Combat-veteran Supermarine Spitfire XVIe TB252 was rolled out of the Avspecs workshops at Ardmore, Auckland on 28 November and had its Packard Merlin 266 engine run up for the first time, just a year-and-a-half after a full-time team set to work on the former Free French and Belgian Air Force fighter. It has been painted in the markings and NL-J codes it wore while serving with No 341 (Alsace) Squadron in the Netherlands and Belgium during the spring of 1945.Avspecs boss Warren Denholm says, "We actually received TB252 in 2002 but we have not had funding for continuous restoration during most of its time with us. It's only in the past 18 months that we have had a full-time team engaged on the job, which is our third Spitfire restoration."
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