Over the last two years, more than a dozen specialists have worked to restore an original 1943 Spitfire Mk IX aircraft, which was originally built in Castle Bromwich, a suburb of Birmingham, England.
The Spitfire is an iconic British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries during World War II.
Following several successful test flights, the “Silver Spitfire” finally took off from England’s Goodwood Aerodrome earlier this month, beginning its much-anticipated circumnavigation of the globe.
Flown by two British pilots, Steve Brooks and Matt Jones, the Silver Spitfire will make its epic journey around the world, covering more than 43,000 kilometres and visiting 30 countries in about four months. The route will initially take them to Iceland, and from there to Canada and the USA.
A total of approximately 100 flight segments will be needed to complete the mission from start to finish.
During their journey through different time zones, Brooks and Jones will wear a special timepiece that makes it possible to set the time to a different time zone by simply turning the watch’s bezel to the desired location. Day-to-day flying activities on The Longest Flight can be followed at iwc.com and the silverspitfire.com.
