Spitfire maiden flight 90th anniversary

Header image: Unpainted Spitfire prototype K5054 leaps into the air from Eastleigh in March 1936. (Painting by Spitfire designer RJ Mitchell’s nephew, the artist James Mitchell)

The 90th anniversary of the Supermarine Spitfire’s maiden flight will be a theme celebrated at various events during the 2026 display season, marking nine decades since prototype K5054 took off from Eastleigh Aerodrome (now Southampton Airport) in March 1936. 

There is some dispute over the exact date of the prototype Spitfire’s maiden flight. The generally accepted date is 5th March 1936, but there is some evidence, not least that provided by Spitfire company test pilot Jeffrey Quill, to suggest that it actually took place on 6th March.

The first flight of the new prototype fighter lasted only 15-20 minutes; it flew unpainted, with a fixed fine-pitch two-bladed propeller, with the undercarriage locked down and no undercarriage doors fitted. With the chief test pilot of the Vickers aviation company, Captain Joseph ‘Mutt’ Summers, at the controls, K5054 briefly soared into the skies over Southampton before returning to land. The aircraft’s debut came just four months after the equivalent flight of the Hawker Hurricane. The Spitfire’s first flight was the harbinger of its quite exceptional performance and it became a fighter capable of 350 mph in level flight, a remarkable speed for the time. Together, the two single-seat fighters would play a decisive role in the Battle of Britain and the Spitfire in particular would have a major impact on the course of the Second World War. Eventually, 20,351 Spitfires were built.

The first RAF squadron to operate the Spitfire was 19 Squadron, based at Duxford, which began to receive the new aircraft in August 1938. By the start of the Battle of Britain, which officially began on 10th July 1940, there would be 19 Spitfire squadrons.

The BBMF will be participating in various events to celebrate the Spitfire’s 90th this year, which began with a launch event at Southampton (Eastleigh) Airport on 5th March in conjunction with BBMF partner Spitfires.com and with TV and media coverage. In April, Spitfires.com’s two-seat Spitfire, painted in the original K5054 livery, will embark on a nine-day UK journey, joined by BBMF and modern-day RAF aircraft on segments of the route. Stops at RAF Stations and overflight of historic locations will highlight the Spitfire’s legacy. Passenger flights in the rear seat of the Spitfire will be auctioned for each leg, with proceeds supporting the Mark Long Trust and the RAF Benevolent Fund. Updates on this will be posted on BBMF social media and more detail can be found at www.spitfires.com/spitfire90