The restored Supermarine Spitfire known as the Silver Spitfire, has made it across America, in fact, all the way to Santa Monica, California, as of Wednesday. The trip log has covered 5,561 miles so far. And the pilots have many, many more miles to fly, with new adventures surely waiting at every turn.
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The Silver Spitfire, an impeccably restored bare-metal 1943 MK. IX model, is a years-long venture by a talented team of pilots, mechanics, flight planners and photographer/videographers that has been supported by principle sponsor IWC Watches. The planned flight, the first-ever around-the-world flight in a Spitfire, was targeted to visit more than 30 countries, cover around 27,000 miles, stop off at 15 iconic destinations, and last for four months.
They got started on time. British pilots Matt Jones and Steve Brooks took off in early August from England, heading Westbound against the prevailing winds, and successfully made the North Atlantic crossing.
The pilots perhaps feel as though they’ve come a long way already, and they have, but they’re not even close to halfway around. From California, they’ll head up to Alaska, across to Russia and then across Asia. The route will doubtless include more detours and unexpected challenges.
Check out this video to get a feel for the beauty and majesty of the plane. You can follow the journey here, as well!
