Silver Spitfire - The Longest Flight

Documentary (2021)

Starring:
Lachlan Monro (Himself, project manager)
Steve Brooks (Himself, pilot)
Ian Smith MBE (Himself, pilot)
Matt Jones (Himself, pilot)

August 2019: A British expeditionary team attempt a dangerous, world-first circumnavigation of the Earth in an 80-year-old vintage World War II fighter to inspire a new generation through the freedom of flight.

Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk. IXc

Reg. G-IRTY built in 1943 c/n CBAF.IX 970 as Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk. IXc. 51 war flights (including a ‘wheels-up’ landing in April 1944) with the RAF (as serial MJ271) before being sold to the Royal Netherlands Air Force in November 1946. Then War Museum, Delfzijl, Province of Groningen, Netherlands (1959-1976). Later Aviodome Museum (first: Amsterdam-Schipol (1978-2002) and later Lelystad Airfield till 2006).
This year, shipped to England (Duxford) for static display and restoration. Spring 2017 - April 2019 : restoration. After a season of UK airshows, on 5 August, takeoff for the trip...
note : These five photos are taken from various situations in which the Spitfire is seen (and are presented in no particular chronological order, unlike the other aircraft).

G-IRTY was restored in her original state (but without their armement and without paint). Despite flying wing to wing with the Pilatus as mother ship, the 27,000 miles circumnavigation was done most of the time (if not all) using an additional state-of-the-art removable tablet.

Hispano HA-1112-M1L Buchon

Supermarine Spitfire T.9

Reg. G-ILDA Supermarine Spitfire T.9.
Built as a single-seat Spitfire HF mk. IX. Derelic in South Africa when salvaged and bring back to the United Kingdom.

North American P-51D Mustang

Crash of Mark Levy on controls of North American P-51D Mustang s/n 44-84847, G-TFSI, "Miss Velma" on 9 July 2017 at the Duxford airshow in UK.

Supermarine Spitfire & Piper PA-31 Navajo

Reims-Cesna F172N Skyhawk

Reg. G-CGRX Reims-Cesna F172N Skyhawk c/n 1524 built in 1976.

Reg. G-BDZD Reims F172M Skyhawk c/n 1478 built in 1976 too.

Eurocopter AS350 Ecureuil

Reg. SE-JKB Aérospatiale AS350 B2 Ecureuil of Heli i Arjeplog (c/n 2621 built in 1992). Was too G-BWAZ OE-XDR I-FLAG F-GPFE OO-AKK.

Supermarine Spitfire Mk I (or Mk II)

Westland Sea King

Pilatus PC-12/47E

Reg. OY-THP 2018 Pilatus PC-12/47E c/n 1845 of Blackbird Air Charter.

SEPECAT Jaguar T4

Folland Gnat T.1

Robinson R44 Raven II

Reg. N369SB Robinson R44 Raven II c/n 10023 landed at the South Pole on 18 January 2005.
Over time, this helicopter built in 2002 flew too as G-STUS or G-TGTT.

Supermarine Spitfires

G-IRTY leading (left to right) three two-seat Spitfires :

DB°E Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX NH341 G-CICK;
5R°H Supermarine Spitfire Mk TIX G-CCCA ;
KJ°I = G-ILDA.

Eurofighter Typhoon T1A (or T3)

Cessna 750 Citation X

Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina

Piper PA-46R

(right edge) Piper PA-46R seen at Kulusuk, island of the East coast of Greenland.

Lockheed LC-130H Hercules

s/n 83-0492 Lockheed LC-130H Hercules of the New York Air National Guard (139th Airlift Squadron / 109th Airlift Wing)

British Aerospace BAe 146

British Aerospace BAe 146 seen taxiing at Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada.

BAE Systems Hawk T1A

BAE Systems Hawk T1A of Red Arrows from Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team. The Team departed from RAF Scampton on Monday 5th August 2019 on their way to North America to reach Halifax, Canada on 7th August. This one suffured a technical issue and bad weather took its tool to keep it on the ground a few days.

De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter

Airbus A319-133X CJ

Corporate Jet Airbus "Bundesrepublik Deutschland" from Flugbereitschaft des Bundesministeriums der Verteidigung / Executive Transport Wing (German Air Force).
15+01 Airbus A319-133X CJ (s/n 3897) or 15+02 Airbus A319-133X CJ (s/n 4060)?

Cessna A185F Skywagon

Reg. C-GMVU Cessna A185F Skywagon c/n 18503432 built in 1977. ex N9373H

Aero L-29 Delfin

(center background) Reg. C-GGRI Aero L-29 Delfin c/n 1927 built in 1967 wearing the Czechoslovak Air Force roundel;
(right background) reg. C-GGRY Aero L-29 Delfin c/n 294685 built in 1972 (first as N866AW on civil registry after Bulgarian Air Force (codex 100) had Withdrawn it From Service). Note the Magyar Légierő / Hungarian Air Force markings, not the Bulgarian ones.

Lysander Mk.IIIa

Lysander Mk.IIIa codex 416 (ex RCAF 2364) on static display at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa, Ontario.

de Havilland D.H.83C Fox Moth

(background) Reg. C-FYPM de Havilland D.H.83C Fox Moth c/n 4033 of Vintage Wings of Canada.

Cessna 560XL Citation Excel

Grumman OV-1D Mohawk

Grumman OV-1D Mohawk with a Side-Looking Airborne Radar (SLAR) seen far away, in front of the hedge.

CASA 1.131E Jungmann

Reg. NX4270 CASA 1.131E Jungmann c/n 91 KC+EC.

Supermarine Spitfire (close to) Mk. IX

A (future) Spitfire built "from scratch" by an aviation enthusiast at Beaver County, Pennsylvania, USA. No name given but perhaps a Jurca MJ-100 homebuilt replica warbird ? Or a 90% scale-down Supermarine Aircraft Spitfire Mk 26 ?

Stinson L-5 Sentinel

Note the white drone (?) with a swept wing and winglet and a pusher engine and propeller on the shelf.

Fairchild C-123K Provider

Fairchild C-123K Provider of the Air Heritage Museum code 664 / AH is registered N22968 (s/n 54-664, c/n 20113).
Same aircraft in other movies at Frequently Seen Aircraft (Military Fixed-Wing).

North American P-51C Mustang

Princess Elizabeth North American P-51C Mustang HO*W s/n 43-25147 (today : N487FS after being registered as N51PR and G-PSIC).
Painted to commemorate 42-106449 Princess Elizabeth (but displaying the airframe’s own code 43-25147 on the tail), the Mustang of first lieutnant William T. Whisner who flew with the 487th FS, 352nd FG, as it appeared at the time of the D-Day invasion of France, complete with D-Day stripes.

Canadair CL-13B Sabre 6

Reg NX1FT Canadair CL-13B Sabre 6 c/n 1461 built in 1956. Seen here as acting as F-86E-10 s/n 51-2756 flown by 2th Lt Gerald.W.Knott (MIA on 20 July 1953 off the Korean coast).

Pilatus PC-12/47E

Reg. 10DF Pilatus PC-12/47E c/n 1241 built in 2010.

Cavalier TF-51D Mustang (as North American P-51C Mustang)

Reg. N20TF North American (Cavalier) TF-51D Mustang built in 1967 acting as WZ-Y of First Lieutenant Earl L. Stier of the 84th Fighter Squadron, 78th Fighter Group North American P-51D Mustang s/n 44-63187 "Bum Steer".
On 3rd February 1945, near Berlin, a flak hit practically blown off the entire rudder. Stier then flew his almost tail-less Mustang 450 miles across enemy territory and the North Sea, and landed safely back at Duxford.

Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk. IXc

G-IRTY in her first life as MJ271.

Patrol Flight

G-IRTY chased by Princess Elizabeth North American P-51C Mustang HO*W and NL98CF (N98CF) Mustang The Horsemen Aerobatic Team s/n 44-12016 built in 1944 (was G-CBNM (2002-2006) and 4X-AIM (1980s)).

Diamond DA40 Diamond Star

Reg. N505WT Diamond DA40 Diamond Star c/n 40.202 built in 2002.

Beechcraft 1900D

Beechcraft 1900D of Pacific Coastal Airlines.

North American B-25 Mitchell

Bell P-63 Kingcobra

s/n 44-4178 Bell P-63C-5-BE Kingcobra c/n 33-763). Crash landed at Watson Lake, Yukon Territories in Canada while enroute to the Soviet Union. Registered in 1946 as NX67115. Participated in the Bendix cross country race in 1946 but was forced out near Winslow, Arizona. Raced by Spiro "Sammy" Dilles at Cleveland, OH 1947 as race #47.

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

At least ten B-17 were named "Pistol Packin‘ Mama" ...

Curtiss A-25A Shrike

Curtiss A-25A-10-CS Shrike (Model S84, later 84B) from a set of 50 Army version of SB2C-1A; Not used in combat, redesignated RA-25A in 1943) s/n 41-18836.
(back) s/n 42-79756 Curtiss A-25A-20-CS Shrike.

Martin B-26B-40-MA Marauder

s/n 42-43441 Martin B-26B-40-MA Marauder (or already converted to AT-23A?). Redesignated TB-26B in 1945.

Douglas DC-6

Reg. N3047V Douglas DC-6A c/n 44658.

At least 6 wingless Douglas DC-6s now without their cockpit too. Including N4206L (born as Douglas C-118B Liftmaster (c/n 43709 / 355) and delivered to the US Navy as BuNo 131606 in April 1953. Bought by Northern Air Cargo in June 1981 and used as cargo till being stored at Fairbanks, Alaska in the 21st century.

330 / 06L (for N4206L) / 36F (for N1036F) ...
7 others DC-6s are hiding a light grey Douglas DC-9. With the DC-6's blue tail of Everts Air Cargo.

Two engines are under maintenance. In the distance, at left, a DC-6 of Everts Air Cargo alongside an engine-less DC-9 seen from its five hours.

Douglas R6D

Fairchild C-119G Flying Boxcar

Reg. N8504Z “Know Fear” Fairchild C-119G Flying Boxcar c/n 11253 built in 1953. Stored there since at least 2010...

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19

MiG-19 aircraft, installed in honour of Chukotka aviators in August 1977 in the mining village of Ugolnye Kopi (close to Anadyr, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia). Work on recognising the aircraft as a cultural heritage site began in 2019 and led to has been granted monument status in 2022, the northernmost one.

Gulfstream G650

(Maybe N721MM ?) MGM Resorts International Gulfstream G650ER.

Mitsubishi UH-60JA

A Sikorsky (Mitsubishi) UH-60JA of Japan Ground Self Defence Force (JGSDF) rescuing after the typhoon Hagibis. The stay in Japan lasted an exceptional 20 days due to the weather.

NAMC YS-11P

Serial 52-1152, c/n 2009 of the JASDF on display at the Aichi Museum of Flight.

Beechcraft T-34 Mentor

At Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots, Japan.
Beechcraft T-34 Mentor s/n 81-5502.

Nakajima Ki-43

Replica on display at the Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots, Japan.

Mitsubishi A6M5 Type 0 Model 52

Manufacture number 62343, ditched in to Teuchi Harbor near Kagoshima during the war, front half later recovered at preserved at the Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots, Japan.

Boeing 777

Boeing 777 of Cathay Pacific.

Eurocopter AS 332L2 Super Puma

Airbus A330-300

Airbus A330-300 of Hainan Airlines.

Lockheed C-130 Hercules

Lockheed C-130 Hercules of the Royal Thai Air Force (red underline).

Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XVIIIe

21st August 2010 : Bertil Gerhardt (68 years old and 31,600 flight hours) died when his Spitfire Mk. XVIIIe (serial RW786, code NG-D) flipped on its back when landing at Tynset Sweden.
On 17 December 2013, the airframe flew again for the 'first' time (now carrying colours of a No 28 Squadron RAF Spitfire based in Hong Kong in 1950, serial SM845 GZ-J).

Avro 748

McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C Hornet

Planes 2

G-IRTY facing a movie star : Crophopper, the Air Tractor AT-502 of the Planes movie license. Note on the right the Grumman G-44 Widgeon named Dipper and on the left, Windlifter the Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane (both from Planes: Fire & Rescue).

Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk. IXc

G-IRTY in her Dutch life. MJ721 (see above) flown from February 1944 until December 1944, when it was grounded due to structural failures of the frame. In November 1946, she was taken on Strength with the Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu) (Royal Netherlands Air Force) with s/n H-8. Struck off strength in June 1954 (used as an Airfield Decoy, markings applied: TA-26). She became a museum object in January 1959 (till 1976 ?). In a derelic state, she was restored as MH424 (code H-53) put on display at the Aviodome (2006). Eventually sold in England to become the Silver Spitfire.

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Supermarine Spitfire & Piper PA-31 Navajo

Supermarine Spitfires

Patrol Flight

Planes 2

See also