Plan 150 Stops In 30 Countries On The Adventure

A pair of aviation enthusiasts plans to fly an original Spitfire around the world, visiting 30 countries beginning next summer.

There has never before been a circumnavigation by a Spitfire, which was introduced in 1938. Many of the continents on the itinerary have never been visited by a Spitfire before, according to a report from the U.K. newspaper The Daily Mail.

Matt Jones and Steve Brooks purchased the Mark IX Spitfire at an auction nine years ago and put it through a complete restoration. They used their airplane to establish the Boultbee Flying Academy, which is the only training school for Spitfire pilots in the world.

Brooks, 57, told the U.K. newspaper The Telegraph that the team is "on track and we'll be ready" for the circumnavigation attempt next year. But Gerry Jones, one of the team's aeronautical engineers, admits it will be challenging. "A Spitfire isn't meant for this," he told The Daily Mail. "It won't be easy. We predict that something will need doing to it every 25 hours."

More than 20,000 Spitfires were manufactured over about 10 years. Only a handful remain in airworthy condition.

(Images from file)

FMI: Original report