SPITFIRE (mk26 80% scale replica) built from a kit in 2016. TTAF 20 hrs. Jabiru 8 cyinder 5100 engine, fixed pitch prop. A delight to fly with the same handling and evocative shape as the iconic original, but at a more accessible cost. Docile handling characteristics allows any competent pilot with, or aspiring towards, a tailwheel endorsement to fly this and be a hit at any event you attend. Possibly the best purchase you’ll ever make.

Mike O’Sullivan built his first Spitfire replica in the early 1990s, as a 75%-scale version of the original, which he called the Mk 25. Several of this type were built before he came out with a slightly larger model (80% of the original) that added a (small) second seat behind the pilot and was called the Mk 26. The current production kit is a 90% version called the Mk 26B. This airplane faithfully reproduces the beautiful lines of the original while providing a passenger seat and giving the modern builder an opportunity to own a flying version of the legendary fighter for a price far less than a real one. It is an all-metal, monocoque design with a fiberglass cowl. The recommended engine is a V-8 auto-engine conversion produced by Supermarine to perfectly match the airframe (at least one project is underway to incorporate a Mazda rotary, and British customers favor an Isuzu V-6 that is also produced by Supermarine). The under-wing radiator housing found on late-model Spitfires is used to house the engine radiators on the Mk 26B, and the radio compartment behind the seat is now a baggage area.