The Spitfire fighter completed a series of unique formation flights around the United Kingdom to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the iconic Royal Air Force aircraft.
According to The War Zone, the flights took place over the past two weeks, with the ninth and final one conducted last Friday (17). The Spitfire used, a two-seat model, was painted blue to represent the first prototype, the K5054.
The original K5054 made its first flight on March 5, 1936, under the command of Captain Joseph “Mutt” Summers, from Eastleigh Airport, now known as Southampton Airport. The new fighter proved so promising that the Air Ministry placed a production order less than three months later, even though testing was still incomplete.
More than 20,000 Spitfire aircraft were produced, and the plane became one of the most versatile fighters of World War II, playing a key role from the beginning to the end of the conflict. The Royal Air Force’s last operational mission with the model took place in 1954, in Malaysia.
Despite the blue paint in honor of the K5054, the Spitfire that recently flew is a Mk IX, BS410. The aircraft crashed in May 1943, was later recovered and rebuilt in the 2000s, and converted into a two-seat version capable of carrying a passenger. It is now privately owned.
Since April 7, the Spitfire honoring the K5054 has been flying alongside modern aircraft. On the first flight, it flew in formation with the F-35B Lightning, the Royal Air Force’s most advanced fighter. The first leg departed from Southampton Airport, where it was originally developed, heading to RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.
On the second flight, on April 8 from RAF Coningsby, the Spitfire flew alongside Hawks from the Red Arrows and a Phenom T1 trainer from the Royal Air Force. The third flight, on April 9 from RAF Leuchars, featured a P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.
The fourth flight, on April 10, took the Spitfire to Scotland, where it flew from RAF Lossiemouth accompanied by two Typhoon fighters from the Royal Air Force. Remaining in the region, the fifth flight, on April 13 from Prestwick Airport, took place alongside a Hawk T2 trainer.
The sixth flight, on April 14 from RAF Valley in Wales, put the Spitfire in formation with two Royal Air Force training platforms: a Texan T1 and a Jupiter HT1 helicopter. On the seventh flight, on April 15 from MOD St Athan, the aircraft flew alongside two Pilatus PC-21 trainers from QinetiQ.
On the eighth flight, on April 16 from MOD St Mawgan, the Spitfire flew alongside an A400M transport aircraft from the Royal Air Force. On the ninth and final flight, on April 17, it took off from Exeter Airport and flew in formation with the BBMF Dakota on its return to Southampton Airport.
Although not unprecedented, the Royal Air Force does not pair modern and historic aircraft in displays as frequently as the U.S. Air Force does in its Heritage Flight program, making this series of Spitfire flights even more special.
Photo and video: Instagram @callsign.kodak. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
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