Famous fighter is a big draw for flight museum

A Spitfire will take pride of place on the 80th anniversary of its first flight as final preparations are made to re-open Scotland’s National Museum of Flight.

The first Spitfire test flight took to the air on March 5 1936 from Eastleigh Aerodrome in Southampton.

And the fighter plane went on to play a critical role in the Second World War.

The Mk II suspended in the National Museum of Flight in East Lothian was built in June 1945 and remains one of the biggest draws for visitors.

Assistant curator of the museum Ian Brown revealed: “It was a gift from the RAF in 1971 and is actually the whole reason we have the museum.

“A hangar was found to home the Spitfire in East Lothian and the collection just grew from there.”

Mr Brown continued: “After Concorde, it’s the aircraft everyone wants to see because it remains iconic.

“The Spitfire shot down the first German aircraft in Britain over the Firth of Forth and they remained in service up to the 1950s.

“They were used all around the world defending countries.”

The museum’s hangars will re-open on March 25 at the end of a £3.6 million restoration.

The assistant curator continue: “It’s really exciting now, the last minute touches are being applied and with new technology we hope to bring the stories of all the aircraft to life for visitors.”

Picture: PA. Alice Wyllie poses in front of the Spitfire at the National Museum of Flight.