On 5 March 1936, a small grey prototype lifted off the grass at Eastleigh aerodrome and flew for eight minutes. Ninety years on, Britain is spending 2026 saying thank you. Here is where, and when.
The aeroplane was K5054, the pilot was Vickers' chief test pilot Joseph "Mutt" Summers, and the eight minutes were sufficient: the Air Ministry ordered 310 of them within three months, which turned out to be an undercount of some twenty thousand. R.J. Mitchell, already ill, lived to see his fighter fly but not to see what it became. What it became is the subject of Supplement No. 1; what it is now is the most loved aircraft in Britain, and in 2026 the country is treating its ninetieth birthday accordingly.
The anniversary year at a glance
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 5 March 2026 | 90 years to the day since K5054's first flight | Commemorated by the RAF and BBMF under the "Spitfire 90" banner |
| Spring–autumn 2026 | A tribute Spitfire, repainted in K5054's pale blue prototype scheme, touring the UK | Various venues — a two-seat Mk IX standing in for the lost prototype |
| 27–28 August 2026 | Clacton Airshow, flown in "the year of the Spitfire's 90th" with the BBMF displaying | Clacton-on-Sea, free seafront viewing |
| 12–13 September 2026 | Duxford Battle of Britain Air Show — the anniversary centrepiece, themed around Spitfire 90, with the famous Big Wing massing Spitfires and Hurricanes | IWM Duxford, Cambridgeshire. Advance booking only — no tickets on the day. |
| 15 September 2026 | Battle of Britain Day — the annual national commemoration, marked at Westminster Abbey since 1944 | Nationwide flypasts and services |
Why the fuss is justified
Anniversaries of machinery are usually an excuse. This one has a case:
- The Spitfire was **the only Allied fighter built from the first day of the war to the
last** — twenty-four marks, a doubling of weight and power, no loss of manners.
- It is still working. Around 60 remain airworthy worldwide, and the number rises
most years. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight's five Spitfires were contracted in April 2026 to keep flying until at least December 2035 — the RAF, in effect, has promised the aeroplane a happy hundredth.
- Among them flies P7350, the only airworthy Spitfire that actually fought in the
Battle of Britain. When it passes overhead this September, that is not a replica of history. That is the thing itself.
Where to see one in the birthday year
The complete national answer — every museum airframe, every reliable flying venue, and the cockpits you may sit in — is on the companion page: [Where to see a Spitfire in the UK](/where-to-see-a-spitfire).
The abbreviated anniversary itinerary:
- Southampton — start where it started. Solent Sky museum holds a late-mark Spitfire
a mile from Mitchell's drawing office; Eastleigh, where K5054 flew, is now the city's airport.
- Tangmere — the faithful replica of K5054 itself, in prototype blue.
- Cosford — K9942, the oldest surviving Spitfire in the world, free to visit.
- Coningsby — the BBMF's hangar tours, home of P7350.
- Duxford, 12–13 September — the Big Wing. Book now; this one will sell out.
For the diary beyond 2026
Battle of Britain Day falls on 15 September every year, and the mid-September commemorations — Westminster Abbey service, BBMF flypasts, the Duxford show — recur annually. If you miss the ninetieth, the Spitfire will forgive you; it is, on current maintenance contracts, planning to outlive us all.
Event dates verified July 2026 from organisers' announcements. Airshows are occasionally curtailed or cancelled — always confirm on the official event site before travelling.