Spitfire Mark I P9374: The extraordinary Story of Recovery, Restoration and Flight Hardcover – July 17, 2012

A very interesting account of a seemingly impossible aircraft restoration. This airplane was shot down in 1940 and then remained buried in the wet sand of the beach where it fell for decades. An ill advised effort to recover it did more damage than thirty years of complete neglect.The restorers certainly had their work cut for them. Undaunted by the condition of the airplane when they received it, they saw the restoration through to a successful conclusion.High quality photos document the process every step of the way, a reunion with a wartime pilot makes the book even better.

When I ordered this book I was not certain what to expect. A story about an individual Spitfire shot down during the Battle of France during WWII. I was pleasantly surprised the author has woven together an interesting story that intertwines the actions leading up to the fateful day in which the subject aircraft and it's pilot Flying Officer Peter Cazenove were shot down in May 1940. Cazenove survived to spend the remainder of the war as a POW.The story goes to to describe how the wreck came to emerge from its resting place in the sands off Calais, its somewhat brutal excavation by the local ferry terminal manager who discovered it. Then its long and arduous road of restoration and return to flight.It is now the earliest flying example of a Spitfire Mark I flying today.

The author does a great job in documenting how this aircraft was put back in the air after being shot down over Dunkirk. I liked the background on the difficulty on finding or making parts for a 1940 vintage Mark I. Photos are well done too.

Fascinating to read and own!

A great book and a really fascinating read. Great for all the Spitfire fan. Exceptional photos and documentation are provided

If you have ever wondered what it takes, apart from a boat load of money, to put a warbird back in to the air, this is the book. Amazing story, could not put the book down.

Beautiful pictures and interesting text of an historic plane and marque. Very readable and just the right size for a small coffee table aviation book. Well done !

Very interesting book about all the work it takes to restore a wreck into flying condition. Highly recommended for warbird geeks.

This remarkable story of one particular Spitfire spans a period of over 70 years, from its loss in France during the evacuation of the British Army in 1940, it's re-emergence on a Calais beach some 40 years later, and then through an exacting period of restoration and rebuilding to produce an airworthy Spitfire which took to the skies again in 2012. The author is well qualified to tell this story having become involved with the subject when it first came to light on the beach at Calais, but also from having a wealth of experience in the fields of both aviation history and aviation archaeology. That an aircraft buried for so long in the corrosive environment of salt water sands could ever take to the skies again is to stretch the imagination. The question of `originality' arises. How `original' is the Spitfire that now graces the skies claiming the identity of the one lost on a Calais beach so long ago? The author does not shy away from this point and it is tackled head-on; in doing so he brings some clarity to the emotive terms of `original', `rebuild' and `restored' in the world of vintage aircraft. For true aviation enthusiasts the book will probably be considered too short, leaving them wanting more. However, the publisher has probably pitched it about right, so it will appeal just as much to the general reader.

After having had the privilege to have seen this spitfire in Duxford air museum and watching the progress of its restoration right through to watching it fly at the air show, i was told about the existence of this book so decided to purchase it. It truly is a wonderful book written beautifully and chronicling the history of this particular plane brilliantly. Very pleased with it.

My partner is aircraft crazy - as long as they are of a certain vintage! Neither he nor I are fans of "modern noisy, pointy planes" or of civil aircraft. Give us a Spitfire, Hurricane etc and we are very happy. Interested also as we enjoy the tv programmes in which Andy Saunders features. For a fan this is a good buy.

Excellent book about the almost impossible task of restoring a very early casualty of WWII. I was able to see the project in 2010 and again in 2011 as work progressed on the rebuild.To see it in the air in 2012, together with MkI Spitfires AR213 and X4650, (Another recent restoration) was the pinnacle of my experience of the aeroplane.

A fascinating read, full of details about the history and restoration of this wonderful Spit. If I'm being picky, I would perhaps have liked a little more detail about the engine restoration. But, don't let that put you off, it's an excellent book.