Kit Spit

Flight testing the Mk 26 Spitfire kit

Okay. First things first. Everybody asks, “Does this look alike actually fly like a Spitfire?” My answer? “Yes, it flies very much like a Spitfire – but it’s easier. ” After 15 hours of flight testing it, I reckon this aeroplane is one of the nicest and most exhilarating types I’ve ever flown.

Obviously, the lighter Mark 26 doesn’t fly exactly like an original Spitfire and, while this replica shares many virtues of the real thing, it also has a couple of its vices but, being shaped so closely to a later model, and at 80 per cent the original’s size, it is bound to handle similarly. In these photos, scale effect makes the aircraft look small. Make no mistake; while it might not be quite as big as its progenitor, the Mk 26 is still a large aeroplane.