SAAF PE’s Supermarine Spitfire IX model nears completion.

The full-scale Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX model being built at the SAAF Museum in Port Elizabeth is one step closer to being completed.

The Spitfire won its fame during World War II and is still an iconic plane of that war, and was flown in the war by several South African pilots who had volunteered to fight against the rise of fascism.

The Spitfire first flew in 1936. Designed for fighting over short distances, it was one of the fastest military aircraft of its time. Fewer than 60 Spitfires are still airworthy today.

The project of building the model Spitfire began in 2010, and has been funded and supported by donors, local and international visitors, technical experts, the RAF Officers Club in Johannesburg and the Woodpecker Trust.

The most recent step towards completion was thanks to Wayne Williams, of Graymaur Plastics. Williams was attending a birthday arty at the museum when he saw the model Spitfire being built – and he was inspired to help.

Williams offered to create the mould for the propellers, using Graymaur Plastics’ specialised equipment, which included a hi-tech 3D computer CNC Router machine.

The modeller at the museum, Rob Tribelhorn, explains, “The mould was then used to cast four fiberglass propellers which made a 3.2-metre total diameter. They were then painted and fitted to the front spinner.”

The new fibreglass propellers have been attached the wooden replica, and all that remain to be added are the wings and a few minor details.

Captain Mark Kelbrick, the curator of the SAAF museum in Port Elizabeth, says, “The Spitfire model will become a key exhibit in the Gunnery Hall when completed, and will have the markings and colour scheme of the Spitfire which the RAF fighter pilot, Group Captain Sailor Malan, flew during the war.”

Malan is one of the most famous pilots of WWII, and shot down between 27 and 35 enemy aircraft.

The museum features several vintage military and civilian aircraft and replicas, as well as a collection of aviation-related art and a library of aircraft-related books.

The museum is also situated in a historically significant location. The museum occupies the Air Gunnery Training Centre & Bellman hangar that formed part of 42 Air School, which operated during World War II.

The Port Elizabeth SAAF Museum is open Tuesday to Thursday, and Saturdays and Sundays. It is also open on public holidays (except Christmas and New Year’s Days).

Special events are periodically staged at the museum, and it is also a unique and interesting venue for parties and other functions. Guided tours of the museum can also be arranged.