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British Flying Club Plans a Squadron of Spitfires

Supermarine Spitfire
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Key Takeaways:

  • The Enstone Flying Club is building an ambitious "City of Oxford" squadron, consisting of 12 90-percent scale replicas of the Supermarine Spitfire Mk26B.
  • These two-seat replicas are significantly more affordable than original Spitfires (around $340,000), using V6 engines and capable of flying at approximately 200 mph.
  • The squadron aims to conduct formation exhibitions at European events during summer months and make the aircraft available for personal flights to club members for the rest of the year.
  • Although the project has been ongoing since 2010, the first aircraft is complete, with the club hoping to launch the full squadron by next summer for the Battle of Britain anniversary, though this timeline is considered slim.
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The Enstone Flying Club, a flight school and flying club in Enstone, U.K., is making progress on an ambitious project to create a squadron of 12 90-percent replicas of the Supermarine Spitfire, one of the most famous Allied warbirds of World War II. Named the “City of Oxford,” the squadron is expected to include not only a dozen Spitfires but also “ground crews, military vehicle enthusiasts and living history players,” according to the Enstone Flying Club’s website.

The Spitfires in the squadron will be an experimental version with the designation Mk26B, which was designed by Mike O’Sullivan, an Australian who started the Supermarine Aircraft Company building replicas of the Spitfire in the mid-1990s.

Pia Bergqvist

Pia Bergqvist joined FLYING in December 2010. A passionate aviator, Pia started flying in 1999 and quickly obtained her single- and multi-engine commercial, instrument and instructor ratings. After a decade of working in general aviation, Pia has accumulated almost 3,000 hours of flight time in nearly 40 different types of aircraft.

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