WHAT'S in a DATAPLATE?

摘要

During the build-up to the Battle of Britain film in 1967, Hamish Mahaddie, tasked with assembling the Allied and Axis aircraft, had managed to gather a fleet of some nine airworthy Spitfires - this by outright purchase, leases from individuals and access to aircraft belonging to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and Rolls-Royce. A further three, Mkl AR213, Mkll P7350 and MkV AR501, were bought up to airworthy standard by the team at Simpson's Aeroservices operating out of RAF Henlow, the restoration base for the UK contingent. At that time, these 12 Spitfires together with two in the USA, MklX MK923 and MkXVI SL721, one in the UK, two-seat MkVIII MT818/G-AIDN, and MklX TE554/Black 57 in Israel brought the worldwide total of airworthy specimens up to 16. Fast-forward 55 years to 2023 and estimate how many Spitfires and Seafires have flown since that time - the start of the warbird movement in the UK - and, at the time of writing, it is a surprisingly high 98. Not all are currently flying, with some lost to fires and accidents, others retired to museum display and a few kept in airworthy condition but not flown, which this writer designates as 'airworthy resting! Some, I am sure, will challenge the number, but by my definition there are 74 airworthy Spitfires and Seafires in the world with a further four 'resting!