After holders, Eton College, had powered past St Edward's school into another final of the Princess Elizabeth Challenge Cup, Henley Royal Regatta was given an airborne display of control in traditional Spitfire fly past.
Piloted today by Mark Sugden, Spitfire PM631 was built in November 1945 by Vickers-Armstrong at Reading as a high altitude photo reconnaissance aircraft with an uprated and more powerful Griffon 66 engine rather than the classic Merlin engine. Sugden made three passes.
Spitfire PM631 has a top speed of 445mph and a range of 1,400mph. It is one of four in the world that are still airworthy of the 246 built. On June 14, 1957, it joined the Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight aircraft.
More information: https://warbirdaviation.co.uk/Profiles/spitfire-pm631-mk-xix-photo-reconnaissance-bbmf/
On Sunday at 13:11, Group Captain Matt Peterson, Station Commander Coningsby, will fly past the Hurricane PZ865. He will come form the north, and make three passes again. Hurricane PZ865 is the last of the 14,500 odd Hurricanes built and is a post-war machine.
More information: https://www.key.aero/forum/historic-aviation/bbmf-hurricane-last-few-tribute-acdc-back-black.
