Aviation artist Darryl Legg, supports the Spitfire Project We are privileged to have a new artist supporting our project – the incredibly talented aviation artist Darryl Legg. Darryl has offered us the right to print copies of his painting of Spitfire 5518, an incredibly detailed painting of our Spitty, which we are restoring. He has …
Aviation artist Darryl Legg, supports the Spitfire project Read More »
About the Mark IX Spitfire The graceful and majestic yet potent Supermarine Spitfire, designed by Reginald J. Mitchell, first flew on March 5th, 1936 and become operational in August 1938. Nineteen different Marks and 52 variations of Spitfire’s were produced between 1936 and 1948, totalling 22,759 (of which 2,408 were Seafires). The Supermarine Spitfire Mk. …
A State of Confusion – MK IX OR MK XVI? Article by Phil Scallan. The Spitfire Mk XVI and why was SAAF 5518/TE213, an MK IX HFIX, often mistaken for one? The late production MK IX Spitfires are externally very similar to the MK XVI Spitfire. Still, those late production MK IX’s fitted with the …
A family at war in Southern England Article written by Keith Pratt outlining the reason for his interest in the Spitfire. My grandfather was a WW1 war hero (twice decorated). He died in 1937 before WWII whilst injecting himself with “Opium”, his long term treatment for pain relief due to mustard gas poisoning. This left …
The SAAF, the Museum and our Heritage. Swartkop in the late 1940s: Spitfires and Harvards in the foreground, with Dakotas and then Venturas behind them. Note how bare the landscape was. Heritage is a word which has many strings to its bow. Its meanings include birthright, inheritance, patrimony, bequest & estate, endowment, objectives & qualities, …
Jann Knobel donated the baby Spitfire built by the late Peter Knobel to the Spitfire Restoration Project.
what’s it like to fly the Spitfire MkIX? By Maj James Feuilherade Here are my thoughts on flying the Spitfire MkIX of the South African Air Force Museum historic flight when posted to the SAAF Museum in 1999. The South African Air Force Museum’s example was a Spitfire Mk IX LF or otherwise called the …
New Spitfire Restoration hangar celebrated at roof wetting event.
On Saturday 26th February 2022, the erection of the new Spitfire Restoration workshop and hangar commenced.
SAAF aircraft sketches donated by Bazil Kriel Bazil Kriel is currently the vice-chairman of the Pretoria Branch of the Friends and has been generous in his support of the project on many occasions, with donations of items which, in many cases, he has created himself. Once again, he has come up trumps, by drawing and …
