Flying enthusiasts with $150,000 to spare can now build their own Spitfire aircraft from a pack. The Supermarine Aircraft Mark 26 kit, a 90 per cent scale model of the iconic WWII fighter plane, costs $146,750 – not to mention 1,200 hours of construction time.
The flatpack fighter is shipped to you from Brisbane with 700 hours’ worth of construction already on the clock, but the rest is up to you.
The UK importer of the packs, Kieran Padden, says his business (he’s selling the kits for £100,000) is booming – and for many reasons. “It is so easy to fly,” he claims of the plane that costs a tenth of the original to buy. “Even old Spitfire pilots I have spoken to say it flies just like the original. It’s lighter but has the same performance, so it’s much more agile.”
The V6 engine means that the completed plane will travel at 222 mph and can fly up to 18,000 feet. “The manufacturers have even recreated the sound,” says Mr Padden. “Every time I hear it, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.”
[Daily Mail]
[The Official Supermarine Aircraft Company website]