The Aircraft Restoration Company (formally Historic Flying Limited) is a British company that specialises in the restoration and new-build of Supermarine Spitfires and other historic aircraft. It is based at the former

RAF Duxford Duxford Aerodrome is located south of Cambridge, within the civil parish of Duxford, Cambridgeshire, England and nearly west of the village. The airfield is owned by the Imperial War Museum (IWM) and is the site of the Imperial War Mus ...

in Cambridgeshire, UK. The company was founded in the late 1980s to restore five Spitfires to flying condition; these had been "

gate guardian A gate guardian or gate guard is a withdrawn piece of equipment, often an aircraft, armoured vehicle, artillery piece, or locomotive, mounted on a plinth and used as a static display near to and forming a symbolic display of "guarding" the main ...

s" at

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

stations. Since then, over 30

Spitfires The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Grif ...

have been restored or built from scratch - using salvaged parts where available - or restored. This is said to be a third of the Spitfires that are now

airworthy In aviation, airworthiness is the measure of an aircraft's suitability for safe flight. Initial airworthiness is demonstrated by a certificate of airworthiness issued by the civil aviation authority in the state in which the aircraft is registe ...

. The organisation have also completed major maintenance work on the RAF's

Battle of Britain Memorial Flight The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) is a Royal Air Force flight which provides an aerial display group usually comprising an Avro Lancaster, a Supermarine Spitfire and a Hawker Hurricane. The aircraft are regularly seen at events c ...

aircraft, for which the Stephenson Hangar was purpose built. The latest of this work included the minor maintenance of the BBMF's Avro Lancaster which was completed at the end of Summer 2021. The Aircraft Restoration Company operates and maintains the largest number of Spitfires and Hurricane's in the world. ARCo specialise the in the major and minor maintenance of the RAF BBMF aircraft, including Avro Lancaster,

DC-3 Dakota The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...

and De Havilland Chipmunks. The company now uses its expertise to also offer experience flights in its historic aircraft, through their in-house team Aerial Collective Duxford.

Completed or 0n-going work

The Aircraft Restoration Company / Historic Flying Limited have returned the following aircraft to the air: * Spitfire Mk XVI RW382. Full rebuild completed in 1991. * Spitfire Mk IX TE566. Full rebuild completed in 1992. * Spitfire Mk XVIII TP280. Full rebuild completed in 1992. * Spitfire Mk XVI TD248. Full rebuild completed in 1992. * P-51

Mustang The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once- domesticated animals, the ...

'Short Fuse Sallee'. Post fire restoration completed in 1994. * Spitfire Mk XIV NH799. Full rebuild completed in 1994. * Spitfire Mk XIV SM832. Full rebuild completed in 1995. * Spitfire Mk Vb EP120. Full rebuild completed in 1995. * Spitfire Mk Vc AR614. Full rebuild completed in 1996. * Spitfire Mk Vb AB910. Major overhaul completed in 1997. * Spitfire Mk XIX PM631. Major overhaul completed in 1997. * Spitfire Mk Vb BM597. Full rebuild completed in 1997. * Hurricane IIc LF363. Full rebuild completed in 1998. * Spitfire Mk XVIII SM845. Full rebuild completed in 2000. * Spitfire Mk IX MK912. Full rebuild completed in 2000. * Spitfire Mk XIV RN201. Full rebuild completed in 2002. * Spitfire Tr.9 IAC-161 / PV202. Full rebuild completed in 2005. * Spitfire Mk XVI RW386. Full rebuild completed in 2006. * Spitfire Mk Vc JG891. Full rebuild completed in 2006. * Spitfire Mk IX PL344. Major overhaul completed in 2007. * Spitfire Mk IXe SL633. Full rebuild completed in 2010. * Spitfire Mk Ia P9374. Full rebuild completed in 2012. * Spitfire Mk XIX PS853. Major overhaul completed in 2012. * Spitfire Mk Ia N3200. Full rebuild completed in 2014. * Spitfire Mk XVIII SM845. Major overhaul completed in 2014. * Spitfire Mk XIX PS915. Major overhaul completed in 2016. * Spitfire Tr.9 NH341. Full rebuild and type conversion completed in 2017. * Spitfire PR Mk XI PL983. Full rebuild completed in 2018. * Lysander V9312. Full rebuild completed in 2018. * Spitfire Mk IX MJ271 'The Silver Spitfire'. Full rebuild completed in 2019. * Spitfire PR Mk XIX PS890. Full rebuild, completed in 2020. * Wildcat FM-2 AX733. Full rebuild, completed 2022. * Spitfire Mk.IX (unknown identity). Full overhaul expected to be completed in 2023. * Spitfire Tr.9 MJ444. Full rebuild expected to be completed in 2023. * Spitfire Tr.9 BS548. Full rebuild prior to shipping, expected to be completed in 2023. * Spitfire Tr.9 (unknown identity). Full rebuild expected to be completed in 2024. * Spitfire Mk.IX PL258. Full rebuild, no expected completion date.

Operated Aircraft

The Aircraft Restoration Company currently own, maintain or operate the following aircraft: * Blenheim Mk1 L6739. * Spitfire PR Mk XI PL983 aka 'The NHS Spitfire' *

Lysander Lysander (; grc-gre, Λύσανδρος ; died 395 BC) was a Spartan military and political leader. He destroyed the Athenian fleet at the Battle of Aegospotami in 405 BC, forcing Athens to capitulate and bringing the Peloponnesian War to an en ...

V9312. * Spitfire Tr.9 PV202 * Spitfire Tr.9 PT462. * Hispano Buchon 'Yellow 10'. * Harvard T.6 'Taz'. * DHC-2 Beaver. * Spitfire Mk1a N3200 (Owned by Imperial War Museum) * Spitfire Mk Vb BM597 (Maintenance Only) (Privately Owned) * Spitfire Mk Vc JG891 (Privately Owned) * Spitfire Mk. VIII MT928 (Privately Owned) * Spitfire Mk. IX MH434 (Privately Owned) * Spitfire Mk. IX TD314 (Privately Owned) * Spitfire Mk XIV RN201 (Privately Owned) * Spitfire Mk XVI TD248 (Privately Owned) * Spitfire Tr.9 NH341 (Privately Owned) *

Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

Mk1 R4118 (Privately Owned) * Hurricane Mk1 V7497 (Privately Owned) * Hurricane MkIIB BE505 (Privately Owned) * Hurricane MkXII 5711 (Maintenance Only)(Privately Owned) * P-51D Mustang 'Miss Helen' (Privately Owned) * Wildcat FM-2 AX733 (Privately Owned)

NHS Spitfire Project

The NHS Spitfire - THANK U NHS (PL983 G-PRXI)

In response to the

Coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...

in 2020, the Aircraft Restoration Company painted the words 'THANK U NHS' on the underside of their Spitfire PR Mk XI ''PL983. Over the course 4 months the Spitfire'' completed a number of flight routes, flying over 250

NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

and HSC sites across the United Kingdom in an effort to thank Medical & Health workers for their on-going fight against the virus. Simultaneously, the general public were able to donate money to 'The NHS Spitfire' project, with a nominated name from each donation being hand-written onto the Spitfire. As of January 2021, the project has raised over £130,000.00, with all funds going to

NHS Charities Together The Association of NHS Charities, operating as NHS Charities Together, is a federation of over 250 charitable organisations that support the devolved National Health Service (NHS), their staff, volunteers and patients, in the United Kingdom. ...

Film Work

Over the years, The Aircraft Restoration Company have worked or featured on numerous TV and Film projects, often providing aircraft, pilots, historical advice and expertise on aerial coordinating. Works include: * ''Guy Martin's Spitfire'' (2014)

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

documentary covering the two-year restoration of a Mark 1 Spitfire, N3200. *

Dunkirk (2017 film) ''Dunkirk'' is a 2017 war film written, directed and produced by Christopher Nolan that depicts the Dunkirk evacuation of World War II through the perspectives of the land, sea and air. It is produced by Syncopy Inc. and distributed by War ...

directed by

Christopher Nolan Christopher Edward Nolan (born 30 July 1970) is a British-American filmmaker. Known for his lucrative Hollywood blockbusters with complex storytelling, Nolan is considered a leading filmmaker of the 21st century. His films have grossed $5&nb ...

, which included use of the organisation's

Bristol Blenheim The Bristol Blenheim is a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company (Bristol) which was used extensively in the first two years of the Second World War, with examples still being used as trainers until ...

and Hispano Buchon. *

Valkyrie (film) ''Valkyrie'' is a 2008 historical political war thriller film directed by Bryan Singer, written by Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander, starring Tom Cruise. The film is set in Nazi Germany during World War II and depicts the 20 July pl ...

Top Gear (2002 TV series) ''Top Gear'' is a British motoring magazine and factual television programme, designed as a relaunched version of the original 1977 show of the same name by Jeremy Clarkson and Andy Wilman for the BBC, and premiered on 20 October 2002. The ...

Memphis Belle (film) ''Memphis Belle'' is a 1990 British-American war drama film directed by Michael Caton-Jones and written by Monte Merrick. The film stars Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, and Harry Connick Jr. (in his film debut). ''Memphis Belle'' is a fiction ...

Dark Blue World ''Dark Blue World'' ( cs, Tmavomodrý svět) is a 2001 film by Czech director Jan Svěrák, the Academy Award-winning director of ''Kolya'', about Czech pilots who fought for the British Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. The scre ...

* Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning (film)

References

External links

Historic Flying Ltd home pageWings Magazine

Telegraph Silver SpitfireSpitfire TD248
{{Authority control Aircraft preservation Supermarine Spitfire Replica aircraft manufacturers Engineering companies of England Aircraft manufacturers of the United Kingdom