Watch Spitfire AR501 Up Close During Annual Inspection and Flight at Shuttleworth
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Spitfire AR501 lives at the Shuttleworth Collection in Bedfordshire, a rare Mark Vc LF that still flies. Every winter the museum’s engineers give this veteran fighter a detailed inspection before the summer display season begins.
During the latest check the cowlings come off, oil lines are traced for leaks, and each close-tolerance bolt is examined for movement. Nothing is left to chance; airworthiness rules demand the same discipline once required on wartime dispersal strips.
Combat Heritage
AR501 entered service in 1942 with No. 310 Squadron, a Czech unit flying low-level sweeps over occupied coasts. Later she moved to 312 Squadron, escorting bombers and working with Polish wings that helped Britain at a moment of grave need.
By mid-1942 German fighters outpaced the Mark V, so the airframe switched to gunnery training and later instructional duties. Stored indoors at a college, the aircraft survived untouched until the Shuttleworth team received it in the early 1970s.
Annual Inspection
This year’s annual is the first since a decade-long rebuild that replaced thousands of original magnesium rivets and fitted discreet modern oil filters. Technicians remove small panels, crawl through the wing, and tap tungsten pads that steady the undercarriage.
If any seal weeps, they trace the streak and decide whether to reseal or simply wipe it away. Close-tolerance bolts are checked with torque spanners, split-pins counted, and spars inspected for the slightest shift in the newly fitted ribs.
Flight and Future
Once paperwork is signed the Merlin engine coughs to life, its exhaust staining the silver cowl. Pilots report AR501 flies like a crisp trainer, only stiffer on the ailerons because control cables were rerouted for the cannon-armed C-wing.
Each summer the Shuttleworth Collection schedules displays where the Spitfire joins Lysanders and Hurricanes above Bedfordshire, keeping the sound and story of Britain’s defender alive for audiences.
Keep going for the video below:
