Sunday 30th August 2026
Fenland Airfield, Spalding
One of the aircraft that could fly past Wings & Wheels on Sunday 30th August 2026
The Supermarine Spitfire needs little introduction — the most famous fighter aircraft ever built, and for many people the sound of its Rolls-Royce Merlin engine is the sound of the Battle of Britain itself. The RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) is supporting Wings & Wheels with a fly-past, and with the Spitfire operating for the 2026 season, it could be the aircraft we see over Fenland Airfield — the RAF confirms which aircraft is flying closer to the event.
The BBMF maintains eleven historic aircraft in airworthy condition as a "museum without walls" — a living tribute to all those who have lost their lives serving with the RAF. Its motto: Lest We Forget.
The BBMF flies five Spitfires, spanning the aircraft's wartime development — if a Spitfire joins the fly-past, which one we see will depend on the Flight's schedule. Each has a remarkable story of its own:
Built in 1940, P7350 is the only Spitfire still flying that actually fought in the Battle of Britain. On 25 October 1940 she was hit by a German Bf 109; her wounded Polish pilot, Ludwik Martel, fought through 16,000 feet of cloud to force-land her near Hastings. After starring in the 1969 film Battle of Britain, she joined the Flight in 1968 and has served ever since.
AB910 flew nearly three years of operations, including four sorties over Dieppe in August 1942 and cover patrols above the D-Day beaches on 6 June 1944. In 1945 she famously took off with WAAF fitter Margaret Horton still clinging to her tail — and landed safely one circuit later. She wears her authentic 402 (City of Winnipeg) Squadron D-Day markings.
A clipped-wing, bubble-canopy Spitfire built in 1945, TE311 spent decades as a gate guardian and travelling exhibit before BBMF engineers rebuilt her to flying condition in their own time — a painstaking 11-year project. She flew again in 2012, for the first time in 58 years, and wears the colours of 322 (Dutch) Squadron.
The Flight's two photo-reconnaissance Spitfires could fly at 370mph at 40,000 feet. PM631 helped found the Flight itself, flying into Biggin Hill on 11 July 1957 in formation with two other Spitfires — and she still wears the same colours today, making her the BBMF's longest continuously serving aircraft.
The RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is supporting Wings & Wheels on Sunday 30th August 2026 with a fly-past. Which aircraft takes part — Spitfire, Hurricane or Dakota — and the exact timing are confirmed by the RAF a couple of days before the event, and we'll share the details as soon as we know.
Fly-pasts are subject to weather and aircraft serviceability, and may be cancelled at short notice.
Ticket InformationThe workhorse of the Battle of Britain. The BBMF's pair includes the very last Hurricane ever built, 'The Last of the Many'.
About the HurricaneThe RAF's legendary wartime transport — from Burma to D-Day and Arnhem. ZA947 is the last Dakota serving with the RAF.
About the Dakota