please explain the reason for the clear part of the fuselage behind sliding canopy. It cannot be for vision as the pilot could not turn his head that far back to see out. Thankyou.

[@dashcroft1892]

I think the purpose is for visual inspection and access to the Sutton harness attachment points behind the pilot seat and the steel cables which attach to the frame.

[@conceptalfa]

I guess one could find many more spare parts like that at the bottom of the English Channel, anyone fishing there??🙃

[@johnwallace7398]

Is it possible to buy these official drawings that they are using.

[@clydecessna737]

How can I get a copy of a Spitfire, or better still a Hurricane, production drawings?

[@dale3852]

Which will be first .this or the lanc at east kirby?

[@andrewwaller5913]

MJ444 is scheduled to fly in 2023.

[@dufus7396]

Im wondering if with modern automated machining and 3 D printing why not just replicate end result with udated design, materials and methods. Also I dont see the point in reinstalling heavy armor plating.

[@andrewwaller5913]

Authencity. If you update the design then it's not a Spitfire anymore. It must be built to the original blueprints or you'll never get it certified to fly.

[@peteturner8493]

Not so great on inch to mm conversion but otherwise very interesting video!

[@aerolegendsuk3033]

Glad you liked it!

[@mikeycraig8970]

Canabalised spitfire! I'd go without the ride in one, happily view it from the ground, IF it's a proper spitfire and not one of those horrid two seater ones. Supermarine didn't make two seaters.

[@kennethworkman4740]

You say she what's her name? ❤

[@benoitdamoiseau4454]

hello, I discovered that you took private photos of my facebook for your video? I think you might have asked, right?

[@SaltimusMaximus]

Restoration lol, another data plate takes to the sky

[@gregtaylor6146]

3:56 - Bollocks! You're building a completely new airframe, and bolting a few old bits on so that some cretin will pay a few extra £million for it due to its 'supposed' provenance.

[@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935]

I don’t see many ‘restorations’ of Napier Sabres and Tempests.

[@gregtaylor6146]

@@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935 - It's a good point, I'm lead to believe that NS powerplants were, whilst admittedly extremely powerful, somewhat delicate and prone to premature failure, so restoration of such might be a shortlived triumph? Tempests II's with the Centaurus motor on the other hand was a lovely aeroplane, though somewhat overshadowed by its equally attractive sibling, the Sea Fury .....of which there are several, successfully restored ....... or were you making another point entirely?

[@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935]

@@gregtaylor6146 Kermit has two stalled Tempest non restorations, a V/VI and a II, I think there is a Tempest II progressing somewhere. There is a brave Typhoon restoration in Canada.

[@gregtaylor6146]

@@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935 - Good to know, Thank you.