Supermarine Spitfire Cost: What It Takes to Buy and Fly One

What a Spitfire Is

The Mk IX was the most-built Spitfire variant. The American Heritage Museum, which owns a combat veteran, says 5,656 Mk IX Spitfires were produced and total Spitfire production was over 20,000. The Mk IX was created as an interim fix, fitting the two-stage supercharged Rolls-Royce Merlin 61 to the Mk V airframe after the Fw 190 outclassed the Mk V in late 1941 and 1942.

Performance figures vary by source and engine variant. A 1942 test report on an early Merlin 61 aircraft cited about 409 mph at 28,000 feet, so treat any single speed as a rough guide.

What It Costs, According to Goodwood

These figures are from Goodwood Aerodrome's 2015 guide. They are in pounds sterling and are a decade old, so current costs will differ.

At Goodwood's quoted 2015 fuel price of £1.89 a litre, 40 gallons (181 liters) was about £342 an hour in fuel alone. Fuel prices have changed since. For a rough hourly figure, add an engine overhaul reserve (£120,000 divided by 500 hours is £240 an hour at Goodwood's numbers, our arithmetic), insurance and maintenance spread over the hours you fly. How many hours that is depends entirely on you: Goodwood notes one of its own Mk IXs had flown 125 hours in a single year.

How It Is Flown

Goodwood says its experts advise staying at or below about one-third throttle on the 27-liter Merlin, and not pulling more than 4.5 g. At 5 g the airplane must go through an expensive inspection. Goodwood points out that the Mk IX was designed for a total flying life of about 200 hours.

The guide also describes the pilot side. Goodwood says a new owner cannot fly a Spitfire safely without proper training, and that its training path runs to about 150 hours: roughly 50 hours for a private licence, another 50 in a Chipmunk for tailwheel experience and another 50 in something like a North American Harvard for flaps, variable-pitch propellers and retractable gear. It adds that from the cockpit the pilot cannot see where the airplane is going on the ground, which makes landings harder. If you did not train there, it says it would want to see something like 1,000 hours in your logbook before handing over the controls.

Rules and Where It Is Flown

The Goodwood guide is a British source, so the licensing and insurance specifics are UK ones. In the United States, a Spitfire flown on an FAA experimental exhibition certificate falls under 14 CFR 21.191(d) and the operating limitations in 14 CFR 91.319, covered in our L-39 cost guide. Those rules limit the purpose of flights, restrict operations for compensation or hire, and require VFR day flying unless the FAA authorizes otherwise. Check the certificate and operating limitations of any specific airplane before buying.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a Spitfire cost?

Goodwood Aerodrome's 2015 guide put a flying Spitfire at £1.2 million to £2.5 million. About £1.2 million bought a mixed-parts airplane, and an original with battle history could cost more than double that. Those are decade-old UK figures.

How much does a Spitfire cost to run?

Goodwood's 2015 guide quoted about £50,000 a year for routine maintenance, about £30,000 a year for insurance, a £120,000 Merlin overhaul roughly every 500 hours, and about 40 gallons of 100-octane fuel an hour in gentle cruise.

How many hours between overhauls does a Spitfire Merlin run?

Goodwood says the time before overhaul was 250 hours in combat and is closer to 500 hours with gentle use today. An overhaul costs £120,000 in its 2015 figures.

How hard can you fly a Spitfire today?

Goodwood advises staying around one-third throttle and not pulling more than 4.5 g. Pulling 5 g means the airplane has to undergo an expensive inspection.

How many Spitfires were built?

The American Heritage Museum says total Spitfire production was over 20,000, of which 5,656 were the Mk IX, the largest number of any one variant.