Spitfire XIX PS 890 Unique Spitfire with 2 Contra Rotating Propellers

Spitfire XIX PS 890 Unique Spitfire with 2 Contra Rotating Propellers

Filmed : Duxford Flying Legends 2006,2008 Two Propellers Blue
Duxford Flying Legends 2015 Restored to Orignal configuration


History:
Griffon Thunder, Spitfire P S 890 M K XIX built in 1944 and powered with the Rolls Royce Griffon engine
PS890 was delivered to RAF Benson in 1945, being a PR XIX. She was transferred to the Royal Thai Air Force as U14-26/97 where she served until 1952. In 1962 she was donated to Ed Maloney (Air museum at Claremont, California, USA) by King Bhumibel of Siam in 1962 and stored.

She was acquired by Steve Hilton and rebuilt to flying condition. During this rebuild she was fitted with an Avro Shackleton engine and retained contra-rotating props. This was done to beat the piston engine powered climb speed world record.

She Flew again in May 2002 and operated by Planes of Fame, Chino with serial N219AM. She was sold to French collector Christophe Jacquard in 2005. She is based at Dijon-Darois airport in France since that time with registration F-AZJS.

During the winter of 2008/2009 she was refitted with her original engine , the Rolls Royce Griffon engine, and received the colours of RAF 152 squadron with code as she served in South East Asia.

On June 11th, 2017 it was involved in a serious accident at the L’aérodrome de Longuyon – Villette in northeastern France. The aircraft flipped over when the propeller hit the ground during take off. The pilot suffered non-life-threatening injuries and a woman in the public was injured by flying propeller fragments.

The Spitfire PR.XIX PS890/F-AZJS flew again on 6 August 2020 at Duxford with John Romain at the controls.