World War 2 Spitfire Project To One Day Fly At Exeter Airport

An aviation collector in Devon is continuing an ambitious project to completely restore a World War 2 Spitfre to its former glory.

Martin Phillips has spent over £1 million so far restoring the antique fighter which originally saw action with the South African Airforce. Despite the extensive work needed for this mamoth project it all takes place in a shed outside his home in Devon.

Martin explains that the whole project started when he was given a small rivet from a Spitfire and the entire project was born from this. The original rivet he was given is now fitted to the aircraft just underneath the cockpit.

The fuselage of the aircraft was found in Worthing and one of the wings was found in a hedge near a pub and lay abandoned for years after the original aircraft had crashed there during the war.

The rest of the parts for the aircraft have been sourced from around the world and all are genuine. Martin explains that he now has all the parts required for the aircraft and it is now a case of fitting them which is a huge and laborious task.

For more information on this remarkable project please visit The Telegraph

Published by: Jon Vickery