Spitfire at the Aviation Museum

Joseph W. Ellul, Marsascala

Permit me to correct a few errors in the write-up about the Aviation Museum in the Times Showtime of Friday, August 1.

First of all, the photograph illustrated on the left facing the page and below is that of a Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX, and not of a "beautifully restored hawker Hurricane" as the caption states.

The Hurricane is in the final stages of excellent restoration, having been retrieved from the sea off Filfla where it had lain submerged for nearly 60 years.

The beautifully restored Fairey swordfish is not as yet beautifully restored; its fuselage and wings and other appendages are crated inside the museum premises awaiting restoration by the capable hands of Ray Polidano and his son David.

Also I am not yet aware of a two-storey multipurpose building extant in the area. What the write-up omitted is to mention the fact that the fuselage of the Gloster Sea Gladiator N5520, the supposedly actual "Faith", that with two other Sea Gladiators defended Malta against the might of the Regia aeronautics in the early days of the war, is still languishing inside the War Museum at St Elmo, minus wings, incorrectly shaped rudder and haphazardly fitted panels. The exhibit should be fully restored (the Aviation museum having available both wings and other essential items) to be displayed alongside the Hurricane and Spitfire at Ta' Qali, thus illustrating Malta's main defenders during World War II.

Comments

Rory O'Neill (on 29/8/08)

As a regular visitor to you wonderful Island and a WW2 Aircraft Supporter, just move "Faith" to to MAM and let Ray,David & the rest of the great crew get on with the job, it will not be in better hands!

Andrew Gatt (on 29/8/08)

What is Heritage Malta waiting for to transfer the Gloster Sea Gladiator "Faith" to the Malta Aviation Museum at Ta'Qali (the very airfield from which it flew in WW2?? The MAM have already sourced wings and other incredibly rare parts from overseas. They have the means, the premises, the will and the expertise to carry out a ground-up restoration. I suspect that Heritage Malta simply sees this famous airframe as a money-grabber to increase visitor revenues! They have had "Faith" for YEARS AND YEARS mouldering away in an unsuitable, unsecure, damp dump at Fort St. ELmo - and have done NOTHING.

Come on and do the right thing. Faith's place is at Ta' Qali. Can Government intervene? Can the new Chairman get off to a good start? The previous one's comments on this subject were ridiculous!!!!!!!!

David Muscat (on 29/8/08)

The Gladiator should be permanently loaned to the Aviation Museum and moved to Ta' Qali.