Spitfire set to roar over Blackpool promenade today - here’s when to watch
A rare glimpse of aviation history is expected over Blackpool this morning as a commemorative Spitfire flight passes along the promenade.
Spitfire set to pass over Blackpool
Residents and visitors along Blackpool Promenade are being advised to look skyward at around 10:30am today (13 April), when a two-seat Supermarine Spitfire is due to fly north to south along the coastline.
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The aircraft is travelling from Glasgow Prestwick Airport to RAF Valley in Anglesey as part of a nationwide tour celebrating nine decades since the Spitfire’s maiden flight.
Adding a personal touch to the spectacle, one passenger on board for today’s leg is a Lancashire man whose brother secured a seat in the rear cockpit.
Marking 90 years since first flight
The commemorative tour honours the Spitfire’s first flight on 5 March 1936, when test pilot Joseph “Mutt” Summers flew prototype K5054 from what is now Southampton Airport.
The short 8 minute journey would mark the beginning of one of Britain’s most legendary aircraft stories.
Painted to represent that original prototype the modern two-seat Spitfire is retracing key routes across the UK, celebrating its enduring legacy as a symbol of British engineering and wartime resilience.
Nationwide tour
Organised in partnership with Spitfires.com and supported by the Royal Air Force, the tour runs from 7 to 17 April, stopping at historic RAF bases and airports linked to the aircraft’s past.
In a unique opportunity, members of the public have been able to bid for seats on each leg of the journey with successful participants experiencing flight in the historic aircraft first-hand.
Today’s flypast over Blackpool offers a fleeting but memorable chance to witness that living history in action.