BRITAIN'S most famous fighter aircraft will make a guest

appearance at the Royal Citadel at the start of some

performances.

Weather and serviceability permitting, Spitfire PT462 will

perform four minutes of aerobatics on the Thursday, Friday and

Saturday nights.

Originally built for the RAF at the Castle Bromwich works

near Birmingham, PT462 started life as a single-seat, clipped-

wing HF Mk IX. It was delivered on July 21, 1944, and was

dispatched by sea to the Mediterranean Allied Air Force based

in Italy.

It is known to have served initially with 4 Squadron South

African Air Force before being transferred to 253 Squadron

based in Foggia.

While serving in Italy its role was mainly patrols and

ground attack, which subjected it to accurate anti-aircraft

fire. It received a great deal of damage and subsequent repair

works.

Former pilots of PT462 who have contacted current owner

Anthony Hodgson have passed on accounts of attacking vehicles,

trains and shipping.

Upon the end of hostilities, the aircraft stayed in Italy as

part of the occupying forces and in 1947 it was transferred to

the new Italian Air Force, where it saw nearly six years'

service before then being acquired by the Israeli Air Force in

1952.

Details of its service with the Israelis are sketchy but it

operated once again as a ground attack aircraft.

After being withdrawn from service it was donated to a

kibbutz in the Gaza Strip for use in the playground.

In the early 1980s the remains were discovered by a British

aircraft collector. There was only a partially-buried fuselage,

engine and damaged propeller left, the wings and tail unit

having been removed.

However, the remains were collected and stored at Fowlmere

in Cambridgeshire and the decision was made to rebuild the

aircraft to flying condition as a two-seat trainer version.

Upon completion in 1987, PT462 made several display

appearances, but following owner Charles Church's fatal crash

in another of his Spitfires, PT462 was sold to an American

collector based in Florida in 1994.

Mr Hodgson, the current owner, fulfilled a long-held

ambition to own and fly a Spitfire when he purchased the

aircraft in the February 1998.

PT462 is now based at Mr Hodgson's private farm strip in

North Wales. As the only Spitfire based in Wales, the aircraft

flies with a Welsh dragon emblem displayed on the tail.