A magnificently restored Supermarine Spitfire MK.XVI has just come up for sale with our sponsors at Platinum Fighter Sales. She is a former RAF example, serial number TE392, and readers might remember our January 2020 article where we reported on TE392’s first post-restoration flight, which took place early last year in Australia at Archerfield Airport near Brisbane, Queensland.
Built for the RAF, TE392 rolled off the Vickers-Armstrong production line in Castle Bromwich near wars end during the spring of 1945. Too late to see active war-time service, TE392 served with various RAF units until formally retired from her military flying career in September 1952 when the RAF relegated the Spitfire to ground instruction duties at RAF Church Lawford. After serving in this role at various locations for the next few years, the fighter went on display atop a pole at RAF Kemble, in September 1967. The RAF then moved the aircraft to RAF Hereford in February 1970, again for pole-mounted display. Here she stayed until 1984, when the British Ministry of Defense traded her to well-known warbird collector, Doug Arnold in exchange for North American B-25J Mitchell 44-29366.
Arnold sent the ‘time capsule’ TE392 for restoration with Aerofab in Thruxton, Wiltshire for restoration. This work took some time and was incomplete by the time of Doug Arnold’s death in 1992. As with many of the other aircraft in his possession at the time of his death, TE392 was shipped to the USA for storage.
Following its sale in 1995, the Spitfire’s restoration recommenced at Harry Stenger’s shop in Bartow, Florida. Its first post-restoration flight was made on December 24th, 1999, with Elliot Cross at the controls. TE392 now belonged to the Lone Star Flight Museum, then in Galveston, Texas. The aircraft flew on the U.S. air show circuit for the next few years, but then Hurricane Ike struck the Texas coast in September 2008, rendering the aircraft unserviceable. Lone Star sent the fighter to Ezell Aviation for cleaning and preservation treatment following Ike. After nine years in dry storage, the museum sold the fighter via Platinum Fighter Sales in December 2017, and she moved to her new home Australia.
Bishopp Aviation completely disassembled the aircraft and completed a 100 point restoration to the highest standard over a two-year period. With eventual ‘G’ registration in mind, all US hardware was removed with original British hardware reinstalled. The wings were rebuilt with new wing spars. TE392 was placed on the Australian civil registry as VH-RAF on December 2nd, 2019 and on January 13th 2020, undertook its first post-restoration flight with Richard Grace at the controls. TE392 has been painted to represent a Spitfire flown by the legendary Australian Ace, Frederick Anthony Own Gaze, DFC & Two Bars, who is credited with shooting down 13.5 enemy aircraft over Europe – including both a Messerschmitt Me 262 and Arado Ar 234!
This iconic Spitfire with ‘continuing history’ is operated by Fighter Pilot, an organization which operates a small fleet of vintage warbirds out of Archerfield Airport in Brisbane, Australia.
This aircraft is for sale by Platinum Fighter Sales, for more information visit www.platinumfighters.com
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Born in Milan, Italy, Moreno moved to the U.S. in 1999 to pursue a career as a commercial pilot. His aviation passion began early, inspired by his uncle, an F-104 Starfighter Crew Chief, and his father, a military traffic controller. Childhood adventures included camping outside military bases and watching planes at Aeroporto Linate. In 1999, he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, to obtain his commercial pilot license, a move that became permanent. With 24 years in the U.S., he now flies full-time for a Part 91 business aviation company in Atlanta. He is actively involved with the Commemorative Air Force, the D-Day Squadron, and other aviation organizations. He enjoys life with his supportive wife and three wonderful children.
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