<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Spitfires.com]]></title><description><![CDATA[Supermarine Spitfire specialists offering everything to do with the Spitfire from experience flights to training to simulator rides to merchandise.]]></description><link>https://www.spitfires.com/news</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Thu, 23 Jul 2026 23:26:59 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.boultbeeflightacademy.co.uk/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[The Birth of a Legend: Spitfire Prototype K5054]]></title><description><![CDATA[K5054 takes off In the mid-1930s, as tensions in Europe began to rise once more, the Royal Air Force (RAF) sought a new generation of fighter aircraft — one that would outperform the ageing biplanes of the day. It was also recognised that the new monoplane fighters needed to carry greater fire power to stop any enemy bombers getting through to assault the United Kingdom. The competition to seek this leap forward in engineering and aerodynamic design was set by the Air Ministry, and the race...]]></description><link>https://www.spitfires.com/post/the-birth-of-a-legend-spitfire-prototype-k5054</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b16a1ef333f99e51f2bb3c</guid><pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2026 13:19:01 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6d96eb_8841e476aa964bd99a9231b17e716534~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Spitfires.com</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The History of Spitfire Armaments and Wing Designs]]></title><description><![CDATA[Supermarine Spitfire Mk I, produced in 1938 How to stop enemy bombers? More guns! By the mid-1930s, the Royal Air Force faced a serious challenge. Enemy forces were developing fast all-metal bombers, and the speed of aerial combat was rising rapidly. Pilots had only a few seconds to catch opposing aircraft in their gun sights. And in that time, they needed to deliver maximum firepower in a short burst. The Air Ministry recognised this as early as 1934 and began looking at new fighters with...]]></description><link>https://www.spitfires.com/post/the-story-of-spitfire-armament-modifications-and-wing-designs</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68f270c0f07c0a1337b430aa</guid><pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2025 09:00:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6d96eb_e69b8f78622a4ffda3bdc9b1a56d15ad~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Spitfires.com</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Fly a Spitfire over the White Cliffs]]></title><description><![CDATA[The White Cliffs of Dover, a sign of relief for Battle of Britain pilots Few adventures stir the soul quite like flying a Spitfire. With its graceful lines and the unmistakable roar of the Merlin engine, the Spitfire continues to capture hearts almost a century after the Battle of Britain. To sit in the cockpit is to step back into history. But nothing compares to the moment your Spitfire flight takes you over the White Cliffs of Dover. The sight of the brilliant chalk faces rising from the...]]></description><link>https://www.spitfires.com/post/fly-a-spitfire-over-the-white-cliffs</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68f26dbeeaa4cbc6a1a02914</guid><pubDate>Wed, 26 Nov 2025 09:00:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6d96eb_aad733f052c242718b8ed14e220c917d~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_753,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Spitfires.com</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Time Beyond Bars: When RAF Prisoners Bought Swiss Watches in World War II]]></title><description><![CDATA[Lieutenant Bernard Scheidhauer How luxury, hope and a neutral nation’s promise ticked behind enemy lines Snow fell lightly on the barbed wire of Stalag Luft III, frosting the wooden watchtowers and dulling the clang of the daily roll call. Inside the camp’s crowded huts, Royal Air Force officers shuffled into line — half-starved, unshaven, but still every inch the airmen they’d been before capture. On their wrists, a few wore battered military watches that had survived flak bursts and forced...]]></description><link>https://www.spitfires.com/post/when-raf-prisoners-bought-swiss-watches-in-world-war-2</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68f2676deaa4cbc6a1a01d17</guid><pubDate>Wed, 19 Nov 2025 09:00:46 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6d96eb_6bded541fd1044cfb2da16de86782068~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_342,h_462,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Spitfires.com</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Role of Women in Spitfire Operations]]></title><description><![CDATA[The women of the Air Transport Auxiliary World War II is often talked about in terms of global politics and military operations. But as a time when nations were thrown into chaos, this conflict was also the catalyst for social change. With men called to combat, women stepped up into roles once thought unimaginable for them. That included taking the controls of some of the most advanced fighter aircraft of the era. Though they never engaged in combat – at least, not intentionally – women in...]]></description><link>https://www.spitfires.com/post/the-role-of-women-in-spitfire-operations</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68f2623260ceb7e0d1029bf6</guid><pubDate>Wed, 12 Nov 2025 09:00:34 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6d96eb_5a5d017e9d7645bfa15a05c182987f26~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_701,h_469,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Spitfires.com</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How the Spitfire HF Mk VI Pushed the Limits of High-Altitude Flight]]></title><description><![CDATA[Supermarine Spitfire HF Mk VI Arrival at Westhampnett In October 1942, two RAF squadrons moved into RAF Westhampnett (now the Goodwood  Aerodrome, home of Spitfires.com ) with one of the rarest Spitfire variants of the war — the Spitfire HF Mk VI. This was no ordinary Spitfire. With its long, extended wingtips and pressurised cockpit, it looked somewhat ungainly next to the sleeker Mk V and Mk IX. The squadrons that received the type were 616 (South Yorkshire) Squadron, carrying aircraft...]]></description><link>https://www.spitfires.com/post/how-the-spitfire-hf-mk-vi-pushed-the-limits-of-high-altitude-flight</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68f239d8f07c0a1337b3c174</guid><pubDate>Wed, 05 Nov 2025 09:00:17 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6d96eb_b5295d0d44624ae980827fa0b5e4a473~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_560,h_249,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Spitfires.com</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[That Australian connection! Spitfires down under!]]></title><description><![CDATA[Peter Gartshore flying in a Spitfire. Recently Spitfires.com helped Spitfire owner Peter Gartshore of Brisbane Australia realise his dreams by carrying out his conversion to Spitfires on our two-seater T9 SM520 . Peter from Brisbane, Queensland, is owner of Spitfire Mk VIII MV154, and although a long-time pilot with many hours on tailwheel types needed type familiarisation, ground school and simulator training at our Goodwood  home to help him reach his goal of flying his very own Spitfire,...]]></description><link>https://www.spitfires.com/post/that-australian-connection-spitfires-down-under</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6908731691f4e1bef652ffe9</guid><pubDate>Mon, 03 Nov 2025 09:55:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6d96eb_745fe736a5a84decab15291bd5473444~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Spitfires.com</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Celebrating 3,000 Hours in G-ILDA: Spitfire Lifespan Explained]]></title><description><![CDATA[Our Supermarine Spitfire H.F. Mk IXe SM520, known as G-ILDA At the height of the Second World War, the average lifespan of Spitfire fighter planes was just 200 hours. And it was quite common to see aircraft return for maintenance or repair with only 150 hours of flying time. What a surprise it would be for Supermarine to find out that our main Mk IX Spitfire, G-ILDA, is still flying at over 3,000 hours! G-ILDA – or Supermarine Spitfire H.F. Mk IXe SM520 (G-ILDA)  – was built in the Castle...]]></description><link>https://www.spitfires.com/post/celebrating-3-000-hours-in-g-ilda-spitfire-lifespan-explained</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68f23501e99ba781182177bc</guid><pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 2025 09:00:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/42dabe_99ec1ff15c0a418585475a92b0a48346~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Spitfires.com</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Air Transport Auxiliary Pilot's Notes]]></title><description><![CDATA[Feathering instructions in ATA Pilot's Notes What Was the Air Transport Auxiliary? The Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) was formed in 1939, just before the outbreak of World War II, to ferry aircraft between factories, maintenance units, and front-line airfields across Britain. While the RAF’s combat pilots were engaged in battle, the ATA took over the critical but dangerous task of delivering new, repaired, and damaged aircraft wherever they were needed. This freed up military pilots for combat...]]></description><link>https://www.spitfires.com/post/air-transport-authority-pilot-s-notes</link><guid isPermaLink="false">690110213f9731ce0f875118</guid><pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2025 18:57:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6d96eb_c98905e880f4433f9733d998046c8081~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_750,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Spitfires.com</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Rocket-Assisted Take Off for the Supermarine Seafire]]></title><description><![CDATA[Supermarine Seafire IIc fighters aboard HMS Formidable, September 1943 Adapting the Spitfire for the Fleet Air Arm When Britain’s legendary Supermarine Spitfire was adapted for carrier operations, it became the Supermarine Seafire — a nimble but temperamental naval fighter that gave the Fleet Air Arm a potent edge during the Second World War and into the early post-war years. But naval flying brought its own challenges: short decks, heavy payloads, and unpredictable winds. And not every...]]></description><link>https://www.spitfires.com/post/rocket-assisted-take-off-for-the-supermarine-seafire</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68f22d31e99ba781182168ab</guid><pubDate>Wed, 22 Oct 2025 08:00:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6d96eb_da25fc7bf45e4ca1964df3c2cc372bff~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_450,h_280,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Spitfires.com</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Battle of Britain 85th Anniversary Commemoration Display]]></title><description><![CDATA[On 19th September 2025, our G-ILDA Spitfire joined the Battle of Britain 85th anniversary commemoration display, piloted by astronaut Tim Peake. Relive the day and find out about Paddy Hemmingway, the last of the Few.]]></description><link>https://www.spitfires.com/post/battle-of-britain-85th-anniversary-commemoration-display</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68e8eeaa4bab99a0463c454b</guid><pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2025 15:28:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6d96eb_f8e71ebcded24c7487f212d27c15d613~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_846,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Spitfires.com</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[How a wooden block changed the course of Spitfire operations over Malta]]></title><description><![CDATA[In June 1942, 20-year-old Canadian pilot Robert George “Bob” Middlemiss was selected to serve with a team of Spitfire pilots posted in Malta. Bob’s operations were made successful by something primitive – a simple wooden block.]]></description><link>https://www.spitfires.com/post/how-a-wooden-block-changed-the-course-of-spitfire-operations-over-malta</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68a86b2b6c4f5bcba97eaf79</guid><pubDate>Fri, 22 Aug 2025 13:23:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6d96eb_c3503e5c5d344be19276e5a45ff4f5d4~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_975,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Spitfires.com</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Spitfires and the need for Speed]]></title><description><![CDATA[In the late 1930s, a competition broke out to see who could engineer the fastest aircraft.]]></description><link>https://www.spitfires.com/post/spitfires-and-the-need-for-speed</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6790c9d8b64e0286f43240b9</guid><pubDate>Wed, 22 Jan 2025 11:06:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure 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Luft III as a prisoner of war, a guest of the...]]></description><link>https://www.spitfires.com/post/home-airfield-connection-to-the-great-escape</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6761a22edce892817a80f944</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Dec 2024 11:14:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6d96eb_9249845a3e3e4bd286f191ceaec3b3ef~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_327,h_439,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Spitfires.com</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Spitfires.com helps identify a World War 2 Spitfire Pilot who should be recognised as ‘One of the Few’]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ronald Thompson There are many occasions throughout the year when our operations team get to learn about our customer's family...]]></description><link>https://www.spitfires.com/post/spitfires-com-helps-identify-a-world-war-2-spitfire-pilot-who-should-be-recognised-as-one-of-the-fe</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6761a17814bca5ddd19f5cc0</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Dec 2024 11:08:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6d96eb_8e418886ce6a4c8dbbb16a161b92d911~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_129,h_217,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Spitfires.com</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Flying equipment of A Battle of Britain Spitfire pilot]]></title><description><![CDATA[When our customers arrive, they have already had a briefing on the flying equipment that they will be issued with and the importance and...]]></description><link>https://www.spitfires.com/post/flying-equipment-of-a-battle-of-britain-spitfire-pilot</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67616cef702db6561cd214ee</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Dec 2024 10:57:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6d96eb_0afdca4a13b54154a3c0c2ac573e4c77~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Spitfires.com</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Gordon Neil Spencer Cleaver]]></title><description><![CDATA[Gordon Neil Spencer Cleaver How the fate of a Fighter pilot flying from nearby RAF Tangmere in the Battle of Britain, helped the sight of...]]></description><link>https://www.spitfires.com/post/gordon-neil-spencer-cleaver</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67618f81f711d4a69e7e3d5d</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Dec 2024 10:47:03 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6d96eb_4d075b553cc94398829385466f8cbc73~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Spitfires.com</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chief Instructor achives 500 hours on Spitfires]]></title><description><![CDATA[Tim Granshaw Tim Granshaw, our Chief Instructor passed an amazing milestone in his career this week in that he flew his 500th hour on Mk...]]></description><link>https://www.spitfires.com/post/chief-instructor-achives-500-hours-on-spitfires</link><guid 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Early aircraft were constructed...]]></description><link>https://www.spitfires.com/post/wood-use-in-spitfire-planes</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67615632a804790500f8d4ab</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Dec 2024 10:34:11 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/42dabe_64956661aa7540dcb7d594a7a854dbef~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_720,h_480,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Spitfires.com</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>