With the purposes of the movie a large Cross from Lorraine emblem was utilized for the aircraft to help you represent the brand new Totally free French squadron
In the June 1956 MH415 was marketed to good Belgian company, COGEA (Compagnie Gnrale dExploitation Aronautique), which in fact had an objective-pulling price to the Belgian and NATO forces. COGEA had before operated various light aircraft pulling ads and you will equivalent, however when the army address towing bargain came up, the fresh new Percival Proctors these were playing with didn’t have new performance needed. The newest Belgian Heavens Forces last few Spitfires given the best possibility, and you can COGEA purchased six of these to perform due to their military offer. Several months photo let you know this new aircraft inside a blank aluminium livery having environmentally friendly nosecone and you can end. Inside the 1961 it absolutely was leased getting motion picture include in The latest Longest Date, that was filmed on location during the France.
On 14th Could possibly get MH415 showed up into the movie product from the RAF Northern Weald within the Essex, and is later on depending at the Debden, Duxford and you can Hawkinge
The aircraft try coated during the a beneficial camouflage design and you will flown with 340 (Ile-de-france) Squadron rules GW-Roentgen. From inside the September 1961 the newest flights caused a stir of the lookin during the the fresh RAF Race regarding Britain sky display from the Biggin Hill for the its livery from the Longest Go out, flown of the Pierre Laureys, good French World war ii Spitfire airplane pilot. It’s realized one to MH415 was the last airworthy Spitfire to help you getting marketed by the COGEA, and it is believed that it actually was on Ostend given that late as December 1964. MH415 is actually bought of COGEA by Rousseau Aviation off Dinhard into the France, into the sum of 8, 000 francs with the ish Mahaddie was gathering together with her flights into the imminent motion picture The battle from Britain, and you may immediately after a study because of the John Simpson, MH415 was purchased for an undisclosed sum.
This new routes try dismantled and mailed by Simpson’s Aeroservices Ltd in the Elstree to have a redesign, inserted G-AVDJ, to help you Mahaddie on 29th December 1966. It had been test flown and you can delivered to the movie equipment at RAF Henlow during the early 1967 from the T A good Davies. This new aircraft try kept, their Merlin 66 motor restricted, throughout the a lot of 1967, therefore was not flown once again up until November, if this gotten another type of Certification from Airworthiness, are sample flown for the 29th of that month of the T A beneficial Davies during the Henlow. In early 1968 shooting had were only available in Spain, and as a good Spitfire is actually you’ll need for venue functions, MH415 is actually chosen and you may wishing from the Henlow and you may Luton. Good 90-gallon drop-tank are fitting and different decide to try routes achieved during the March during the Henlow, Luton and you will Farnborough by Lt Cdr M T Hynett.
In the late February MH415 left the united kingdom, traveling through France to help you Tablada Air Foot inside The country of spain. For it enough time trip it was flown by V H Bellamy. Film venue work as N3312/ AI-C adopted within the Spain, flown in the primary because of the Lt Cdr Hynett. The brand new Spitfire the arrived back into England in the Manston into 11th May 1968, in the team which have a gaggle from Messerschmitts, two Heinkels and you can Jeff Hawke during the a b-25 cam-ship. The current weather in 1968 was generally British, and also the movie organization was indeed running out of big date. Loans has also been ultimately causing issues, which was chose to move the fresh new aerial unit for the a good weather of your Southern area of France.
MH415 and you can a great many other Spitfires and many Messerschmitts was indeed flown out over Montpelier during the August for a few months, while the requisite footage is gotten in the sun. MH415 wore many markings throughout filming, together with N3312/ AI-C, N3311/ CD-B, N3321/ AI-M, N2210/ CD-A beneficial, N3310/ An excellentI-A, Letter3322/ AI/ N, N3319/ DO-K and you may N3314/ AI-E. Which Spitfire try fitting that have strobe lights regarding machine gun harbors and you may is flown to possess a maximum of 125 hours through the shooting escorts in Lausanne. From inside the October 1968 it had been created from the Bovingdon, Hertfordshire, and later you to definitely week was used into the filming bail-away shots from the Netheravon Wiltshire. Among movie equipment pilots, Texan Wilson ‘Connie’ Edwards, received MH415 toward achievement of its motion picture commitments therefore are dismantled on Bovingdon because of the Simpson’s Aeroservices for shipments to help you Houston, Colorado, in which it arrived in January 1969.