Ex South African Spitfire takes to the skies

Source: Daily Mail UK

End of an aviation era: Restored Spitfire is the last aircraft to be built at doomed home of Concorde

• WWII fighter plane flew again 10 years after it was found in South African junkyard

• Filton airfield will be closed by owner BAE on New Year's Eve after 100 years

By Harriet Arkell

PUBLISHED: 17:56 GMT, 19 December 2012 | UPDATED: 09:01 GMT, 20 December 2012

A newly-restored classic World War II Spitfire has taken to the British skies for the first time since being found in a scrapyard a decade ago.

The iconic Second World War fighter plane has been restored by a businessman who spent £1m building it back up to its former glory after it was rescued from a South African scrapyard.

Yesterday the gleaming Spitfire took off from the soon-to-close Filton aerodrome outside Bristol for the first time since the 1940s.

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Restored classic: The rebuilt Spitfire took to the skies above Bristol yesterday after a painstaking £1m renovation

Flying through British skies for the first time since the 1940s: The restored Spitfire over Bristol

Taking off: The gleaming aircraft attracted large crowds to Filton airfield near Bristol yesterday

The occasion was a poignant one as Filton aerodrome, is to be decommissioned by BAE after more than a century of aviation there, and will close on December 31.

BAE Systems, which said the site was no longer economically viable, is selling the airfield for housing and business development.

Crowds of aviation and history enthusiasts lined the A38 road which borders the airfield to watch the Spitfire take off, while BAE staff watched from beside the runway.

They were also there to see the last visit to the airfield from the Airbus A380 superjumbo, which was developed at Filton and is the world's largest commercial aircraft.

Exeter businessman Martin Phillips, 51, who owns the Spitfire, said the expensive and painstaking restoration project had been worth it.

He said: 'To see her take to the skies today has been extraordinary, and for it to happen at the same time as an A380's final visit to Filton, has made this a sad but historic day.

'I think it's a terrible shame that this famous old airfield is to close.'

Former Rolls-Royce engineer John Hart, who has worked as chief engineer on the Spitfire restoration for the last two-and-a-half years, said seeing the Spitfire and the A380 together on the runway that is also still overlooked by Concorde was 'quite a sight' for aviation enthusiasts.

He said: 'It's funny to think the last aeroplane to be put together here at Filton has turned out to be a Spitfire.'

Filton aerodrome, which has one of the longest and widest runways in the country, witnessed the first test flights of Concorde and was where American soldiers injured in D-Day were taken to before being treated at Bristol's Frenchay hospital.

The West Country's aviation industry grew up around the airfield, which developed an international reputation.

Devoted owner: Exeter businessman Martin Philips spent £1m restoring the Spitfire after it was found 10 years ago in a junkyard

Preparing for take-off: Aeroplane enthusiasts lined the runway to watch the WWII fighter plane take to the skies

Painstaking work: The Spitfire has a fully rebuilt Rolls-Royce Merlin engine

Race to finish: Engineers worked long hours to finish the Spitfire's restoration in time for it to fly from Filton yesterday

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vulcan bombers were stationed there, and the last Concorde to fly, Concorde 216, is parked there.

There are plans for an aviation museum on the site, hosting both Concorde and the Bristol Aero Collection of British-designed aeroplane memorabilia from the last century.

The final flights from Filton will take off on Friday, before the aerodrome is decommissioned.

End of an era: The Mark IX Spitfire was originally built in around 1943 and is the last plane to be completed at the airfield

Attention to detail: Here, Steve Atkin of Warbird Colour repaints the Spitfire in its original colours

Stripped back: The Spitfire was the last plane to be built at Filton, the home of British-built Concorde

Quite a paint job: Steve Atkin and Alec Kinane of Warbird Colour raced to finish repainting the classic plane

VIDEO A newly restored Supermarine Spitfire taking it's very first, and last flight out of Bristol Filton Airport

New models from Airfix and Revell for 2013

Hot on the heels of me posting a list of the model kits in my stash, today both Airfix and Revell announced the new additions to their product ranges for 2013.

There is some excellent news from Airfix for those keen on modelling South African subjects. A newly tooled Gloster Gladiator, as well as an early Hawker Hurricane Mk I, both in 1:72 are set to be released. If these kits are up to the same standard as other recent Airfix releases then we're in for a treat. These two subjects will allow me to complete two of the mounts flown by the South African born ace, Squadron Leader Marmaduke T. St. John 'Pat' Pattle. Pattle is considered to be the highest scoring ace in both the Gladiator (15 victories) and Hurricane (35 victories).

Here's a trailer of an upcoming documentary about Pattle and his achievements during WWII.

In addition Airfix will also be releasing the two-seated De Havilland Vampire T.11 in 1:72. Presently there are two airworthy Vampire T.55 airframes in South Africa, and I was fortunate enough to see them fly together at Africa Aerospace & Defence (AAD) 2012 held at AFB Waterkloof in September. Airfix's new Vampire kit should provide the ideal starting point with which to create a model Vampire T.55.

De Havilland Vampire T.55s in formation. Lead aircraft in South African Air Force (SAAF) colours while the trailing aircraft is still in its Swiss Air Force scheme.

Airfix are also planning to release a Douglas C-47 Skytrain. While 1:72 kits of the subject are still relatively easy to find, this mould may be an upgrade to the ageing moulds of the competitors, and may just offer South African modellers a cheaper option. Maybe once I've honed my skills sufficiently, I'll try and tackle a model of "Gooney Bird." Sadly AAD 2012 will remain the first and only time I saw Gooney Bird up in the air.

A new and interesting venture by Airfix is the launch of their Quick Build range. It features push-fit aircraft kits that are no doubt aimed at the younger modeller. They will not require any glue or paint for assembly. From pictures the pieces look very similar to Lego blocks. I'm intrigued as to whether the range will feature a familiar scale such 1:48 and 1:72, or whether it will use a 'metric' scale like 1:50 or 1:100.

Exploded view of the Quick Build BAe Hawk

Finally, the 1:1200 U.S.S. Nimitz aircraft carrier from Revell is of particular interest as I've been considering getting either Italeri's 1:720 or Trumpeter's 1:700 Nimitz for some time now. The idea is to make it the centre piece for a display consisting of several planes representing different squadrons from Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8) during the period that it was stationed aboard the Nimitz (1975-1987). This release will offer a smaller option, which in the long run may save me some shelf space. Even at the 1:1200 scale the model Nimitz will measure close to 30 cm in length.

I'll wait to see what other reviewers have to say about the overall quality of the kit before making my decision. In the meantime, I'm still in the process of sourcing the most important plane for the display, an F-14A of VF-84.

Silver Flacons lose support aircraft

Just days after celebrating their 45th anniversary, the Silver Falcons have lost their C-47TP support aircraft, and all 11 personal aboard. It has been confirmed that "Gooney Bird" crashed into Giants Castle, within the Drakensberg Mountain Range, after reporting poor weather conditions. The wreckage was located later that day, but was unreachable by helicopter due to the weather. A recovery team was only able to reach the site of the wreckage the following day.

The following tribute was posted on the Silver Falcons Facebook page, and includes the names of those who perished aboard Gooney Bird.

Condolences to the family and friends of the 11 who lost their lives in the crash.