A Tale of Two Spitfires – From combat to airshows, flying together for more than 80 years

Combat veteran Spitfires fly together again. Spitfire Mk IX MH434 (nearest the camera), flown by British warbird pilot Lee Proudfoot, leads Spitfire Mk IX MH415, flown by Richard Grace, whose Air Leasing company at Sywell completed its restoration in 2021. (Photo by John Dibbs/Facebook.com/ theplanepicturecompany)

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Supermarine Spitfires MH415 and MH434 represent something of a warbird Holy Grail. Two of the most original combat veteran Spitfire Mk IXs in the world, built just 20 airframes apart on the same production line in 1943, they share large elements of their operational histories and both are credited with wartime kills. In more recent times, they have been connected to some outstanding names in the warbird world, and here they are, airborne as a...

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