Fly a Spitfire at Belfast Airport

Belfast International Airport, formerly known as Aldergrove Airport, was first established in 1917, when it was selected to be a Royal Flying Corps (RFC) training establishment during the First World War. The airport remained open at the end of the war for RAF activity, and then in WW2 had RAF Costal Command Connections. The airfield played a vital role during the war. Northern Ireland and Belfast have strong connections with Spitfires through airfields such as RAF Bayllhalbert which provided protection from the marauding Luftwaffe bombers using the Supermarine Spitfire. During WW2 there were also 17 Spitfires purchased by public donations across Northern Ireland in 1940–41, an extraordinary civilian mobilisation that raised over £88,000 — enough to fund seventeen Mark IIa Spitfires. One of these aircraft, P7823 “Down,” was the only Belfast Telegraph Spitfire to be based in Northern Ireland, flying from RAF Ballyhalbert with No. 504 Squadron between August 1941 and January 1942. It represented the region’s contribution to the RAF’s defence efforts and symbolised the deep public connection to wartime aviation. The military still has a presence at the airfield as Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station Aldergrove, also known as Aldergrove Flying Station.