One of Britain’s most iconic aircraft will be taking to the skies above Tayside and Fife next month as part of a special anniversary tour.
A historic Spitfire is set to fly over the region on April 8 and 9 as part of a nationwide series of commemorative flights marking 90 years since the aircraft’s first-ever flight.
Painted in the colours of the original plane, the famous Second World War warplane will circumnavigate Britain across nine flights, with Leuchars Station playing a key part in the Scottish leg of the tour.
For local aviation fans, history buffs or anyone who simply fancies seeing something a bit special overhead, there will be two chances to catch it.
The first comes on Tuesday April 8, when the Spitfire flies north from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, up the east coast of England and into Scotland. After passing over the former RAF Grangemouth base and the Firth of Forth, it will head north-east across Fife before landing at Leuchars just after 11.30am.
Then on Wednesday April 9, the aircraft is due to take off from Leuchars at 10am as it heads on to RAF Lossiemouth. That route is expected to take it north over Dundee and the Angus coast, giving people in Tayside another strong chance of spotting the aircraft overhead.
To make things even more striking, the Spitfire is also expected to be joined during parts of the journey by other military aircraft. A Phenom T1 jet is due to accompany it after it passes the Forth Bridge on April 8, while a P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft is likely to join the April 9 flight north from Leuchars.
It is all part of a wider celebration of one of the most recognisable aircraft ever built — a machine that still turns heads nearly a century after its first flight.
And judging by past flypasts, it will not just be aviation enthusiasts looking up.
When to see it
Tuesday April 8
Spitfire expected to land at Leuchars just after 11.30am
Wednesday April 9
Spitfire due to take off from Leuchars at 10am
Expected route heads over Dundee and the Angus coast
For anyone hoping to catch a glimpse, keeping an eye on the skies around those times should be well worth it.
