CONFIDENTIAL SPITFIRE Mk.

Vb BL628
“Marion”

Fast Facts:
Make: Supermarine Spitfire

Model: Mark Vb
Serial: BL628

Call Letters: YOD

Name: Marion
Construction: CBAF 1660

Squadron: 401, 308, 167, 610, RN

Remains located: 1977, St. Merryn, UK

Asking Price: $3,000,000.00 USD

Summary 2 Gravesend, UK, 1942

The Foundation 3

The Man 4

The Machine 6

Sponsorship
Proposal
Points of interest:

8 Never in the field of human conflict

was so much owed by so many to so few.
The Future 10
- Winston Churchill, August 20, 1940

National Heritage
Warbird Foundation
Page 2 SPITFIRE Mk. Vb BL628

Summary Vision Statement

The National Heritage Warbird Foundation will be

recognized as a progressive and innovative leader in
the preservation of RCAF aircraft along with relevant
Fact: historical documents significant to the men and
There are currently only women who have defended our freedom.
approximately 50 flying
Spitfires in the world
today. Many Spitfires
appear in static displays
in museums around the Mission Statement
world, but only a
handful are airworthy,
Through innovative and proactive approaches,
making them a true
national treasure. the National Heritage Warbird Foundation will
be an active participant in honouring and preserving
our Canadian aviation heritage.

Executive Summary
The National Heritage Warbird Foundation, founded in 2006,
is attempting to obtain sponsorship capital to purchase a
Supermarine Spitfire Mk. Vb, Serial # BL628 and nick-named
“Marion”. This Spitfire was the mount of a highly decorated
World War II fighter pilot, George Bremnar “Scotty” Murray
who served with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) 401
Squadron. The lead Director of the foundation is G.B. Murray’s
grandson, Robert Flindall. The Spitfire is currently owned by
Provenance Fighter Sales in California and is undergoing final
restoration at Avspecs Ltd in Auckland New Zealand. The
Spitfire’s first test flight is scheduled for January 2007 and will
be ready for delivery in February 2007. Once obtained, the
Spitfire will become the centerpiece for a mobile museum and
mobile flight simulator dedicated to the men and women of the
RCAF who sacrificed their lives so that we may be free.
 SPITFIRE Mk. Vb BL628 Page 3

The Foundation
National Heritage Warbird Foundation
The National Heritage Warbird Foundation was founded on “Spitfire”
the 31st of July 2006. The foundation was formed by Robert During the designing and
Flindall, the grandson of G.B. “Scotty” Murray, after he learned building stages of the type
that the Mk. Vb Spitfire his grandfather flew in World War II 224, Supermarine were
was nearing restoration completion and was for sale. The dreaming up names for
the finished aircraft. Sir
Foundation currently has 4 Directors : Robert Flindall, Lynn Robert McLean, the
Flindall, Bill Flindall and Curtis Peters. The Foundation is a Chairman of Vickers
non-profit organization whose mandate is to preserve a (Aviation) Ltd decided
Canadian wartime icon, the Supermarine Spitfire named that the name should
“Marion” and to honour the men and women of the RCAF. suggest something
venomous and because
Supermarine began with
an “S”, he decided that so

Directors too should the fighters

Robert Flindall
Currently a police officer with the
Ontario Provincial Police, Robert is
also a licenced private pilot. Also an
owner of a pilot supply business,
Blue Sky Gear, he is an active mem-
ber in the Canadian aviation com-
munity. He is the grandson of G.B.
Murray.
name. Out of a host of
probable names, such as
Curtis Peters Shrike and Shrew, came
Canadian Commercial Pilot Licence the name Spitfire. The
holder Curtis Peters is currently the creator, Reginald Mitchell
CEO of Skytech Dynamics Corpora- was none too impressed
tion. Skytech Dynamics Corpora- with name, citing “It’s
tion owns Aviation.ca, Canada’s just the sort of bloody
premiere aviation resource on the silly name they would
internet. Curtis also contributes to choose.”
Transport Canada’s Aviation Safety
Newsletter.

Lynn Flindall (nee Murray) Bill Flindall

Lynn is the daughter of G.B. Murray
and is a retired medical secretary.
Lynn maintains the historical ar-
chive of Marion and her father for
the Foundation.
A retired Inspector Detachment
Commander with the Ontario Pro-
vincial Police, Bill is the final Direc-
tor of the Foundation. He is mar-
ried to G. B. Murray’s daughter
Lynn.
 Page 4 SPITFIRE Mk. Vb BL628

The Machine
Supermarine Spitfire Mk. Vb BL628 “Marion”
“Marion”
Using an awarded free In the winter of 1941/42,
telephone call, “Scotty” Spitfire Mk Vb, Royal Air
decided to call a Force number BL628
childhood friend situated rolled out of the giant
in Halifax – Marion. factory doors at Castle
Marion and “Scotty” Bromwich in pristine
attended the Halifax condition and insignifi-
Academy together prior cant among the many
to “Scotty” entering the before and the many that
RCAF. On her way into were to follow. BL628
school, Marion would was a Mark Vb Spitfire,
stop by “Scotty’s” house one of a batch of 1000
and the pair would walk
to school together. The ordered from the Castle Bromwich factory at a cost of £25,000 each. The
following day, after first step into the air was the test flight with one of the pilots under the con-
speaking with Marion on trol of Alex Henshaw and the Works Management at the small airfield
the telephone, “Scotty”
found the name “Marion” The Battle of Britain was over and the RAF had settled into offensive roles
painted down the over France, pushing home attacks on the infrastructure of the occupying
fuselage of his Spitfire. forces in France, Holland and Belgium.
His ground crew had
caught wind of the The Canadians had been in England from the start. Like true “Colonials”
telephone call and taken they were energetic and confident that with the right equipment they had a
the liberty to name his role to play. 401 Squadron (previously 1 Squadron RCAF) received BL628
mount. as one of the replacements for the ageing Hurricanes that were battle weary
after the long defensive battles of 1940 and 1941.

BL628 was a cannon and machine gun armed version of the famous fighter
and had close blood ties with the original Spitfire prototype that flew for
the first time in 1936. Powered by the 1470 hp Rolls Royce Merlin 45 en-
gine, it was a vast improvement over the Merlin III fitted to the Mark II
Spitfires. The Mk V Spitfires reached a top speed of 572km/hr. at 6000ft.

A total of 6479 Mk V’s were built

out of overall production of
22,000 Spitfires.

No one knew how long and

significant a role BL628 would
play in the war and in the lives
of many. Serving in five active
RAF squadrons in 1942 until re-
tired “very used”, BL628 was
“sold” to the Royal Navy for
training. The problems en-
countered in manufacturing the
SPITFIRE Mk. Vb BL628 Page 5

seagoing versions of the Spitfire

(Seafire) proved an embarrassment to
the Ministry and so it happened that
many hurt and battered aircraft were
transferred to the Royal Navy Account. Fact:
The British Spitfire, flown
BL628 was rejuvenated and modified by the RAF in many
by AST at Hamble and became one of versions, was the only
the first batches of “hooked Spitfire; Allied fighter in
sadly not really a Seafire and no more really a Spitfire, a hybrid but still a continuous production
thoroughbred. throughout World War II.
The combat effectiveness
899 RN squadron was training for the Mediterranean fleet operations in a of the Spitfire was a
cold and icy Belfast using a wide range of Spitfire variants including BL628. major factor in thwarting
No one new from whence it came nor what significant roles it played during German air attacks
the last few years. during the Battle of
BL628 was next noted at St. Merryn, in Cornwall UK at the communications Britain in 1940. In all,
and training station in 1945. The link with the Royal Navy was maintained 22,000 Spitfires were
until two Navy Lieutenants (RAN) found BL628 literally under a tree in produced.
Devon during the summer of 1977. Peter Croser and Michael Aitchison had
been collecting parts for a Spitfire since 1974 and were serving on exchange
with the RAN when they discovered the Spitfire.

Peter Croser and Michael

Aitchison painstakingly began the
restoration process on BL628
after it was brought to Australia.
In 2006, the pair decided to part
with BL628 after they felt they
could not complete her in a timely
manner. BL628 was traded to
Provenance Fighter Sales in Cali-
fornia for a flying 2 seater P51
Mustang.

BL628 is currently nearing completion at Avspecs Ltd in Auckland, New

Zealand. Once complete, Provenance Fighter Sales plans to sell the Spitfire.
The maiden flight test is scheduled for January 2007 and will be ready for
delivery in February 2007.

- courtesy Peter Croser

 Page 6
Recipient of the
Distinguished Flying Cross
In September 1942, George
Bremnar “Scotty” Murray
was awarded the Distin-
guished Flying Cross at
Buckingham Palace by King
George VI.
The citation on which this
award was made read as
follows :
“Pilot Officer Murray has
carried out numerous sorties.
He is an excellent leader
whose resource and skill in
action have proved inspiring.
He has set a praiseworthy
example to others.”
The Distinguished Flying
Cross is a military decoration
awarded to personnel of the
United Kingdom’s Royal Air
Force and other Common-
wealth countries, for “an act
or acts of valor, courage or
devotion to duty whilst flying
in active operations against
the enemy.”
SPITFIRE Mk. Vb BL628
The Man
George Bremnar “Scotty” Murray, DFC
G.B. “Scotty” Murray was born on 2 December 1920
in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Scotty moved with his
family from Winnipeg to Montreal and ultimately to
Halifax, Nova Scotia. Even though his life long
dream was to become a doctor, Scotty enlisted in the
RCAF after graduating from the Halifax Academy.
On the application to the RCAF, prospective appli-
cants were asked to list their top three aircraft types
they would like to fly and Scotty wrote “fighter pilot,
fighter pilot, fighter pilot” Precisely what he became.
On 30 January 1941, Scotty began his flight
training on the venerable Tiger Moth at No.
16 Edmonton Flight Training School. The
Tiger Moth was a biplane training aircraft
used by the RCAF to train new pilots. In
April, 1941 Scotty transitioned to Harvard
aircraft at No.11 Saskatchewan Flight Train-
ing School after obtaining his “wings”. On 3
July 1941, Scotty successfully completed his
Harvard training.
Scotty almost didn’t make it to the war because of his cockiness during
training. Always wanting to show off for the boys, Scotty flew his aircraft
on knife’s edge between a pair of grain silos at a local farm. The farmer
complained and a superior wanted to kick him out of the RCAF. Another
superior intervened, stating Scotty was exactly
the type of pilot the RCAF needed. And he was
right.
Scotty traveled overseas to England in August
1941 and began operational training at #53
Operational Training Unit and began training
on Spitfire I’s on 27 August 1941. After success-
fully completing his Spitfire training, he was
posted to RCAF 401 Squadron based out of
Wellingore, Lincolnshire where he finally
entered the war.
On the 2 April 1942, Scotty finally met “Marion”
BL628 and took her for her first flight.
SPITFIRE Mk. Vb BL628 Page 7

In his pilot logbook he wrote “1st flight in my new Spitfire. O.K.” As the war
waged on, operational needs required faster and more nimble Spitfires in
order to keep up with advancements in German aircraft. Delays in produc-
tion of more advanced Spitfires resulted in a “temporary expedient” where
Mk III Spitfires were fitted with the Merlin 45 engine and the Mk V Spitfire
was born. BL628 was one such Spitfire. “I was Red 4 flying at 20,000 feet
about 15 miles west of Le Havre,
where Wing Commander Rankin,
Scotty flew “Marion” from the 2 April 1942 until his last flight with her on Red 1, spotted enemy aircraft
the 31 July 1942 where he took her up one last time for a local flight. After below and to the north. We dived
this flight he went to Martlesham, UK for a weeks rest and when he re- and the section split up in two,
turned, the squadrons new Mk IX Spitfires had arrived. All told, Scotty flew line abreast, Red 3 and 4 being
“Marion” on 98 sorties for a total of 99 hours and 40 minutes – the most of nearer the French coastline. The
section of two aircraft turned to
any pilot that flew her. Although the new Mk IX Spitfires were superior to the right on the tail of the FW
the Mk V’s, “Marion” remained his favorite Spitfire. 190.”

Scotty had many escapades during the war. – some quite harrowing. Scotty “I was leading on the starboard
had to bail out twice, once while he was on fire. As a result he was awarded side of the section and noticed the
Red 2 aircraft, Barwell, firing at
the ruby-eyed silkworm pin. The silkworm pins were handed out to pilots
enemy aircraft, after which the
who bailed out of their aircraft and survived. A diamond eye denoted a bail other members of the section
out from being shot down, a red eye denoted bailing out while their aircraft broke away. I continued chase
was on fire and a blue eye denoted bailing out into water. alone until enemy aircraft reached
the coastline at which time range
Scotty became a very accomplished and well respected Spitfire pilot as the had closed to 500 yds at 3000 to
4000 ft.”
war continued. Scotty was promoted to Pilot Officer and ultimately to
Flight Lieutenant. In September 1942, he was awarded the Distinguished “I opened fire delivering a two
Flying Cross (see sidebar). By the end of the war he was also the recipient of second cannon burst closing to
the 1939 Star, the Air Crew Europe Star, the Defence Medal and the War approximately 400 yards. As I
Medal. fired, a sudden burst of thick
black smoke poured from the
enemy aircrafts wing roots,
On 28 June 1944, Scotty flew in active duty for the last time. The squadron increasing in volume. I then
was bounced by FW 190’s and Scotty was hit causing him to bail out behind broke away because I found
enemy lines. He spent two months behind enemy lines and was finally able myself alone just offshore of the
to cross the enemy line where he met up with an American patrol. After his enemy coastline. I climbed and
escape he joined #124 Ferry Squadron where he ferried aircraft in the UK rejoined Red 3 whom I noticed
had covered me during the
and Canada. attack.” - G.B. Murray recounts a
FW 190 encounter.
All told, Scotty flew Spitfires for an astounding 828 hrs while on operational
duty during World War II for a total of 239 sorties during two and a half
tours of duty.

After leaving the war, Scotty and two other Spitfire pilots started a night
club but eventually sold it when he joined the Canada Life Assurance com-
pany in the early 1950’s. Scotty married Elaine Cummings and had 4 chil-
dren – Pam (deceased), Rick, Lynn and Scott. Scotty was promoted to
branch manager and ultimately retired from Canada Life where he moved to
Kingsville, Ontario to be close to his family.

On 19 June 2005, Scotty passed away after a courageous battle with cancer.
 Page 8 SPITFIRE Mk. Vb

Sponsorship Proposal
The Foundation is currently seeking sponsorship capital for two objectives:
the purchase of BL628 and the mobile museum, as well as continuing
operating capital for BL628.

Fast Facts: Initial Purchase

The Foundation is seeking Initial Purchase sponsorship funding totaling 4

Purchase Price : million dollars CDN. This funding will go to the purchase of BL628
$ 3,000,000.00 USD “Marion” including it’s shipping fees to Canada, import customs fees,
registration of the aircraft in Canada and insurance. Also with this initial
Operational Cost / Hr : start up capital, the Foundation will construct a hangar to properly house
$3,000.00 the Spitfire and administrative offices of the Foundation. The Foundation’s
hangar will be located at the Parry Sound Municipal Airport (CNK4) located
Estimated Yearly just south of the Town of Parry Sound, Ontario. This initial sponsorship
Operational Cost : fundraising drive will also allow the Foundation to purchase the equipment
$40,000.00 - needed for the mobile museum. Please read The Future page for more
$70,000.00 details on the mobile museum.
Estimated Insurance Continuing Relationships
Cost / Yr :
$ 25,000.00 The Foundation is also seeking long term partnerships with private and
corporate sponsors who are willing to assist with the ongoing costs
Estimated Administrative associated with the maintenance and administration of the Spitfire and
Costs / Yr : mobile museum. The operational cost of the Spitfire is $3,000.00 CDN /
$100,000.00 hour with an estimated yearly operational cost between $40,000.00 and
$70,000.00, dependent on how active the Spitfire is at airshows and other
venues.

Sponsorship Levels

The Foundation has created multiple sponsorship levels depending on the

donation amount to the Foundation. For being a part of our project, we
value your contribution and will show our appreciation in a number of ways
depending on your sponsorship level. All sponsors will receive a tax receipt
for their donation.

TITLE SPONSOR Donation of $1 million to $4 million.

PLATINUM SPONSOR Donation between $200,000.00 to $999,999.99
GOLD SPONSOR Donation between $100,000.00 to $199,999.99
SILVER SPONSOR Donation between $50,000.00 to $99,999.99
BRONZE SPONSOR Donation between $1.00 to $49,999.99

Promotion of our corporate sponsors will be of paramount importance to

the Foundation. As new promotional opportunities arise, the Foundation
will ensure appropriate exposure for our sponsors. We will be forever
indebted to our sponsors for making our proposal become a reality.
SPITFIRE Mk. Vb BL628 Page 9

TITLE SPONSORSHIP
• Corporate logo will be prominently displayed on the exterior of the mobile flight simulator
as well as the mobile museum.
• 30 second rotating advertising spot on museum interior digital display.
• Corporate logo will be displayed on all outgoing correspondence from the Foundation.
Fact:
• Corporate logo will be displayed on the Foundation’s main page of website. The National Heritage
Warbird Foundation will
• Corporate logo to be displayed on Foundation t-shirts sold at the venue.
focus on building
• Corporate name will appear on “Our Sponsors” display board displayed beside the Spitfire relationships with key
while on static display.
industry organizations
• Advertising on Aviation.ca, Blue Sky Gear, Pilotsupply.ca and the Foundations website.
and personnel committed
• Corporate name to be displayed on Sponsor “Thank-you” display board in the Museum to the restoration and
preservation of historical
PLATINUM SPONSORS
RCAF documents,
• Corporate logo will be displayed on the exterior of the mobile flight simulator as well as the aircraft, artifacts, and
mobile museum.
other memorabilia
• Corporate logo to be displayed at the end of the flight simulator ride
• Corporate logo to be displayed on “Our Sponsors” page of the Foundation website.
• Corporate logo to be displayed on Foundation t-shirts sold at the venue.
• Aviation.ca and the Foundation will match website advertising space to the sponsor’s
donation amount.
• Corporate name to be displayed on Sponsor “Thank-you” display board in the Museum

GOLD SPONSORS
• Corporate name will appear at the end of the flight simulator ride.
• Corporate name will appear on “Our Sponsors” display board displayed beside the Spitfire
while on static display.
• Corporate name to be displayed on the “Our Sponsors” page of the upcoming Foundatio
website.
• Corporate name to be displayed on Sponsor “Thank-you” display board in the museum
• Aviation.ca and the Foundation will match website advertising space to the sponsor’s
donation amount.
SILVER SPONSORS
• Corporate name will appear at the end of the flight simulator ride.
• Corporate name to be displayed on Sponsor “Thank-you” display board in the museum
• Aviation.ca and the Foundation will match website advertising space to the sponsor’s
donation amount.
• Corporate name to be displayed on the “Our Sponsor’s” page of the Foundation website
BRONZE SPONSORS
• Corporate name will appear at the end of the flight simulator ride.
• Corporate name to be displayed on Sponsor “Thank-you” display board in the museum
• Aviation.ca and the Foundation will match website advertising space to the sponsor’s
donation amount.
• Corporate name to be displayed on the “Our Sponsor’s” page of the Foundation website.
 Page 10 SPITFIRE Mk. Vb BL628

The Future
Turing a dream in to reality

The National Heritage Warbird Foundation would like to take the oppor-
tunity to explain how we plan to make our proposal a reality.

Air Tour

The Foundation and Aviation.ca are partnering to bring you Air Tour. Air
Tour has been designed as a cross Canada promotional event traveling to
aviation events around the continent, honoring the men and women of the
RCAF, past and present. Air Tour will consist of BL628 which will be the
center piece of the traveling exhibition, supported by a mobile flight simu-
lator and a mobile museum. Air Tour will be an exhibition that has never
been seen on any airshow circuit around the globe.

Air Tour currently has a casual 16 week schedule, focused primarily on the
Canadian airshow season, as well as attending shows in the United States
such as Oshkosh and Sun n’ Fun in Florida. A three year projection will
expand the season to 21 weeks with an estimated viewership of 9.5 million
people (based on airshow stats)

BL628

BL628 will follow Air Tour and will be on static and aerial display at the
airshows attended by Air Tour.
Fact: Mobile Flight Simulator
A small store will
accompany the mobile
RCAF museum. 5% of all
profits from the store will
be donated to the
Canadian Aviation
Museum, the Canadian
War Museum and the
Trenton RCAF Museum.

Aviation.ca has received funding for the purchase of a mobile flight simu-
lator called GlobalSim. The simulator itself is based on sophisticated
technology developed for the mult-million dollar flight simulators used by
astronauts, airline pilots and jet fighter crews. It has been extensively
modified from it’s original configuration to accommodate between 12-14
passengers.
SPITFIRE Mk. Vb BL628 Page 11

The simulator integrates acceleration and G-forces (up to 1.9g+), from a

high performance three-axis motion system, with a point of view image
displayed on a wide screen progector which is enhanced by CD quality
sound. Fact:
Air Tour will get the
Using digital sound and video together with hydraulic control over the Spitfire, mobile RCAF
viewing environment, the simulator is able to reproduce an experience museum and the Flight
second only to the real thing. Simulator in front of
approx. 9.5 million
The flight simulator is currently configured as a Canadian Snowbird viewers in Canada and
experience but will be extensively overhauled and repainted to honour the part of the United States
RCAF and BL628. Corporate sponsors will benefit from having their cor- each year.
porate logo painted on the exterior of the flight simulator as well as men-
tion during the actual performance video. The video portion of the ride
will also be modified to reflect the RCAF heritage.

The flight simulators current airshow circuit sees approximately 23,000

riders in the simulator with a projected ridership of 35,000 yearly over the
next 3 years.

Mobile Museum

Completing the Air Tour package is a mobile museum dedicated to the men
and women of the RCAF, past and present. The Foundation will be
purchasing an expandable mobile trailer which will house our museum.
Canadian Aviation museums have already been contacted and have indi-
cated their enthusiasm for the project as well as providing assistance in its
design and creation. Regarding exterior appearance, the museum will also
be painted to include RCAF colours and corporate sponsor logos.

Below is an example of an expandable, mobile trailer similar to one the

Foundation would like to purchase.
 National Heritage
Warbird Foundation
A Final Thought...
I would like to personally thank you on behalf of the Foundation for taking
the time to read our corporate sponsorship proposal. I hope you can see
the importance of what we are attempting to accomplish as well as the
potential opportunities to promote your business through our Foundation.
We are committed to having your business benefit from your generous
donation.

I remember fondly, as a young boy, sitting on my grandfather’s lap or sit-

ting at his feet listening intently while he recounted a few of his stories
from flying Spitfires during the war. These stories were fairly rare and
when he was in a talkative mood, I would sit quietly, not saying a word,
fearful of breaking the magic he wove. My grandfather was a quiet man
when it came to his escapades during the war which I didn’t fully under-
stand until I grew up and understood the sacrifices he and others made.

During World War II, 45,000 Canadians, 17,394 of which were from the
RCAF, made the ultimate sacrifice by giving their lives for freedom.

In 2005 when my grandfather passed away from prostate cancer, our

family and our nation lost a true hero. Shortly before passing away, I vis-
ited with my grandfather in Peterborough, Ontario. At the end of my visit
with him I told him that one day I would bring home Marion to Canada and
that I would fly her to honor him and the men and women of the RCAF. He
smiled quietly in bed and patted my hand. Although I had made the prom-
ise to him, I had no idea how I was going to bring it to fruition. Until now.

A very famous saying comes to my mind about our Foundations goals -

“Lest We Forget”. Our foundation has a very simple mandate – we will
preserve our history so that others remember and never forget.

Please help me keep my promise to my grandfather.

CONFIDENTIAL Respectfully,
44 John St
PO Box 571
Sundridge, ON Canada
P0A 1Z0

Phone: 705-384-2095 / 1432

Fax: 705-384-2096
E-mail: spitfire@blueskygear.com
Robert Flindall
Director
National Heritage Warbird Foundation
- and proud grandson of G.B. “Scotty” Murray.