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spitfire 90 - uk circumnavigation
2026 marks the 90th anniversary of the first flight of the Spitfire. On March 5, 1936, at around 4.43pm Captain Joseph ‘Mutt’ Summers climbed into the cockpit of K5054, a Supermarine Type 300, the prototype of the Spitfire, the name by which the fighter plane became known the world over. The flight lasted just eight minutes and on landing Summers was reported to have stated: “Don’t change a thing.” The rest is history! For a little more on the history please CLICK HERE.
To commemorate the occasion Spitfires.com has painted one of its two-seat Spitfires, BS410, to represent K5054. Working with the Royal Air Force, we will then fly the aircraft on a tour of the United Kingdom, planning 9 flights for the 90 years being commemorated. Departing from Southampton International Airport, formerly Eastleigh Airport, the location of the first flight of the Spitfire in 1936, we will circumnavigate the British Isles, planning to overfly key historic Spitfire locations and airports that have either historic or existing connections to the aircraft and the RAF. These include but are not limited to, Reginald J. Mitchell's grave, the site of the original Supermarine factory. The Needles, Beachy Head, The Battle of Britain Memorial at Capel le Ferne, the White Cliffs of Dover, Martlesham Heath, where much of the Spitfire's test flying was done and RAF Coningsby - the current home of the RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, to name just a few. For more details on the specific route please CLICK HERE.
In order to highlight the 90 year anniversary the Royal Air Force will launch at least one escort on each of those nine flights to accompany the the two seat Spitfire painted as K5054 on its journey. These aircraft could be anything from a Phenom multi-engine trainer to the Lockheed Martin F35 Lightening II, from Battle of Britain Memorial Flight aircraft to the Eurofighter Typhoon, or from the Boeing CH-47 Chinook to BAE Systems Hawk T1's of the world famous Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team - The Red Arrows. And we will capture air-to-air photographs of these historic formation flights to share as part of the event. For more information of the aircraft that might accompany K5054 CLICK HERE.
And finally. to make this a commemoration with the opportunity for public engagement, we will offer the rear seat in the two seat Spitfire painted as K5054 to members of the public through an auction. This will make it the first such event where members of the public are uniquely involved, and ALL of the proceeds will go to charity. Spitfires.com, with the help of some sponsors, are covering the costs of all the flying. For details of these charities please CLICK HERE. This truly offers a once in a lifetime, money-can't-otherwise-buy opportunity for the true aviation enthusiast to experience aviation at the highest level whilst helping essential aviation charities. A chance to look over the famed elliptical wing of the Spitfire as it first ever appeared, to see parts of the UK from the relative comfort of the back seat of the Spitfire, and to look forward to flying in formation with some of the country's most exciting military aircraft!
HISTORY OF THE original SPITFIRE PROTOTYPE - K5054
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spitfire k5054
In the mid-1930s, as tensions in Europe began to rise once more, the Royal Air Force sought a new generation of fighter aircraft — one that would outperform the ageing biplanes of the day. It was also recognised that the new monoplane fighters needed to carry greater fire power to stop any enemy bombers getting through to assault the United Kingdom. The competition to seek this leap forward in engineering and aerodynamic design was set by the Air Ministry and the race was on! Into this challenge stepped R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works, known for his expertise in streamlined, high-speed aircraft. Out of his drawing boards emerged a radical design: the Type 300, which originated from the type 224, soon to become the Supermarine Spitfire. Although the first iteration of the Supermarine fighter was not up to the brief and pipped to the post by the Gloster Gladiator, Supermarine continued to develop the type 300 against the prototype Hawker Hurricane as the first eight-gun monoplane fighters, Supermarine persevered with their design and the rest is history!
At its heart, the Spitfire represented a leap in aerodynamic thinking. Mitchell and his team fashioned a semi-monocoque all-metal fuselage — a structure providing strength with minimal weight. But the most striking feature was its elliptical wing: elegant, thin, and highly efficient. Not only was the wing beautiful to look at, its shape reduced drag and allowed room for eight .303 in machine guns, meeting the RAF’s updated armament specification from 4 to eight guns. If it looks right, it will fly right and the Spitfire is certainly no exception to the rule. The aircraft was powered by one of the era’s most promising engines, the new Rolls-Royce Merlin — initially the prototype Merlin C, delivering around 990 hp. For the initial tests, a two-bladed, fixed-pitch wooden propeller was fitted, and other features like armament and fairings were absent. The fuselage and radiators were hand-built, with craftsmen hand-cutting the aluminium alloy skin to the elliptical contours of wings and fuselage. Throughout the build, adjustments were ongoing — an almost organic evolution of design. The prototype originally sported a stubby engine intake and tail skid, details later refined or abandoned as the aircraft matured.
By early March 1936, 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, who was clearly very 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 just a few years, the Spitfire became synonymous with the RAF’s defence of Britain and was built in vast numbers across 24 variants.
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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 before joining Supermarine in 1917, quickly rising to become chief designer. Mitchell first gained international recognition through his sleek, high-speed seaplanes, including the racing aircraft that won the Schneider Trophy in 1927, 1929, and 1931 — achievements that 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, which first flew in 1936. He did not 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.
COMMMEMORATION GOALS
This is a joint initiative conceived by both the RAF, lead by the BBMF, and by Spitfires.com. BBMF have been commemorating WW2 since 1957. During that period they have ensured that the UK public continue to remember the great bravery and sacrifice of every one who played any part in the war. They accomplish this through flypasts and airshow displays during the summer months and through access to their wartime fleet for hangar tours year round. Spitfires.com have been in existence for 15 years, a short time in comparison. Our efforts are more commercially based through use of the two seat Spitfire TR9's for pilot training and for flight experience rides. Whilst we also do some commemorative display flying we see our main focus of commemoration to be giving direct access to the public to be able to fly in these aircraft, therefore giving them the opportunity connect more closely with their own history, understanding perhaps the environment in which their parents or grandparents may have fought. All of this has been specifically approved by the UK Civil Aviation Authority. So an initiative that embodies the strengths of both organisations was our aim in creating this event. To boil this down further, together we wanted to achieve the following:
1
A NATIONAL EVENT TO COMMEMORATE THE FIRST FLIGHT OF THE SPITFIRE.
2
A SHOWCASE OF THE TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENT OF RAF AIRCRAFT SINCE 1936.
3
A FUND-RAISING EVENT TO HELP OUR SUPPORTED CHARITIES .
The Spitfire represents the the finest hour of the Royal Air Force through the victory in the Battle of Britain in World War 2 where the aircraft played the prominent role. The RAF have partnered with Spitfires.com to create this joint commemoration, utilizing the privately owned two-seat Spitfire TR9 in role of the Spitfire prototype K5054 in order to make this anniversary one that allows public interaction. It also presents the RAF the opportunity to showcase and demonstrate the technical advancements of it's current fleet of aircraft since that historic day in 1936, 90 years ago. In order to satisfy this goal, different aircraft from the modern day squadrons will accompany the Spitfire on each of the nine flights planned for the commemoration, including the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) who have played a major role in the organisation. Below is an example of some of the aircraft the the winners of each auction may be lucky enough to see on their wing! For more details and specifics of the aircraft likely to be on each leg of the trip please CLICK HERE.
SUPPORTED CHARITIES
One of the goals of the commemoration is to raise a significant amount of money for our chosen charities. We're doing this by auctioning the chance to ride in the rear seat of K5054 to members of the public, with all the proceeds going to following charities. Our target is to raise at least £150k for the charities we are supporting. ALL proceeds from the auction will be split between these two charities.
THE MARK LONG TRUST
The suggested charity would be the Mark Long Trust. Sqn Ldr Mark Long sadly lost his life in a Spitfire in 2024. Mark’s widow Beth and his family decided to set up a trust in his name to provide flying scholarships through Flying Scholarship for Disabled People, in his memory and as his legacy. Our hope would be to raise the charity a considerable amount of money by selling the rear seat in the Spitfire in these nine once-in-a-lifetime opportunity flights.
https://www.marklongtrust.org/
THE RAF BENEVOLENT FUND
The RAF Benevolent Fund provides lifelong support to serving and ex-serving RAF personnel and their families. From mobility aids and confidential counselling to financial grants, they offer a range of support tailored to the individual's needs.They also maintain and preserve both the RAF Memorial and RAF Bomber Command Memorial in London on behalf of the nation.
