Today marks the 90th anniversary of the first flight of the Supermarine Spitfire – the aircraft that would become one of Britain’s most iconic symbols of the Second World War.
The prototype Spitfire, known as K5054, first took to the skies on 5 March 1936 from Eastleigh Aerodrome near Southampton. The aircraft was piloted by Vickers test pilot Captain Joseph “Mutt” Summers during an initial flight lasting around eight minutes.
Designed by aviation engineer Reginald J Mitchell of Supermarine Aviation Works, the Spitfire had been developed as a high-performance single-seat interceptor for the Royal Air Force. Its distinctive elliptical wings and powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin engine helped give it exceptional speed and manoeuvrability, characteristics that would later make it one of the most successful fighter aircraft of its era.
The Spitfire entered RAF service two years later, in August 1938, with No. 19 Squadron at RAF Duxford. By the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, increasing numbers of squadrons were being equipped with the new fighter.
The aircraft became legendary during the Battle of Britain in 1940, when RAF pilots used Spitfires alongside Hawker Hurricanes to defend the country against sustained Luftwaffe attacks. The Spitfire’s performance allowed it to challenge German fighters and played an important role in preventing the enemy from gaining air superiority over Britain.
More than 20,000 Spitfires were eventually built in numerous variants, serving in theatres across Europe, the Mediterranean, Africa and the Pacific during the war years.
Ninety years after that first short flight in 1936, the Spitfire remains one of the most recognisable aircraft in aviation history, celebrated at museums, commemorative events and airshows across the UK. Several restored examples are still airworthy today, continuing to fly as living reminders of the aircraft’s role in Britain’s wartime history.
