Supermarine Spitfire IX

The Supermarine Spitfire was designed by the Schneider Cup winning Reginald J Mitchell and first flew in March 1936. The aircraft was originally going to be called the Shrew but was quickly renamed as the Spitfire. The Spitfire used a unique elliptical wing shape that combined with innovative sunken rivets gave the aircraft a higher top speed than most, if not all, other fighters of the time. In total 20,351 Spitfires were built and remained in military service until 1961, when the type was retired by the Irish Air Corps. 

Originally built at Castle Bromwich in 1942, Spitfire LZ842 first flew again in 2022 and is the only Spitfire flying in the world powered by the Rolls-Royce Merlin 63. It is also fitted with a water tank for the pilot, something that was unique to Spitfires used in hot climates. In RAF service the aircraft served in Malta and Sicily. 

Spitfire Mk.IX LZ842 will be making its RIAT debut at this year’s Air Tattoo and will form part of our Fighter Meet theme static display.  

Photo Credit: Nick Jennings