Ninety years celebrated in nine flights as Supermarine Spitfire makes round trip of Britain
The Supermarine Spitfire made its maiden flight 90 years ago, and to celebrate the milestone a Spitfire will be making a round trip of Great Britain – meeting up with a few RAF aircraft along the way.
The two-seater operated by Spitfires.com is painted with the same serial number as the prototype – K5054 – which took off for the first time from Eastleigh Aerodrome near Southampton on 5 March 1936.
The new two-seat K5054 will also be taking off from Southampton, this time flying to RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, one of two RAF Quick Reaction Alert Stations which protect UK airspace.
Meeting friends old and new
This is the first of nine legs the new K5054 will be making from now until Friday 17 April, with the Spitfire flying in formation with various RAF aircraft past and present each step of the way.
The second seat in the Spit will be filled on each leg by the successful bidder of each of the nine flights which were sold at auction, raising money for the Mark Long Trust and the RAF Benevolent Fund.
The first flight - weather and operational requirements permitting - is expected to see the Spit fly alongside another Spitfire operated by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, a C-47 Dakota also flown by the BBMF and an F-35B Lightning flown by 617 Squadron.
Thousands raised to help others
The "new" K5054, a Spitfire TR9, has raised £120,721 following the nine auctions.
The Mark Long Trust is named for BBMF pilot Squadron Leader Mark Long, who was killed when the Spitfire Mk IXe MK356 he was flying crashed in a field near RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire in May 2024.
The Mark Long Trust gives disabled individuals the opportunity to fly – building confidence through aviation experiences.
The RAF Benevolent Fund is a charity that is dedicated to supporting serving and former RAF personnel and their families.
And we're off
Squadron Leader Paul Wise, the OC of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, posted a map of the route the first flight is taking on X.
"And we're OFF… Day 1 – Leg 1!" he wrote. "Approx 13:00, @spitfiresdotcom 'K5054' will depart Southampton Airport, before linking up with F-35s and the @rafbbmf near RAF Marham.
"The formation will then recover to RAF Coningsby, escorted by the BBMF, just after 14:25."
Where to catch a glimpse of the nine flights of the Spitfire
Flight 1 - Tuesday 7 April: Southampton to RAF Coningsby
Sold for £25,001 (46 bids)
Probable formation with Battle of Britain Memorial Flight C-47 Dakota, F-35B Lightning and BBMF Spitfire Mk5
Flight 2 - Wednesday 8 April: RAF Coningsby to RAF Leuchars
Sold for £16,100 (42 bids)
Probable formation with two Red Arrows Hawk T1s and a Phenom T1
Flight 3 - Thursday 9 April: RAF Leuchars to RAF Lossiemouth
Sold for £20,000 (10 bids)
Probable formation with a P-8A Poseidon
Flight 4 - Friday 10 April: RAF Lossiemouth to Prestwick
Sold for £10,500 (21 bids)
Probable formation with two Typhoon FGR4s
Flight 5 - Monday 13 April: Prestwick to RAF Valley
Sold for £10,650 (15 bids)
Probable formation with a Hawk T2
Flight 6 - Tuesday 14 April: RAF Valley to MOD St Athan
Sold for £9,370 (10 bids)
Probable formation with a Texan T1 and Jupiter HT1
Flight 7 - Wednesday 15 April: MOD St Athan to RAF St Mawgan
Sold for £9,750 (24 bids)
Probable formation with two Pilatus PC-21s
Flight 8 - Thursday 16 April: RAF St Mawgan to Exeter
Sold for £9,350 (22 bids)
Probable formation with an A400M Atlas
Flight 9 - Friday 17 April: Exeter to Southampton
Sold for £10,000 (16 bids)
Probable formation with the BBMF C-47 Dakota
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