New Spitfire was brought to the newest COGEA feet from the Middlekerke, Ostend, in which it had been entered OO-ARD, and soon joined provider
On the purposes of the movie a huge Get across away from Lorraine emblem was applied toward routes to portray the brand new Totally free French squadron
Inside June 1956 MH415 is actually sold in order to a great Belgian business, COGEA (Compagnie Gnrale dExploitation Aronautique), which in fact had a target-pulling offer into the Belgian and you can NATO forces. COGEA had before run individuals light flights pulling ads and you can similar, but when the latest army target towing contract came up, this new Percival Proctors they certainly were using didn’t have the new overall performance needed. The fresh new Belgian Air Pushes last few Spitfires offered the perfect possibility, and you may COGEA purchased six of those to operate because of their military offer. Months photo inform you the brand new aircraft from inside the a bare aluminium livery which have eco-friendly nosecone and tail. From inside the 1961 it absolutely was leased for movie use in The Longest Go out, that has been shot on location within the France.
On 14th May MH415 turned up for the film product within RAF North Weald in the Essex, and you can was afterwards founded on Debden, Duxford and you may Hawkinge
The fresh flights are coated when you look at the an effective camouflage design and flown that have 340 (Ile de france) Squadron codes GW-Roentgen. For the Sep 1961 new aircraft caused a stir from the searching on the brand new RAF Race out-of The uk air screen from the Biggin Mountain into the their livery in the Longest Date, flown because of the Pierre Laureys, an excellent French World war ii Spitfire pilot. It’s know you to definitely MH415 was the last airworthy Spitfire to help you be offered by the COGEA, and is believed that it had been from the Ostend given that later as December 1964. (more…)