For the purposes of the movie an enormous Cross out-of Lorraine emblem was applied into flights to show the Herisau hookers brand new Free French squadron
In Summer 1956 MH415 are ended up selling to an effective Belgian team, COGEA (Compagnie Gnrale dExploitation Aronautique), which in fact had a target-pulling offer to your Belgian and you can NATO forces. COGEA got in earlier times run certain light routes towing ads and you will comparable, but once the fresh army address pulling bargain emerged, the new Percival Proctors they were playing with didn’t have the latest performance necessary. New Belgian Sky Pushes last few Spitfires given the ideal options, and you can COGEA ordered half a dozen of them to perform because of their army bargain. Several months photo tell you the brand new routes inside the a clean aluminum livery which have green nosecone and you may tail. Inside 1961 it was hired to have movie use in The latest Longest Big date, that was recorded on site during the France.
Into the 14th Could possibly get MH415 turned up to your motion picture equipment at the RAF Northern Weald in the Essex, and try later depending during the Debden, Duxford and you may Hawkinge
The fresh aircraft try coated when you look at the a camouflage design and you will flown having 340 (Ile de france) Squadron codes GW-R. In the September 1961 the aircraft caused a blend from the appearing on the RAF Competition from Britain sky display screen at the Biggin Slope into the the livery on Longest Time, flown by the Pierre Laureys, a great French World war ii Spitfire airplane pilot. It is realized that MH415 try the very last airworthy Spitfire to help you end up being offered because of the COGEA, and is also considered that it was within Ostend since the later just like the December 1964. MH415 are bought off COGEA by the Rousseau Aviation away from Dinhard from inside the France, on sum of 8, 000 francs toward ish Mahaddie was meeting together with her routes into the forthcoming movie The battle from The uk, and you can once a survey of the John Simpson, MH415 is actually purchased having an undisclosed contribution.
New aircraft are dismantled and you will mailed by Simpson’s Aeroservices Ltd on Elstree to possess an overhaul, registered G-AVDJ, in order to Mahaddie towards 29th December 1966. It actually was decide to try flown and you can brought to the film product within RAF Henlow in early 1967 from the T An excellent Davies. The latest aircraft try kept, their Merlin 66 system inhibited, during most of 1967, and it was not flown again until November, whether it obtained an alternative Certification of Airworthiness, getting shot flown to the 29th of these day by T An effective Davies from the Henlow. At the beginning of 1968 filming had were only available in The country of spain, and also as a great Spitfire try needed for area performs, MH415 try selected and you may wishing on Henlow and you may Luton. Good ninety-gallon drop-container are installing and other try routes achieved during February at Henlow, Luton and Farnborough by Lt Cdr M T Hynett.
Inside the later February MH415 leftover great britain, flying thru France so you can Tablada Heavens Feet in the The country of spain. For it much time journey it was flown by the V H Bellamy. Movie location work as N3312/ AI-C followed for the Spain, flown however of the Lt Cdr Hynett. The Spitfire the fresh new turned up back into England during the Manston toward 11th May 1968, in the company having a gaggle of Messerschmitts, a couple Heinkels and you will Jeff Hawke into the a-b-25 cam-vessel. The current weather from inside the 1968 is normally British, as well as the film providers was in fact running out of time. Money was also causing dilemmas, which try made a decision to circulate the latest aerial equipment on a great climate of your Southern area of France.
MH415 and you can a great many other Spitfires and several Messerschmitts was basically flown out to Montpelier for the August for three weeks, and the expected video footage try received in the sun. MH415 dressed in of many markings throughout the filming, also N3312/ AI-C, N3311/ CD-B, N3321/ AI-Meters, N2210/ CD-A good, N3310/ GoodI-An excellent, Letter3322/ AI/ N, N3319/ DO-K and you can N3314/ AI-E. This Spitfire are suitable with strobe lighting on machine gun ports and you may are flown to own a total of 125 times throughout the shooting. During the Oct 1968 it had been dependent during the Bovingdon, Hertfordshire, and later one month was applied into the shooting bail-out shots at the Netheravon Wiltshire. Among movie product pilots, Texan Wilson ‘Connie’ Edwards, gotten MH415 on the completion of their film duties also it is actually dismantled at Bovingdon by Simpson’s Aeroservices to possess delivery in order to Houston, Texas, in which they arrived in January 1969.
