Built in 1944 at Castle Bromwich, PT462 was a single seat HF Mk IXa which was a high altitude variant of the Mk IX. It was delivered to No 39 MU then No 215 MU in July 1944 for delivery by sea to Italy and the Mediterranean Allied Air Force. It served with No 253 Sqn as SW-A until May 1947 when the squadron disbanded. In June it was struck off charge while at Treviso and transferred to the Italian Air Force as MM4100. In 1952 PT462 was acquired by the Israeli Air Force and ended its career in a Kibbutz playground in the Gaza strip.
Following its recovery from Israel in 1983, PT462 was moved to Fowlmere in Cambridgeshire and was bought by Charles Church in 1984. A decision was made to return PT462 to flying condition but as a Tr. 9 two-seat trainer. The front cockpit was moved forward 13 inches and a second cockpit added and registered as G-CTIX flew again in July 1987.
Following the death of Charles Church in Spitfire EE606 in July 1989, PT462 continued to operate in the UK under the care of Dick Melton Aviation, and in 1994 was sold to Jetcap Aviation Corporation, in Florida and flew as N462JC. In 1998 the current owner, Anthony Hodgson, purchased the aircraft and it was delivered to Duxford for the Aircraft Restoration Company to re-assemble and it flew again in the August of 1998 and now resides at its home base in North Wales.
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