Spitfire over The Oak Grove

Click image to enlarge - photos courtesy of Dave Dodd Photography.

Airshow

Wedding guests at The Oak Grove in Susans Lane enjoyed a rare and spectacular airshow recently, courtesy of newlyweds Ally & Dave Pratt and family from Luton.

Iconic Spitfire RR232 - City of Exeter took off from Biggin Hill Airport on Saturday afternoon, May 4th 2019 to perform loops, rolls and chandelle in the beautiful blue skies over the secluded woodland wedding venue, close to the Medway Estuary.

The unique sound of the plane's Rolls Royce V12 Merlin engine and D-Day invasion stripes soon caught the attention of delighted residents in Upchurch and Lower Halstow who were able to enjoy the amazing airshow from their own gardens.

History

Supermarine Spitfire HF Mk.IX RR232 ‘City of Exeter’ (G-BRSF)

• Aircraft Type: Supermarine Spitfire HF Mk.IX RR232

• Operator: Boultbee Flight Academy.

• Year of Manufacture: 1943

• Powered by: V12 Rolls Royce Merlin 70 ‘high altitude’ engine, 1,710hp at 11,000ft

• Colour scheme: 335 Sqn. RAF (City Of Exeter)

RR232 was built in Castle Bromwich by Vickers Armstrong and delivered to the RAF in October 1944 as an 'HF.IX' high altitude fighter where it was allocated to an anti-aircraft co-operation Squadron. It was then sold to the South African Air Force (SAAF) in 1948 with designation '5632' and was last flown there by Lt. Ron Beamish of 2 Sqdn. It was then stored derelict at Salt River after being 'ground looped' in 1954. In 1976 it was bought by Australian collector Peter Sledge and restored to static display standard.

Spitfire RR232 finally made it back to Britain in 1986 when purchased by Charles Church, who in turn sold the airframe to Jim Pearce of Sussex Spraying Services. But it was not until 2001 that current owner Martin Phillips bought the aircraft and began in earnest a full restoration to airworthy condition that would take nearly 13 years, having been challenged by friends on his 40th birthday to produce a Spitfire from the single rivet with which they presented him!

With parts having been sourced from myriad locations around the world, this Spitfire is a story in itself of an epic restoration project that saw parts contributed, sold and scavenged from across the globe, and one man's dogged determination to return an iconic fighter to the skies above Britain. Some parts were found very close to home however; one of the wings for example being salvaged from a hedge outside a pub near Exeter. With a fully rebuilt Merlin engine installed and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) happy that all had been done to the highest standards, in December 2012 Spitfire RR232 took to the skies again, becoming the last aircraft to be assembled at Filton Aerodrome (home of Concorde) before its closure for redevelopment.

She is now known as the 'City of Exeter' in honour of a presentation Spitfire donated to the war effort as a result of local fundraising. That aircraft was presented to the Royal Air Force at RAF Westhampnett almost 75 years to the day before RR232 arrived at its present operating base where she flies off the very same grass runways, now known as Goodwood Aerodrome.

RR232 is operated by Boultbee Flight Academy in association with their friends at Tool Care Hire in Exeter, Devon.

Links - find out more

Thank you to Dave Dodd Photography - Milton Keynes for kindly letting us use the stunning photos he captured of the Spitfire on the day. Also to Ally & Dave and Sam & Paul at The Oak Grove.

Boultbee Flight Academy Ltd: www.boultbeeflightacademy.co.uk

Dave Dodd Photography: www.davedoddphotography.co.uk

The Oak Grove: www.theoakgrove.uk

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