Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Photo Reconnaissance Spitfires PR XI, PL983 and PR XIX PS853, displaying at RAF Fairford, UK on Sunday of The Royal International Air Tattoo 2025.
The Aircraft Restoration Company's Supermarine Spitfire PR Mk.XI, PL983, G-PRXI, is a Photo Reconnaissance (PR) variant. PR Spitfires carried no weaponry, relying solely upon speed, height, surprise and the pilots flying skills for protection.
PL983 was built at Reading by Vickers-Armstrong's Chats Hill and Aldermaston Works. It was delivered to 6 Maintenance Unit (MU) Royal Air Force (RAF) at Brize Norton on 31/10/44 and issued to No.1 Pilot's Pool (PRHQ) at Benson on 24/11/44. It transferred to 34 Wing, 2nd Tactical Air Force on 5/1/45, moving on to 4 Squadron, where it sustained battle damage on 22/2/45, and then to 2 Squadron on 6/9/45. It returned to 6 MU on 12/1/46, then went to 39 MU, Colerne on 15/7/46, back to 6 MU on 29/7/46 and then to 33 MU at Lyneham.
On 22/7/47 it was loaned back to Vickers Armstrong, Eastleigh for loan to the United States Air Attaché, Livingston Lord Satterthwaite. With the American civil registration NC74138 it was officially handed over on 27/1/48 and flown by the ex Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) pilot, Lettice Curtis from Eastleigh to Hendon, to join the U.S. Embassy Flight. Lettice Curtis flew it again later for a few air races.
It went back to Vickers-Armstrong and then in 1950 to the Shuttleworth Collection with registration G-15-109, where it was displayed outside. Restoration to flying condition was started at Duxford on 30/8/75, but the Shuttleworth Collection sold the unfinished aeroplane in April 1983.
Purchased for £110,000 by wartime French pilot Roland Fraissinet, it was the first Spitfire to be restored by Trent Aero Engineering and made its first flight in July 1984 at East Midlands Airport.
Sold on 20/6/88 to collector Doug Arnold, following his death in November 1992, it was stored dismantled until being re-assembled at North Weald for sale to Justin Fleming in 1999. Operated by Martin Sargeant, it was overhauled and re-flown, but sadly had an accident at Rouen, France in June 2001. Severely damaged, it was sold to the Aircraft Restoration Company and moved to Duxford in 2003.
Historic Flying Limited (HFL) began its restoration in 2006.
The fuselage went to Airframe Assemblies on the Isle of Wight while the wings were made by HFL. Its original wartime Rolls Royce Merlin 70 engine was found, overhauled and fitted. The Merlin 70 has a different supercharger gearing compared to the Merlin 60, to improve the aircraft’s performance at higher altitudes. A reconnaissance wrap around clear view windscreen was fitted to replace the armoured version fitted to the fighter variants. HFL added a mock camera assembly into the side camera hatch.
PL983 first flew again on 18 May 2018.
The Rolls-Royce Spitfire, PS853, G-RRGN, is also a PR version. It was one of 79 PR Mk XIXs built by Supermarine in Southampton. The Mk XIX was powered by the 2,050 hp Griffon 65 or 66 (this one now has a modified ex Shackleton Griffon 58 - also known as a Griffon RG30 Special Modification Spitfire or SMS).
It was delivered to the Central Photographic Reconnaissance Unit, RAF Benson on 13 January 1945, then six weeks later to 16 Squadron at Melsbroek, Belgium. It stayed with 16 Squadron up until the end of the war and participated in “Operation Crossbow” to detect V1 and V2 launch sites. It later went to 268 Squadron, which reformed as 16 Squadron at Celle, Germany on 18 September 1945. It stayed there until March 1946, when it went into storage at 29 Maintenance Unit (MU), High Ercall.
In 1950 it was converted for meteorological research, with the Short Brothers & Harland operated Meteorological Flight - (Temperature and Humidity of the Upper Air Masses (THUM) Flight). It performed the last ever THUM sortie on 10 June 1957.
It retired and became part of the RAF’s Historic Aircraft Flight (HAF), the forerunner of today’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF).
It went to 32 MU at St. Athan on 8 November 1957 and returned to Biggin Hill on 20 December, when it was moved to the Station Flight. It moved to RAF North Weald Station Flight on 1 March 1958 and then to the Central Fighter Establishment at West Raynham on 14 April, where it was struck off charge and became a gate guard. It stayed until 1961, when it was taken to 19 MU and restored to flying condition. It returned to West Raynham in November 1962 and in 1963 was used in combat trials with an English Electric Lightning at RAF Binbrook. It returned to the BBMF in 1964, where it stayed until 1995.
In 1996, Rolls-Royce bought her to replace their original Spitfire, which had been lost in an accident. The aircraft is painted as 'C' of No.16 Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 2nd Tactical Air Force - its wartime identity.
It's based at East Midlands Airport, near Derby.
Copyright © StephenKeeler (HightFlight/SkyHighFlightTV) All Rights Reserved
Photo Reconnaissance Spitfires PR XI, PL983 and PR XIX PS853, displaying at RAF Fairford, UK on Sunday of The Royal International Air Tattoo 2025.
The Aircraft Restoration Company's Supermarine Spitfire PR Mk.XI, PL983, G-PRXI, is a Photo Reconnaissance (PR) variant. PR Spitfires carried no weaponry, relying solely upon speed, height, surprise and the pilots flying skills for protection.
PL983 was built at Reading by Vickers-Armstrong's Chats Hill and Aldermaston Works. It was delivered to 6 Maintenance Unit (MU) Royal Air Force (RAF) at Brize Norton on 31/10/44 and issued to No.1 Pilot's Pool (PRHQ) at Benson on 24/11/44. It transferred to 34 Wing, 2nd Tactical Air Force on 5/1/45, moving on to 4 Squadron, where it sustained battle damage on 22/2/45, and then to 2 Squadron on 6/9/45. It returned to 6 MU on 12/1/46, then went to 39 MU, Colerne on 15/7/46, back to 6 MU on 29/7/46 and then to 33 MU at Lyneham.
On 22/7/47 it was loaned back to Vickers Armstrong, Eastleigh for loan to the United States Air Attaché, Livingston Lord Satterthwaite. With the American civil registration NC74138 it was officially handed over on 27/1/48 and flown by the ex Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) pilot, Lettice Curtis from Eastleigh to Hendon, to join the U.S. Embassy Flight. Lettice Curtis flew it again later for a few air races.
It went back to Vickers-Armstrong and then in 1950 to the Shuttleworth Collection with registration G-15-109, where it was displayed outside. Restoration to flying condition was started at Duxford on 30/8/75, but the Shuttleworth Collection sold the unfinished aeroplane in April 1983.
Purchased for £110,000 by wartime French pilot Roland Fraissinet, it was the first Spitfire to be restored by Trent Aero Engineering and made its first flight in July 1984 at East Midlands Airport.
Sold on 20/6/88 to collector Doug Arnold, following his death in November 1992, it was stored dismantled until being re-assembled at North Weald for sale to Justin Fleming in 1999. Operated by Martin Sargeant, it was overhauled and re-flown, but sadly had an accident at Rouen, France in June 2001. Severely damaged, it was sold to the Aircraft Restoration Company and moved to Duxford in 2003.
Historic Flying Limited (HFL) began its restoration in 2006.
The fuselage went to Airframe Assemblies on the Isle of Wight while the wings were made by HFL. Its original wartime Rolls Royce Merlin 70 engine was found, overhauled and fitted. The Merlin 70 has a different supercharger gearing compared to the Merlin 60, to improve the aircraft’s performance at higher altitudes. A reconnaissance wrap around clear view windscreen was fitted to replace the armoured version fitted to the fighter variants. HFL added a mock camera assembly into the side camera hatch.
PL983 first flew again on 18 May 2018.
The Rolls-Royce Spitfire, PS853, G-RRGN, is also a PR version. It was one of 79 PR Mk XIXs built by Supermarine in Southampton. The Mk XIX was powered by the 2,050 hp Griffon 65 or 66 (this one now has a modified ex Shackleton Griffon 58 - also known as a Griffon RG30 Special Modification Spitfire or SMS).
It was delivered to the Central Photographic Reconnaissance Unit, RAF Benson on 13 January 1945, then six weeks later to 16 Squadron at Melsbroek, Belgium. It stayed with 16 Squadron up until the end of the war and participated in “Operation Crossbow” to detect V1 and V2 launch sites. It later went to 268 Squadron, which reformed as 16 Squadron at Celle, Germany on 18 September 1945. It stayed there until March 1946, when it went into storage at 29 Maintenance Unit (MU), High Ercall.
In 1950 it was converted for meteorological research, with the Short Brothers & Harland operated Meteorological Flight - (Temperature and Humidity of the Upper Air Masses (THUM) Flight). It performed the last ever THUM sortie on 10 June 1957.
It retired and became part of the RAF’s Historic Aircraft Flight (HAF), the forerunner of today’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF).
It went to 32 MU at St. Athan on 8 November 1957 and returned to Biggin Hill on 20 December, when it was moved to the Station Flight. It moved to RAF North Weald Station Flight on 1 March 1958 and then to the Central Fighter Establishment at West Raynham on 14 April, where it was struck off charge and became a gate guard. It stayed until 1961, when it was taken to 19 MU and restored to flying condition. It returned to West Raynham in November 1962 and in 1963 was used in combat trials with an English Electric Lightning at RAF Binbrook. It returned to the BBMF in 1964, where it stayed until 1995.
In 1996, Rolls-Royce bought her to replace their original Spitfire, which had been lost in an accident. The aircraft is painted as 'C' of No.16 Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 2nd Tactical Air Force - its wartime identity.
It's based at East Midlands Airport, near Derby.
Copyright © StephenKeeler (HightFlight/SkyHighFlightTV) All Rights Reserved
