Spitfire MkIX Trainer
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Although there were wartime conversions of the Spitfire into a two-seat trainer including the one-off modification of a Mk VC by RAF no. 261 Squadron and a Mk IX converted for use as a trainer by the Soviets, the two-seat Spitfire trainer was primarily a postwar program. In 1946, a MK VIII (MT818) was the first Vickers-built trainer built as a demonstrator.
IAC163
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In 1951, a further six TR 9 trainers were converted from the standard Mk IX to train pilots for the lrish Air Corps (IAC) Seafire fleet. The Spitfires provided transition training that included gunnery practice since the type was equipped with two .303 Browning machine guns, in each wing. The IAC retired its Seafire fleet and the Spitfires took on their duties until 1960 when they too were retired. Most of the TR 9 aircraft passed to the ground technical training school at Baldonnel where they were used as instructional airframes for the training of aircraft engineers for the Air Corps. Four of the IAC aircraft survived and two went on to join the warbird fleet in the 1970s and later.
IAC163 was sold as a warbird in December 1960.
Spitfire Tr.9 nr 163 was built as TE308, a single seat Mk. IXe in 1945. It was assigned to 39 MU at RAF Colerne in June of that year and was placed in storage at the end of the war. The plane was sold to Vickers-Armstrong in 1950 and was converted to the Tr.9 configuration for the Irish Air Corps. It was flown as IAC 163 until 1968 when it then passed into private hands.
It was used in 'Battle of Britain' film in 1968. Bought by the late Don Plumb, of Windsor, Ontario who flew it as CF-RAF and C-FRAF from 1970 until he was killed in his Mustang in 1975. The rear cockpit was faired over to make it appear like a single-place Spitfire. It went to the Owl's Head Transportation Museum, in Rockland, Maine in 1975 as N92477. Two years later it was sold by David B. Keith (aircraft broker) to Woodson K. "Woody" Woods, of Carefree, Arizona and placed in a small aviation museum as N308WK . Later, it was sold to Bill Greenwood, Aspen, Colorado in 1979 as N308WK.
This two-seat Spitfire is marked as RAF TE308/RJ-M. Currently owned and operated by Bill Greenwood.
PT462
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Built in 1944 at Castle Bromwich, PT462 was a single seat HF Mk IXa which was a high altitude variant of the Mk IX. It was delivered to No 39 MU then No 215 MU in July 1944 for delivery by sea to Italy and the Mediterranean Allied Air Force. It served with No 253 Sqn as SW-A until May 1947 when the squadron disbanded. In June it was struck off charge while at Treviso and transferred to the Italian Air Force as MM4100. In 1952 PT462 was acquired by the Israeli Air Force and ended its career in a Kibbutz playground in the Gaza strip.
Following its recovery from Israel in 1983, PT462 was moved to Fowlmere in Cambridgeshire and was bought by Charles Church in 1984. A decision was made to return PT462 to flying condition but as a Tr. 9 two-seat trainer. The front cockpit was moved forward 13 inches and a second cockpit added. Registered as G-CTIX it flew again in July 1987.
Following the death of Charles Church in Spitfire EE606 in July 1989, PT462 continued to operate in the UK under the care of Dick Melton Aviation, and in 1994 was sold to Jetcap Aviation Corporation, in Florida and flew as N462JC. In 1998 the current owner, Anthony Hodgson, purchased the aircraft and it was delivered to Duxford for the Aircraft Restoration Company to re-assemble and it flew again in the August of 1998 and now resides at its home base in North Wales
Specification
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Span: 36 ft.10 in.
Lenght: 32 ft.3 in.
Weights: Empty 6,400 lb.., loaded 8,100 lb., maximum permissible 9,600 lb.
Performance: Maximum speed 392 m.p.h. at 13,500 ft
355 m.p.h. at 4,500 ft.
Normal cruising speed 309 m.ph.at 20.000 ft. Rate of climb (initial) 4,620 ft. per min.
Time to 20,000 ft. 6-2 min. Service ceiling 37,200 ft.
Range; 690 miles.
Armamant : Two .303 MG in each wing. PT462 had Two 20mm cannon and two .50 MG.
Effects
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-On startup there is automatic engine smoke.
-Then follow the exhaust flames with smoke.
-Wing vortex effect appears by default at 2.5g or quick roll rate.
-Continuous blue flames with smoke if engine is running .
-You have WAR emergency power with the WEP gauge.
-Wing cannon with flash, smoke and falling cartridges can be triggered with the standard Strobe key (O).
It is much nicer however if you put the FS2004 standard Strobe key (O) to the trigger from your joystick.You can change this in the Key menu.
It is a good idea if you replace the standard (L) key for lights by the L+CTRL, (normaly activating the landing lights only). This avoids you having to have all lights on when pulling the trigger.
Installation:
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IMPORTANT NOTE; After unzipping, you get the FS9 model. It is flyable in Fs2002/2004/FSX, but with certain limitations. To fly with a specific simulator, read instructions carefully.
-Unzip " Spitfire 9T" into a temporary file and move the "Spitfire 9T" folder into the main Aircraft directory.
-Attention...the panel.cfg files are different for FS2002,FS2004 and FSX.
-For FS2002,change the FS2002panel.cfg into panel.cfg and let it replace the first one. Move MkI Spit Stick.gau and MkI Spit Throttle.gau into your gauges folder.(The spitful map in your panel folder may be removed if you like).
-For FS2004, the panel.cfg and panel map are correct.
-For FSX the MkI Spit Stick.gau and MkI Spit Throttle.gau should be removed. The FSX panel.cfg only should be renamed as panel.cfg and overwrite the original one.
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-Read instructions carefully when installing the spitfire_mki.gau , say YES...when asked if the gauges sources should be trusted. If you say no....most of the gauges are not going to work !
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-Leave the Spitful map in your panel folder.
-Put the spitfire_mki.gau into your Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator X\gauges folder.
-Copy the effects into the Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator X\effects folder.
-Add the 20can.wav in your Microsoft Games\Flight Simulator X\sound folder.
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Flying the model
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This plane is a fair, non critical but very powerful flying machine.
-Spoiler opens cockpitdoors
-CTRL+E opens the canopy
-Radiator flaps are opened by the close cowl key.
TAKE-OFF :if you have manual rudder enabled, be ready to apply right rudder and brake when you hit the throttle !
Better apply throttle proportionaly and slowly at first.
1.Parking brake on, start engine, 1/4 flaps
2.Disengage parking brake
3.Hold enough rudder, brake to keep the aircraft straight
4.Take off at about 100 Knots, wheels and flaps up at 130 Knots.
5.To fire guns activate O-key or trigger.(Guns positions are correct for PT462 only).They can be modified in the aircraft.cfg [EFFECTS].
6.Approach at 25% flaps, wheels down at 120 Knots.Extend hook for carrier landings.
7.Touchdown at 85-90 Knots.
Like with the real plane, much use of elevator trim will be needed.
CREDITS
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Special thanks to :
-GMAX for the drawing program and Microsoft for their makmdls.mdk.
-Ian Roussel whose original Irish textures were the inspiration for these new ones.
-Mike Hambly for his sound file.
-Ken Harrisson for his FSDS sources.
-Ivan Hsu for the MDLC model converter.
LEGAL:
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The project is released as freeware. You may modify it and repaint it. You may upload this file to another website as long as it is not for profit.
You need the written permission of the original authors to use any of these files for commercial purposes, otherwise a simple credit would be nice. Non commercial repaints-remakes are welcome but I would appreciate very much receiving a copy of your model.
This file should not cause any problems with your computer, but I accept no responsibility if you think it does
Perhaps someone can do a decent Virtual cockpit and perfect the models.
Happy Landings!! Ground or Carrier!!
A.F.Scrub
June 2007
Email: af_scrubbypc@hotmail.com
