Silver Spitfire returns to Britain after historic around-the-globe trip

The Silver Spitfire, an iconic World War II fighter, returned to Britain completing its longest expedition around the globe on December 5. The demilitarised aircraft touched down on a frosty Goodwood Aerodrome with friends, family, colleagues and hundreds of fans welcoming the two aviators, Steve Boultbee Brooks and Matt Jones. 

The Silver Spitfire was escorted by two of the Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force aerobatic display team, while flying across the English Channel and over the White Cliffs. The aircraft, which traversed from the Grand Canyon in the West to the peak of Mount Fuji in the East, visited 24 countries and clocked up more than 37,500 kilometres. Jones, 46, flew the final hour of the historic expedition and hugged his partner after stepping out of the plane. 

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'Bare metal' body

The Spitfire was manufactured in several variants with different wing configurations and it outnumbered all other British aircraft in terms of production. The Silver Spitfire was a product polished aluminium with the guns removed. The demilitarising of the aircraft in ‘bare metal’ state was aimed at broadening the appeal and reach of the project.

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The Silver Spitfire, originally registered as MJ271, was manufactured by Vickers Supermarine Ltd in 1943 in Castle Bromwich, UK. In October 1943, G-IRTY, the modern name, was delivered from Castle Bromwich to 33 Maintenance Unit at RAF Lyneham and then sent to 411, a Polish Repair and Salvage unit tasked with harmonising the guns and performing test flights before passing the aircraft on to an operational unit. It was flown during the Second World War by pilots from Australia, Canada, Norway, Trinidad and the United Kingdom.

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