Two British pilots, Steve Brooks and Matt Jones land Silver Spitfire back in Britain

Two British pilots have landed back in the UK after flying around the world in a newly restored Spitfire.

Steve Brooks, 58, from Burford, Oxfordshire, and Matt Jones, 45, from Exeter, Devon, took four months to circumnavigate the globe in the first trip of its kind in a Spitfire, which involved stopping off at 100 locations in 30 countries.

The project, called Silver Spitfire – The Longest Flight, started and finished at Goodwood Aerodrome, the base of Boultbee Flight Academy, the first-ever school for Spitfire pilots, in West Sussex. 

The Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX today returned to the UK having completed a 27,000-mile around-the-world trip. Here it is photographed on approach to Goodwood Airport in West Sussex

British pilots Matt Jones (left) and Steve Brooks, stand in front of the IWC MK IX Silver Spitfire following their return to Goodwood Aerodrome, after successfully circumnavigating the globe in the newly-restored Spitfire

British pilots Matt Jones (left) and Steve Brooks, stand in front of the IWC MK IX Silver Spitfire following their return to Goodwood Aerodrome, after successfully circumnavigating the globe in the newly-restored Spitfire

British pilot Matt Jones pictured right is greeted by his partner Nikkolay James, left, with their nine week-old baby, Arthur, upon returning to Goodwood Aerodrome, after successfully circumnavigating the globe in the newly-restored Spitfire

British pilot Matt Jones pictured right is greeted by his partner Nikkolay James, left, with their nine week-old baby, Arthur, upon returning to Goodwood Aerodrome, after successfully circumnavigating the globe in the newly-restored Spitfire

The historic fighter was escorted for the final part of its journey by two RAF Red Arrows jets as it approached Goodwood

The historic fighter was escorted for the final part of its journey by two RAF Red Arrows jets as it approached Goodwood

The Red Arrows, pictured, are normally in Cyprus from October to December where they conduct winter training

The Red Arrows, pictured, are normally in Cyprus from October to December where they conduct winter training 

A mission dubbed 'The Longest Flight' flies the newly restored original MK IX Spitfire, called Silver Spitfire, around the world

A mission dubbed ‘The Longest Flight’ flies the newly restored original MK IX Spitfire, called Silver Spitfire, around the world

After stepping out of the plane, Jones hugged his partner and their newborn son Arthur. The former banker had to dash home for the birth from Russia during the circumnavigation. Steve Boultbee Brooks and Matt Jones (pictured with his wife and child) make aviation history after completing the first ever round-the-world flight in a Spitfire. Boultbee Brooks and Jones are pictured landing just in time for Christmas to a rapturous welcome at Goodwood airport in West Sussex, some four months after they set off on their epic expedition

After stepping out of the plane, Jones hugged his partner and their newborn son Arthur. The former banker had to dash home for the birth from Russia during the circumnavigation. Steve Boultbee Brooks and Matt Jones (pictured with his wife and child) make aviation history after completing the first ever round-the-world flight in a Spitfire. Boultbee Brooks and Jones are pictured landing just in time for Christmas to a rapturous welcome at Goodwood airport in West Sussex, some four months after they set off on their epic expedition

Over the last two years, engineers and enthusiasts got together to restore rather than replace original parts of the Silver Spitfire

Over the last two years, engineers and enthusiasts got together to restore rather than replace original parts of the Silver Spitfire 

Pilots Matt Jones and Steve Brooks (centre, left to right) with their team in front of the Silver Spitfire at Goodwood Aerodrome

Pilots Matt Jones and Steve Brooks (centre, left to right) with their team in front of the Silver Spitfire at Goodwood Aerodrome

Silver Spitfire Pilot Matt Jones returns home after spending 3 months flying the Silver Spitfire around the world at Goodwood Aerodrome. He was flanked by two Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force aerobatics display team, trailing white smoke as it approached Goodwood, near the south coast of England

Silver Spitfire Pilot Matt Jones returns home after spending 3 months flying the Silver Spitfire around the world at Goodwood Aerodrome. He was flanked by two Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force aerobatics display team, trailing white smoke as it approached Goodwood, near the south coast of England

Those on the ground at Goodwood were treated to a victory roll as the Packard Merlin 27-litre  V12 engine roared overhead

Those on the ground at Goodwood were treated to a victory roll as the Packard Merlin 27-litre  V12 engine roared overhead

Silver Spitfire Pilot Matt Jones returns home after spending three months flying the Silver Spitfire around the world at Goodwood Aerodrome

Silver Spitfire Pilot Matt Jones returns home after spending three months flying the Silver Spitfire around the world at Goodwood Aerodrome

The spitfire was flanked by two Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force aerobatics display team, trailing white smoke as it approached Goodwood, near the south coast of England. Jones did a roll and a few flypasts for the onlookers before touching down

The spitfire was flanked by two Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force aerobatics display team, trailing white smoke as it approached Goodwood, near the south coast of England. Jones did a roll and a few flypasts for the onlookers before touching down

British aviators Matt Jones, 46, (pictured) and Steve Brooks, 58, took turns at the controls over 74 legs. Jones flew the final one-hour, 57-minute journey from Lelystad in the Netherlands back to the Silver Spitfire's home hangar

After stepping out of the plane, Jones (pictured) hugged his partner and their newborn son Arthur. The former banker had to dash home for the birth from Russia during the circumnavigation.

British aviators Matt Jones, 46, and Steve Brooks, 58, took turns at the controls over 74 legs. Jones flew the final one-hour, 57-minute journey from Lelystad in the Netherlands back to the Silver Spitfire’s home hangar. After stepping out of the plane, Jones hugged his partner and their newborn son Arthur (left and right). The former banker had to dash home for the birth from Russia during the circumnavigation

The IWC MK IX Silver Spitfire flanked by two RAF Red Arrows, arrives at Goodwood Aerodrome after British pilots Steve Brooks and Matt Jones successfully circumnavigated the globe in the newly-restored Spitfire

The IWC MK IX Silver Spitfire flanked by two RAF Red Arrows, arrives at Goodwood Aerodrome after British pilots Steve Brooks and Matt Jones successfully circumnavigated the globe in the newly-restored Spitfire

A glitzy event was held for the departure in August attended by celebrities including Gone Girl actor Rosamund Pike, Rocketman star Taron Egerton and former Formula One driver David Coulthard.

Mr Coulthard said ahead of the arrival: ‘Seeing you off was very emotional and it’s fantastic to know it’s been a great, successful trip.’

The journey in a single-seater Mk IX Spitfire originally built in 1943, followed by a chase plane for safety, followed a route to Scotland, then westbound across the US, Canada, Japan, Russia, India, Europe and back to Britain.  

The Silver Spitfire is painted silver to avoid appearing ‘provocative’.

Over the last two years, engineers and enthusiasts got together to restore rather than replace original parts.

History of the Silver Spitfire Mk-IX

The Sliver Spitfire was built in 1943 at the Supermarine works in Castle Bromwich and delivered to RAF Lyneham on October 24. 

It was first flown by pilots of the 411 Polish Repair and Salvage unit who ensured the fighter’s guns were harmonised and the aircraft was safe before it could be handed over to an operational unit. 

In February 1944 she was sent to RAF Detling, outside Maidstone, Kent, where it escorted B-24, B-27 and B-29 bombers tasked with attacking V1 launch sites in Nazi-occupied territory. 

The same Spitfire Mark IX, original serial number CBAF IX 970, photographed during the war when it flew 50 sorties

The same Spitfire Mark IX, original serial number CBAF IX 970, photographed during the war when it flew 50 sorties 

She completed 16 sorties with 118 Squadron before being transferred to 132 Squadron. In April/May 1944 she moved again to 132 Bombay Squadrom based at RAF Ford in Sussex. 

She flew 8 combat missions over the French coast, however, she had a ‘wheels up landing on May 9, 1944 and needed repair. 

The aircraft was repaired and sent to 401 Squadron where it was used as on fighter-bomber, ground attack and armed reconnaissance missions. 

On December 24, 1944 the aircraft, while being flown by a Canadian pilots on ten dive-bombing missions her airframe was ‘over-stressed’ and she was sent home for further repairs. 

On June 21, 1945, the aircraft is handed over to the Royal Netherlands Air Force before returning to Duxford where it underwent a complete restoration. 

Modern pieces of technology have been added to the fighter, including iPads, with a small support team at hand to follow the plane.   

The restored 76-year-old plane, which flew in World War II, visited 24 countries on its epic journey westwards around the world, clocking up more than 23,300 miles (37,500 kilometres).

The aircraft has been de-militarised, stripped of its guns and paintwork, revealing the shining, silvery aluminium underneath.

British aviators Matt Jones, 46, and Steve Brooks, 58, took turns at the controls over 74 legs.

Jones flew the final one-hour, 57-minute journey from Lelystad in the Netherlands back to the Silver Spitfire’s home hangar.

The fighter, registration code G-IRTY, did a loop around the White Cliffs of Dover landmark as it reached the English coastline.

It was flanked by two Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force aerobatics display team, trailing white smoke as it approached Goodwood, near the south coast of England.

Jones did a roll and a few flypasts for the onlookers before touching down.

After stepping out of the plane, Jones hugged his partner and their newborn son Arthur. The former banker had to dash home for the birth from Russia during the circumnavigation.

But the journey was not completely plain sailing. 

Mr Brooks and Mr Jones were left high and dry in the Russian town of Sokoi in September due to a delay in paying their handlers on the ground. 

The so-called Longest Flight expedition saw the plane fly over the Statue of Liberty in New York and the Pyramids in Egypt.

The Silver Spitfire traversed the Atlantic Ocean via the Faroe Islands and Reykjavik, crossing Greenland before flying south over the remote wilds of northern Canada.

In the United States it spent two days on a ranch in Texas after the temperature gauge failed mid-flight, and went to Las Vegas and Santa Monica before visiting tycoon Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic spaceflight project in the Mojave Desert.

After flights around the north Pacific Rim through Canada, Alaska and Russia, the Silver Spitfire hunkered down in Japan during recent typhoons.

It then flew on to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and India, bypassing New Delhi because of visibility-reducing pollution.

After stops in Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain, the longest leg was 830 miles across the Saudi Arabian desert, in a three-and-a-half-hour flight from Kuwait to Aqaba in Jordan.

It then returned to Britain via Egypt, Greece, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands.

Despite flying across the world, the 1943 aircraft still looks stunning with her polished bare aluminium fuselage

Despite flying across the world, the 1943 aircraft still looks stunning with her polished bare aluminium fuselage 

Mr Jones, pictured with his partner Nikkolay James and their nine-week-old son Arthur, left Goodwood in August before making 100 stops in 30 different countries

Mr Jones, pictured with his partner Nikkolay James and their nine-week-old son Arthur, left Goodwood in August before making 100 stops in 30 different countries

The Mk.IX Spitfire flew on 51 combat missions, escorting bombers, conducting fighter sweeps over France and dive-bombing targets on the French coast. It was in storage in a Dutch museum before its restoration began in 2017. All 80,000 rivets and parts were dismantled, checked, cleaned and restored over two years. Having stripped the paint off, they decided to leave the gleaming original aluminium panels on show - something never done before

The Mk.IX Spitfire flew on 51 combat missions, escorting bombers, conducting fighter sweeps over France and dive-bombing targets on the French coast. It was in storage in a Dutch museum before its restoration began in 2017. All 80,000 rivets and parts were dismantled, checked, cleaned and restored over two years. Having stripped the paint off, they decided to leave the gleaming original aluminium panels on show – something never done before

The aircraft, pictured on a ferry flight in 1944, was built in Castle Bromwich and completed 51 combat missions

The aircraft, pictured on a ferry flight in 1944, was built in Castle Bromwich and completed 51 combat missions 

The fighter, registration code G-IRTY, did a loop around the White Cliffs of Dover landmark as it reached the English coastline. It was flanked by two Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force aerobatics display team, trailing white smoke as it approached Goodwood, near the south coast of England (pictured, pilot Matt Jones with his wife and child)

The fighter, registration code G-IRTY, did a loop around the White Cliffs of Dover landmark as it reached the English coastline. It was flanked by two Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force aerobatics display team, trailing white smoke as it approached Goodwood, near the south coast of England (pictured, pilot Matt Jones with his wife and child) 

Steve Brooks and Matt Jones in front of the Silver Spitfire at Goodwood Aerodrome. The aircraft, duel flown by Matt Jones and Steve Brooks has been circumnavigating the globe since August this year

Steve Brooks and Matt Jones in front of the Silver Spitfire at Goodwood Aerodrome. The aircraft, duel flown by Matt Jones and Steve Brooks has been circumnavigating the globe since August this year

Mr Jones checked on the historic warbird after shutting her down following the epic around-the-world adventure

Mr Jones checked on the historic warbird after shutting her down following the epic around-the-world adventure 

Matt Jones, left, and Steve Brooks, right, completed the epic around-the-world flight which included 30 countries

Matt Jones, left, and Steve Brooks, right, completed the epic around-the-world flight which included 30 countries 

The aircraft underwent a dramatic two-year nut and bolt restoration which included stripping off the Spitfire's paint and leaving it with a stunning polished aluminium finish

The aircraft underwent a dramatic two-year nut and bolt restoration which included stripping off the Spitfire’s paint and leaving it with a stunning polished aluminium finish

The around-the-world trip took four months to complete and involved crossing 30 countries

The around-the-world trip took four months to complete and involved crossing 30 countries 

Of around 20,000 Spitfires built (pictured), fewer than 250 survive, with only 50 or so of those still airworthy. They rarely fly and are mostly based in Britain. A design classic with elliptical wings, the outline of a Spitfire is instantly recognisable

Of around 20,000 Spitfires built (pictured), fewer than 250 survive, with only 50 or so of those still airworthy. They rarely fly and are mostly based in Britain. A design classic with elliptical wings, the outline of a Spitfire is instantly recognisable

British aviators Matt Jones, 46, and Steve Brooks, 58, took turns at the controls over 74 legs. Jones (pictured) flew the final one-hour, 57-minute journey from Lelystad in the Netherlands back to the Silver Spitfire's home hangar

British aviators Matt Jones, 46, and Steve Brooks, 58, took turns at the controls over 74 legs. Jones (pictured) flew the final one-hour, 57-minute journey from Lelystad in the Netherlands back to the Silver Spitfire’s home hangar

The restored 76-year-old plane (pictured, pilots Matt Jones and Steve Brooks), which flew in World War II, visited 24 countries on its epic journey westwards around the world, clocking up more than 23,300 miles (37,500 kilometres)

The restored 76-year-old plane (pictured, pilots Matt Jones and Steve Brooks), which flew in World War II, visited 24 countries on its epic journey westwards around the world, clocking up more than 23,300 miles (37,500 kilometres)

Of around 20,000 Spitfires built, fewer than 250 survive, with only 50 or so of those still airworthy. They rarely fly and are mostly based in Britain.

A design classic with elliptical wings, the outline of a Spitfire is instantly recognisable.

The agile, short-range interceptors were crucial in the 1940 Battle of Britain as the UK held off the threat of an invasion by Nazi Germany.

G-IRTY, original registration MJ271, was built in Britain in 1943 by Vickers Supermarine.

The Mk.IX Spitfire flew on 51 combat missions, escorting bombers, conducting fighter sweeps over France and dive-bombing targets on the French coast.

It was in storage in a Dutch museum before its restoration began in 2017.

All 80,000 rivets and parts were dismantled, checked, cleaned and restored over two years.

Having stripped the paint off, they decided to leave the gleaming original aluminium panels on show – something never done before.

A plane cherished by its pilots and adored by the public: How the Spitfire became a symbol of national defiance

Designed by RJ Mitchell in the 1930s, the Spitfire was produced in greater numbers than any other during World War Two, with more than 20,000 churned out in less than a decade.

During the Battle of Britain the Spitfire – aided by the bulkier Hurricane – helped down 1,887 German planes in little more than three months. 

At the height of the Battle of Britain in 1940, as the Germans sustained increasing losses in the face of the heroic RAF, Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring summoned the top Luftwaffe fighter ace Adolf Galland to his headquarters.

Frustrated by the Reich’s failure to gain aerial supremacy over southern England, a vital precursor to Hitler’s planned invasion, Göring asked Galland what he needed. ‘Give me a squadron of Spitfires,’ came the reply.

Spitfires are pictured waiting to be flown off to their squadrons during the Second World War. A little-known operation to build them involved just a few hundred people who operated in requisitioned car garages, factories and workshops in the city of Salisbury

Spitfires are pictured waiting to be flown off to their squadrons during the Second World War. A little-known operation to build them involved just a few hundred people who operated in requisitioned car garages, factories and workshops in the city of Salisbury

Those words perfectly encapsulate the unequalled reputation that the fighter plane had earned in combat. Its power, speed and manoeuvrability were a source of terror to the Germans and reassurance to the British.  

When it first entered service in 1938, the Spitfire was not only the first all-metal monoplane but also by far the fastest aircraft in the RAF, able to reach 350mph. 

In later marks, the Spitfire’s maximum speed was increased by 35 per cent and on one occasion in April 1944, a photo reconnaissance variant flown by Squadron Leader ‘Marty’ Martindale flew at an incredible 606mph in a dive from 40,000ft, close to the speed of sound.

In addition to its unparalleled speed, it was also well-armed compared to previous British fighters. Early versions carried eight .303 Browning guns, each with 300 rounds, though later types also had cannon that packed an even deadlier punch.

A German bomber airman, shot down over Malta, said the ‘most terrifying thing’ that he experienced in combat ‘was the sight of 12 Spitfires all firing cannon and machine guns and coming head-on at our formation. All the front gunners had frozen stiff with fear’.

But perhaps the Spitfire’s greatest asset was its manoeuvrability, due to its sleek, aerodynamic design, its thin, elliptical wings and the responsiveness of its controls. ‘There was no heaving or pushing or pulling or kicking. You breathed on it. I’ve never flown anything sweeter,’ said George Unwin of 19 Squadron.

A Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vb, RF-D, flown by pilot Jan Zumbach (1915 - 1986) of the 303 Kosciuszko Polish Fighter Squadron of the Royal Air Force on around 1943. The aircraft bears Zumbach's distinctive Donald Duck symbol

A Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vb, RF-D, flown by pilot Jan Zumbach (1915 – 1986) of the 303 Kosciuszko Polish Fighter Squadron of the Royal Air Force on around 1943. The aircraft bears Zumbach’s distinctive Donald Duck symbol

Spitfire pilots often spoke of their almost physical attachment to the plane. ‘It was a bit like a love affair,’ said Nigel Rose, who joined the RAF in 1938. Another Battle of Britain veteran, Wilfred Duncan Smith (father of Tory politician Iain) remembered how he ‘felt part of the Spitfire, a oneness that was intimate’.

The Spitfire’s agility made her not only deadly in a dogfight, but also good at evasion. ‘The bastards make such infernally tight turns. There seems no way of nailing them,’ complained a German fighter pilot.

The Spitfire was in action from the start of World War II, shooting down its first enemy planes, two JU88 bombers, over the Firth of Forth on October, 16, 1939. ‘The general impression is that the Spitfires are wonderful machines and that the Huns hate them,’ stated an Air Ministry report at the time.

During the summer of 1940, in the process of destroying 17 German planes, New Zealander Al Deere was shot down seven times, bailed out three times, collided with a Messerschmitt 109 and had one of his Spitfires blasted at 150 yards by a bomb. Another exploded just seconds after he had scrambled clear of the wreckage.

The climax of the Battle of Britain came on September 15, when the Luftwaffe lost 56 planes, forcing Hitler to abandon his plans for the conquest of Britain. 

But the Spitfire fought on. As ever more powerful, faster versions were developed, it turned out to be crucial in a host of different theatres, including the successful campaign against General Rommel — the Desert Fox — in North Africa in 1942, the fight against Japan in Burma, the drive through western Europe after D-Day, and the destruction of German V-weapon sites in France.

The greatest Spitfire ace of them all, Johnnie Johnson, claimed his record-breaking 33rd kill during the summer of 1944, when he shot down a Messerschmitt 109 over northern France. ‘I hit his ugly yellow nose with a long, steady burst,’ said Johnson, who went on to record 38 kills in all during the war. 

Without the Spitfire, the course of European history might have been very different.

Pilot Neville Duke wrote that in the plane he felt ‘part of a fine machine, made by a genius’.

He added: ‘It is said that the Spitfire is too beautiful to be a fighting machine. I sometimes think that is true but then what better fighter could you want?’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk