SPITFIRES : Sixteen Month Calendar Year 2007 (35 x 35 x 0.21 cm)

We offer you this beautiful calendar of the year 2007, which is magnificently illustrated with photographs that display different versions of airworthy Spitfires in the early 2000s. Each month and each day of the week are written in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

The last four months of 2006 are illustrated with the Spitfire Mark XVI " Fargo Express " ( HL - K, photographed by John M. Dibbs ). " Fargo Express " was a Spitfire Mark VIII instead, of the 308th Fighter Squadron ( 31st Fighter Group, 15th Air Force, U.S.A.A.F. ) stationed at Castel Volturno ( Campania, Italy ). She was flown by 1st Lieutenant Leland Phillips " Tommy " Molland ( 1919 - 1951 ) on January 22nd, 1944. That very day, he shot down a Focke - Wulf Fw 190.

( sources : www.pinterest.com, Wikipedia, www.fold3.com )

Here are the months of the year 2007 :

January

Janvier - Januar - Gennaio - Enero

Spitfire Mark V " Clipped, Cropped and Clapped " of No. 402 " City of Winnipeg " Squadron ( R.C.A.F. ).

( source : Wikipedia )

February

Février - Februar - Febbraio - Febrero

Spitfire Mark IX " Aon " ( OU - V, ML407 ) of No. 485 " New Zealand " Squadron ( R.A.F., photographed by John M. Dibbs ).

ML407 was originally built as a single seat aircraft at the Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory ( West Midlands, England ) in 1944. She was first flown by a 22 - year - old South African woman called Jackie Moggridge ( born Dolores Theresa Sorour, 1922 - 2004 ), a female pilot of the Air Transport Auxiliary ( A.T.A. ) who took it to Selsey Bill ( Hampshire, England ). ML407 was in service in six Squadrons of the 2nd Tactical Air Force ( R.A.F. ) during which time she flew in 167 operations.

In 1950, she was converted to a two - seat aircraft by Supermarine and delivered to the Irish Air Corps before being retired to a museum. Luckily for us all she was bought by British - born Nick Grace ( 1936 - 1988 ) who lovingly brought her back to life. " Aon " is shown piloted by Australian - born Carolyn Grace ( 1952, Nick's widow ).

( sources : Wikipedia, www.privatepilotslicence.org, airleasing.co.uk, www.independent.co.uk, archive.atamuseum.org, www.imdb.com )

March

Mars - März - Marzo - Marzo

Spitfire Mark XVIII ( Z, TP280 ) of No. 9 Squadron ( R.A.F., photographed by John M. Dibbs ).

This aircraft ( registration number : N280TP - design number : 6S/676372 ) was built in 1945 and flown as TP280. On December 31st, 1947, she has been delivered to the Indian Air Force and was listed as HS654. She has been retrieved from India in the 1970s and was returned to Great Britain for its technical restoration by Historic Flying. After her first flight after restoration in 1992, TP280 has been sold to a new owner in the United States. She is based in Germany since 2015.

( source : www.boschungglobal.com )

April

Avril - April - Aprile - Abril

Spitfire Mark IX ( DU - A, TE566 ) of No. 312 " Czechoslovak " Squadron ( photographed by John M. Dibbs ), a former R.A.F. Squadron that was officially disbanded on February 15th, 1946 . Back to Czechoslovakia, the unit became the 2. letecké divize ( 2nd Air Division ).

( sources : allspitfirepilots.org, Wikipedia, www.vrtulnik.cz )

May

Mai - Mai - Maggio - Mayo

Spitfire Mark XVI ( J - MR, SL721 ), personal mount of Air Chief Marshal Sir James Milne " Robbo " Robb ( 1895 - 1968 ), Commander - in - Chief Air Forces, Western Union Defence Organisation ( photographed by Philip Wallick ).

Built in 1945, SL721 was initially delivered into storage at No. 6 Maintenance Unit, R.A.F. Brize Norton ( Oxfordshire, England ), in August. She was selected to become the personal aircraft of Air Marshal ( A.M. Sir James Milne " Robbo " Robb, then Air Officer Commanding - in - Chief, Fighter Command. When selected, it was transferred back to the Vickers facility at South Marston to be refitted for R.A.F. royalty. The guns were removed and the gunbays modified to take luggage. The aircraft was painted an overall shade of light blue and letter - coded with his initials : J - MR.

" Robbo " received his newly refurbished aircraft in February of 1948, utilising it to travel to bases around Great Britain. It was stationed at R.A.F. Hendon / R.A.F. Northolt ( Greater London, England ) for just four months when it was damaged in June 1948, in a landing accident, by Air Vice - Marshal Sir John Nelson Boothman ( 1901 - 1957 ). In 1951, when " Robb " was due to retire, he flew SL721 one last time - to R.A.F. Little Rissington ( Gloucestershire, England ), home of the R.A.F.’s Central Flying School ( and later, the Red Arrows ). She became the personal aircraft of the C.F.S.’s Commanding Officer for a few years, and then was sent to storage and eventual scrapping at R.A.F. Lyneham ( Wiltshire, England ).

Sold to Michael Willock in 1954, she lived on a garage forecourt in the hands of the Beaulieu Motor Museum ( present - day National Motor Museum, New Forest, Hampshire, England ). Throughout the following decades, SL721 was owned and restored by several persons.

In 2018, she was again sold to Mr. Kris Van den Bergh ( Belgium ) and reassembled at the FAST Aero Workshop at Brasschaat ( Antwerp, Belgium ). On May 6th, 2018, it became the first Spitfire to be registered in Belgium in over half a century and the first to depart from Brasschaat Aerodrome.

( sources : warbirdaviation.co.uk, Wikipedia, www.rafweb.org, www.vintagewings.ca, www.facebook.com/pg/Philip-Wallick-Photography-505238222822734/about/, www.beaulieu.co.uk )

June

Juin - Juni - Giugno - Junio

Spitfire Mark IX ( PR - D, AR213 ) of No. 609 " West Riding of Yorkshire " Squadron ( R.Aux.A.F., photographed by John M. Dibbs ).

July

Juillet - Juli - Luglio - Julio

Spitfire PR Mark XIX ( DL - E, PM631 ), No. 91 " Nigeria " Squadron ( R.A.F., photographed by TRH ).

PM631 was built at Reading ( Berkshire, England ) in 1945, too late to see service during the Second World War. However, she is representative of similar high - altitude photographic reconnaissance Spitfires which did serve operationally. Spitfire PR Mark XIXs were unarmed but could fly at 370 mph at 40,000 feet ( with pressurised cockpits ) and had a range of 1,500 miles.

PM631 was first used by No. 203 Advanced Flying School, then, after being modified for meteorological work, she was flown by the Temperature and Humidity Monitoring ( T.H.U.M. ) Flight. On July 11th, 1957, she was flown to Biggin Hill ( Greater London, England ) from Duxford ( Cambridgeshire, England ) in formation with two other T.H.U.M. Flight Mark XIXs ( PS853 and PS915 ), to form the Historic Aircraft Flight with Hurricane LF363, which later evolved into the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight ( B.B.M.F. ).

( sources : THE Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, www.facebook.com/BBMF.Official/, Wikipedia )

August

Août - August - Agosto - Agosto

Spitfire Mark IX ( PR - D, AR213 ) of No. 609 " West Riding of Yorkshire " Squadron ( R.Aux.A.F., photographed by John M. Dibbs ).

September

Septembre - September - Settembre - Septiembre

Spitfire Mark IIa's ( P8076 and others ), Assembly Hall at the Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory ( photographed by Hugh W. Cowin ).

Built in early 1941, P8076 was delivered to No. 24 Maintenance Unit, R.A.F. Ternhill ( Shropshire, England ), on February 22nd. Then, on March 18th, she was delivered to No. 152 " Hyderabad " Squadron, stationed at R.A.F. Warmwell ( Dorset, England ). On July 2nd, P8076 was next delivered to No. 130 " Punjab " Squadron, stationed at R.A.F. Portreath ( Cornwall, England ), and twenty - five days later, she became the property of No. 411 " City of York " Squadron ( R.C.A.F. ), newly formed at R.A.F. Digby ( Lincolnshire, England ).

On November 11th, P8076 was eventually delivered to No. 340 " Île - de - France " Squadron, a Free French unit formed on November 7th at R.A.F. Turnhouse ( Edinburgh, Scotland ). P8076 operational career would end on December 28th, when the unfortunate pilot overshot the runway during the landing at R.A.F. Drem ( East Lothian, Scotland ) and struck a dispersal bay. She was definitively written off ( Cat. E ) on December 31st.

( sources : www.rafcommands.com, aviation-safety.net, www.airhistory.org.uk, www.express.co.uk, Wikipedia, www.152hyderabad.co.uk )

October

Octobre - Oktober - Ottobre - Octubre

Spitfire Mark IX ( PR - D, AR213 ) of No. 609 " West Riding of Yorkshire " Squadron ( R.Aux.A.F., photographed by John M. Dibbs ).

November

Novembre - November - Novembre - Noviembre

Spitfire Mark IX ( PR - D, AR213 ) of No. 609 " West Riding of Yorkshire " Squadron ( R.Aux.A.F., photographed by John M. Dibbs ).

December

Décembre - Dezember - Dicembre - Diciembre

Spitfire Mark IX ( PR - D, AR213 ) of No. 609 " West Riding of Yorkshire " Squadron ( R.Aux.A.F., photographed by John M. Dibbs ).