The Rolls-Royce Spitfire

The Spitfire is a well-loved favourite at air shows, remembered affectionately as one of the vital aircraft of World War II.

Delivery of the first production Spitfires took place in June 1938. By 1939, a total of 2,160 Spitfires were already on order.

In total, more than 20,000 Spitfires and Seafires (naval versions of the Spitfire) were built. They served in every combat area, operating as fighters, fighter-bombers, reconnaissance aircraft and carrier-based fighters with the Royal Navy. The last operational flight made by any RAF Spitfire was flown over Malaya on 1 Apr 1954.

The Rolls-Royce Spitfire is an unarmed, high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft, one of 79 Mk XIXs built at Supermarine, Southampton.

On 13 January 1945, it was delivered to the Central Photographic Reconnaissance Unit at R.A.F. Benson before seeing service in the UK, Belgium and Holland. At the end of the war it returned to the UK and later became a member of a meteorological Flight. It was ultimately allocated to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

From 1987 to 1989, it was grounded. Following extensive work, a modified Rolls-Royce Griffon engine was installed, and she flew once more on 20 July 1989. This gives the aircraft a top speed of 439mph and a ceiling of 45,000ft.

The aircraft is currently painted as 'C' of No. 16 Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 2nd Tactical Air Force.

The Griffon engine that produces the distinctive 'Griffon Growl’ was the second engine type (the first being the Rolls-Royce Merlin) to be installed on the Spitfire aircraft family.

The Merlin had provided more and more power, but eventually a bigger engine was needed, and development of the Griffon was restarted.

The first experimental Griffon was a close relative of the 'R' engine used in the Schneider Cup air races of 1929 and 1930. The Griffon had the same V-12 configuration as the Merlin, but it had 36 litres capacity, instead of only 27 litres in the Merlin.

The engine also turned over the other way, which gave new pilots a bit of a surprise on take off, as their aircraft swung the opposite way!

The first Griffon-engined Spitfire, the Mk XII, came into service with No 41 Squadron in February 1943.

The Merlin and the Griffon are in the best Rolls-Royce tradition of producing innovative combat engines for the armed forces, which endures today.

Rolls-Royce Chief Test Pilot Phill O'Dell, who joined the company in November 2001 having completed 18 years in the Royal Air Force, pilots PS853.

During his time with the RAF he flew the Buccaneer, was an instructor on the Hawk and also flew operational sorties over northern Iraq and Bosnia in the Jaguar. He also regularly flies Airbus A320 aircraft for British Airways.

The engine on this Spitfire has accumulated more than 235 hours and the airframe over 1,912 hours. The aircraft was bought by Rolls-Royce in September 1996 and is based at Filton Airfield, just across the road from the Rolls-Royce facilities in Bristol.