A gorgeous warbird is winging its way towards Hong Kong. The Silver Spitfire, a resplendently restored World War II aircraft, took off from Goodwood airfield in the UK on Monday. It headed first north to Scotland then west on its journey around the world via USA, Canada, Japan, Russia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, India and back to Britain.
G-IRTY is a single-seater alternately piloted by two men, who are the envy of half the world’s aviation buffs. Matt Jones, 45, and Steve Boultbee-Brooks founded a Spitfire training school in the UK called Boultbee Flight Academy. The round the world flight that will see G-IRTY landed in 30 countries will take five months and cover 27,000 miles. The expensive restoration and earth circumnavigation turn out to be an elaborate promotional stunt by a Swiss watch maker, IWC Schaffhausen. Early this year a Silver Spitfire exhibition was held at 1881 Heritage, Tsimshatsui, and Matt Jones flew in for the occasion.
The longest leg of the flight will be Hong Kong to Vietnam which is 500 miles. Matt said, “The Spitfire was built as an interceptor with a range of 300 miles, so the question now is can we nurse it around. I am a bit nervous but excited to get going. The weather will be the biggest part of it, but also getting fuel in the right places.”
While either Matt or Steve is flying G-IRTY, she will be followed by a chase plane. This has a captain, engineer and camera crew.
You, too, can live the dream of flying a Spitfire, according to the Boultbee Flight Academy. Thirty minutes of flying in a warbird will cost you 2750 pounds. Thirty minutes formation flying (another Spitfire will come with you) will set you back 4000 pounds . Fifty-minutes around the Isle of Wight will be 4750 pounds. The academy has a Spitfire simulator which you can fly at considerably less cost.
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