Raising money with 9 exclusive Spitfire flights circumnavigating the UK
On 5th March 1936, at around 4:43 pm, Captain Joseph ‘Mutt’ Summers climbed into the cockpit of K5054, a Supermarine Type 300 – the prototype of the now world-famous Spitfire.
The flight lasted just 8 minutes. And on landing, Summers simply said: “Don’t change a thing”.
90 years later, on Sunday 5th April 2026, Spitfires.com celebrated the momentous anniversary of Britain’s most iconic aircraft with a circumnavigation of Great Britain.
We set off from Southampton International Airport – formerly Eastleigh Airport, the location of the first Spitfire flight in 1936 – to fly over key historic Spitfire locations across the UK. And to top it off, we painted our two-seat Spitfire BS410 (a genuine wartime aircraft that fought in World War II) in the classic cerulean blue of K5054.
Working with the Royal Air Force, we flew a tour of Great Britain in a series of 9 flights outside of our usual routes. That’s one for every decade of the 90 years being commemorated!
But it wasn’t just trained pilots who got to experience this exclusive opportunity. That’s because we held a charity auction so people could bid on these once-on-a-lifetime flights and make their own mark on British aviation history!
With these generous bids and donations, we sought to raise £100,000 for two aviation charities who contribute immensely to the community.
Our commemoration goals
The Spitfire 90th anniversary circumnavigation of Great Britain was a joint initiative between the RAF – led by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) – and Spitfires.com.
The BBMF has been commemorating WWII since 1957, connecting the public with the great bravery and sacrifice of everyone who played a part. That includes hosting flypasts and airshow displays in the summer, with hangar tours of their wartime fleet all year round.
Since 2010, Spitfires.com has brought aviation history to life with passenger flight experiences in authentic two-seat Spitfire TR9s. We also offer commemorative Spitfire displays and Spitfire pilot training, giving people many different ways to explore aviation history.
This 90th anniversary Spitfire tour embodied the strengths of both our organisations. Together, we wanted to achieve:
- A national event to commemorate the first flight of the Spitfire
- A showcase of the technical advancement of RAF aircraft since 1936
- A fundraising event to help our supported charities
Spitfire 90th anniversary flight plan
Flying in formation with the RAF
The Supermarine Spitfire represents the finest hour of the RAF, where the aircraft tipped the balance to victory in the Battle of Britain.
But our Spitfire 90th anniversary memorial flight also gave the RAF the chance to demonstrate the technical advancements of its current fleet.
So to mark the occasion, the RAF launched different aircraft from modern-day squadrons to accompany our two-seat Spitfire on each of its 9 trips.
These aircraft included:
- A Phenom multi-engine trainer trainer
- Lockheed Martin F35 Lightning II
- Battle of Britain Memorial Flight aircraft
- Eurofighter Typhoon
- The Boeing CH-47 Chinook
- BAE Systems Hawk T1’s of the world famous RAF Aerobatic Team, The Red Arrows
Surpassing our fundraising goal for two worthy charities
This commemorative tour of the UK wasn’t just another notch in Spitfire history. It was also an opportunity to raise a significant amount of money for two incredible charities:
- The Mark Long Trust: Squadron Leader Mark Long sadly lost his life in a Spitfire in 2024. In his memory and as his legacy, Mark’s widow Beth and his family set up a charity in his name to provide flying scholarships through Flying Scholarships for Disabled People
- The RAF Benevolent Fund: From mobility aids and confidential counselling to financial grants, the RAF Benevolent Fund provides lifelong support to serving and ex-serving RAF personnel and their families. They also maintain and preserve the RAF Memorial and RAF Bomber Command Memorial in London on behalf of the nation
Thanks to immense public support and kindness, the Spitfire 90th anniversary flight charity auction raised a massive £111,000 to be split between these two organisations – £11,000 more than our original goal!
Our sponsors
As well as RAF collaboration and amazing public contributions, we had some very generous support from different sectors of the aviation industry.
Special thanks go to:
- Goodwood Aerodrome for sponsoring the fuel for the trip in partnership with Shell Aviation
- Gallagher Aerospace and Aviation Insurance for insuring each trip
- Signature Flight Support, who gave us free access to their facility at Southampton Airport for the launch day, departure day and arrival day
- Southampton Airport and AGS Airports Limited for allowing free landings on all movements throughout the commemoration for the Spitfire and all support aircraft
- Prestwick Aviation Services and Weston Aviation Services at St Mawgan and Newquay airport for providing free landings, parking and hangarage for all the aircraft
The positive reception and support of all our sponsors is hugely appreciated!
History of the original Spitfire prototype – K5054
The need for superior aircraft
In the mid 1930s, tensions in Europe began to rise once more. So the RAF sought a new generation of fighter aircraft with the firepower necessary to stop enemy bombers in their assaults on the UK.
The competition to leap forwards in engineering and aerodynamic design was set by the Air Ministry. The race was on, and the first seed was planted in the history of the Spitfire!
R J Mitchell and the Type 300
Reginald Joseph Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works, accepted this challenge.
Mitchell was known for his expertise in streamlined, high-speed aircraft. And from his drawing boards emerged a radical design: the Type 300. This aircraft originated from the Type 224, and would go on to become the Supermarine Spitfire.
The first iteration of the new fighter aircraft didn’t meet the brief, and was pipped to the post by the Gloster Gladiator. But Supermarine continued to develop the Type 300 against the prototype Hawker Hurricane as the first 8-gun monoplane fighters.
Supermarine persevered with its design. And the rest, as they say, is history.
The technical advancements of the Spitfire prototype
At its heart, the Spitfire represented a leap in aerodynamic thinking.
Mitchell and his team fashioned a semi-monocoque all-metal fuselage, a structure that provided strength with minimal weight. But the most striking feature was the aircraft’s elliptical wing: elegant, thin and highly efficient.
Not only was the wing beautiful to look at, but its shape reduced drag and allowed room for 8 of its .303 machine guns. This met the RAF’s updated armament specification from 4 to 8 guns.
The aircraft was powered by one of the era’s most promising engines, the new Rolls-Royce Merlin – initially the prototype Merlin C, which delivered around 990 hp.
A naturally evolving design
For the initial tests, a two-bladed, fixed-pitch wooden propeller was fitted. And other features like the armament and fairings were absent.
The fuselage and radiators were hand-built, with craftsmen cutting the aluminium alloy skin to the elliptical contours of the wings and fuselage.
Throughout the build, adjustments were ongoing. It was an almost organic evolution of design.
The prototype originally sported a stubby engine intake and tail skid. But these details were later refined or abandoned as the aircraft matured.
The first flight of the Spitfire
By early March 1936, the Spitfire prototype K5054 was ready for airborne testing at Eastleigh Aerodrome (now Southampton Airport).
The preparation for the flight and the supervision of the aircraft was undertaken by the Supermarine foreman, Ken Scales. Ken was extremely proud of the new design. And as mentioned by Jeffrey Quill in his book Birth of a Legend: “He hardly let the aeroplane out of his sight, and attended it in a manner reminiscent of a head lad responsible for the welfare of a champion race-horse”.
The impact of K5054 reached far beyond its first flight.
Within a few years, the Spitfire became synonymous with the RAF’s defence of Britain. And it was built in vast numbers across 24 variants.
About R J Mitchell
Reginald Joseph Mitchell (1895-1937) was the brilliant British aeronautical engineer whose vision gave the world the Supermarine Spitfire.
Born in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire, he began his career as an apprentice at Kerr Stuart. He joined Supermarine in 1917, quickly rising to become chief designer.
Mitchell first gained international recognition through his sleek high-speed seaplanes. That included the racing aircraft that won the Schneider Trophy in 1927, 1929 and 1931. These achievements directly influenced the aerodynamic principles later seen in the Spitfire’s elliptical wings and streamlined fuselage.
Despite battling cancer during the aircraft’s development, Mitchell pushed relentlessly to perfect the design of the prototype K5054. Thanks to his effort, their aircraft took its first flight in 1936, within Mitchell’s lifetime.
He didn’t live to see the Spitfire’s crucial role in the Battle of Britain, passing away in 1937 at just 42 years old. But his legacy endures as one of Britain’s most important aircraft designers.
Book your own Spitfire flight experience today!
The Spitfire 90th anniversary charity auction and commemorative tour of the UK is now over.
But your first Spitfire flight experience is just a few clicks away – if you’re brave enough to step into the cockpit.
At Spitfires.com, we offer passenger flights in genuine wartime aircraft, several of which saw real combat against Axis forces and survived to pass on their tale!
We fly from 10 locations across Great Britain and the Channel Islands, each with unique ties to Spitfire history. So no matter where you live or choose to visit, there’s always somewhere nearby where you can take to the skies in an authentic Supermarine Spitfire.
(And you can even take the controls for a few aerobatics manoeuvres!)
Book your Spitfire flight experience online today and make your own personal mark on aviation history.
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