See the Spitfire fly at Chelsham & Farleigh Funday 2011

The Mark 9 Spitfire in the video below was built at the Super Marine Works at Castle Bromwich in the West Midlands late on in the Second World War. TA805 started its career with the RAF at No 39 MU in December 1944. Wearing the code letters 'HF' it joined 183 (Gold Coast) Squadron at Chilbolton on the 17th June 1945.

On the 27th July 1945, TA805 was transferred to No.234 (Madras Presidency) Squadron at Bentwaters in Suffolk. Now coded FX, the squadron had just converted from Mustang's to Spitfire IX's. It is these markings that you see the aircraft wearing today.

234 Squadron were part of a wing of 24 Squadrons led by legendary Battle of Britain ace and later famous test pilot W/Cdr Roland P Beamont DSO and Bar DFC. This wing flew the 1945 Battle of Britain commemoration flight over London in September and it is possible that TA805 was one of the aircraft taking part.

TA805 was struck off charge by the RAF and shipped to the South African Air Force in early 1949.

The history trail then goes cold until 1995, when the remains of the aircraft were found in a South African scrap yard. A ten-year restoration began and in 2005 TA805 returned to the skies in the pristine condition you see here.

Today, the aircraft bears the inscription ‘Spirit of Kent’ emblazoned on the fuselage and is a reminder of those days when Kent was and still is, the only county in the UK to have paid for an entire RAF Squadron.