Griffon Powered Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIX Listed For Sale by Boschung Global

Switzerland-based warbird sales broker Boschung Global has listed a rare Vickers Spitfire Mk XIX, with a unique history, for sale on its website. The aircraft, s/n 6S-585110, was built by Supermarine in 1944 with a Rolls-Royce Griffon engine. In November 1944, it had modifications to its engine mount at maintenance unit 6. On April 30, 1945, it was moved to storage at RAF Benson. This Spitfire Mk XIX joined the 542nd Squadron in June 1945 and later the 81st Squadron in Singapore in January 1951.

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In 1962, King Bhumibol of Siam offered a Spitfire aircraft to Ed Maloney of the Air Museum in Claremont, California. During restoration, American aviator Steve Hinton, who held the world speed record from 1979 to 1989 and won six Unlimited-class air races, equipped this Spitfire with a contra-rotating propeller in order to set a world record for the best rate of climb with a piston engine. Though he could not set the record on this aircraft, he later used a P-51 Mustang (the Red Baron RB-51) to set the record. The Spitfire Mk XIX flew again in Chino in 2002, registered as N219AM with the Planes of Fame.

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Christophe Jacquard from France purchased it in 2005 and changed its registration to F-AZJS. In 2009, Jacquard restored the aircraft to its original configuration with a Dowty Rotol 5-blade propeller. The aircraft was fully restored after an accident in June 2017. On August 6, 2020, John Romain conducted a successful test flight, marking the end of three years of extensive restoration and 20,000 hours of work. Since August 2020, this rare Spitfire has been based at Dijon Darois Airfield in Côte-d’Or, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France.

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The Spitfire was the most famous British fighter plane. During the summer of 1940, it became a symbol of freedom by helping to stop German air attacks in the Battle of Britain. In 1940, it was the best-performing Allied aircraft. After the Battle of Britain in 1940, the Royal Air Force (RAF) planned to replace the Spitfire Mk. I and II with the Mk. III, which featured enhancements such as an improved wing design and a new Rolls-Royce Merlin 45 engine.

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However, the introduction of the superior German fighters led the RAF to develop the Spitfire Mk. V rapidly, which was based on a modified Mk. II airframe, equipped with a Merlin 45 engine, and several versions depending on armament. The RAF continued modifying the aircraft, and the Mk. XI, a modified version of the Mk. IX Spitfire was designed for photographic reconnaissance, featuring cameras, a more powerful engine, and a larger oil tank, while removing all guns and armor to enhance speed up to 422 mph.

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The Spitfire Mk XIX was the last version of the aircraft used by the RAF. It was unarmed and designed for photographic reconnaissance. The Mk XIXs began service in 1944, and a total of 225 units were built. It was the most successful version for this purpose. The aircraft had fully pressurized cockpits for high-altitude missions, and it was also the fastest Spitfire, reaching speeds of 460 mph, over 100 mph faster than the original Mk I Spitfire. The last operational flight of an RAF Spitfire was made by a Mk XIX, PS888, from No. 81 Squadron on April 1, 1954. It took off from RAF Seletar in Singapore to conduct reconnaissance over Johore, now part of Malaysia, during the Malayan Emergency.

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Overall, 20,351 Spitfires of all types and 2,408 Seafires for aircraft carriers were built. This Spitfire Mk XIX on sale has a total time since new (TSN) of 1,330 hours and a time since major overhaul (TTSMO) of 55 hours. The aircraft is currently registered as F-AZJS, with its Rolls-Royce Griffon 74/58 engine having also accumulated 55 hours of operational time. In addition, the propeller on this aircraft is a Dowty Rotol R19/5F5/1, which has a total time of 51 hours. The Spitfire Mk XIX is equipped with radios and navigation systems, such as Trig Avionics TY92 and Garmin GTX35R. Its exterior features the livery of Squadron 152 (FR). For more information about this Spitfire Mk XIX, visit https://www.boschungglobal.com/.