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]
russell
Sunday, November 1, 2009 at 6:20 PMcould you put bb guns on it!!??!?!??!
Di Lewis
Tuesday, May 17, 2011 at 3:22 PMDoes anyone know where I can buy photos of this aeroplane flying over Beachy Head on the South Coast of Sussex? I would like to buy 7 copies of this photo, size 25cm x 20cm, printed on 180-200 gsm paper. My partner is a spitfire lover and Sussex is very important to both of us personally. I want to make a 3D decoupage image of this photo for him. Anyone who can help me please email me with information.