Inside Aerolite (Our Aim)
We have created a visually authentic, full-scale kit-form Spitfire that can be built by amateurs (or assembled with our build assist package), privately owned and flown at a realistic cost.
Aerolite Spitfire preserves the proportions, presence and unmistakable character of the original aircraft while applying modern materials, manufacturing techniques and 21st-century engineering.
It is NOT a replica. It is an entirely new aircraft designed specifically for a modern recreational and aerobatic role.
Aerolite Spitfire Design Brief
The Aerolite Spitfire is styled principally on the high-back Mk IX and Mk XIX Spitfires. Its form remains unmistakably Spitfire, but several carefully considered changes accommodate a lighter modern engine, a second pilot and the requirements of today’s and tomorrow’s recreational flying.
- Appearance and configuration — The Griffon-length nose is close in proportion to that of the Mk XIX. The tandem cockpit has been moved forward accommodating a second pilot while retaining the visual balance of a Merlin-powered Mk IX. The rear canopy is approximately 50% longer than the original, helping retain the appearance of a single-seat fighter.
- Composite construction — The airframe is constructed principally from moulded glass and carbon-fibre/epoxy composites, for high structural strength at substantially reduced weight.
- Aerodynamic character — The aerodynamic form remains as faithful to the Spitfire as practical while being adapted to the Aerolite’s lower weight, modern powerplant and recreational role.
- Enlarged tail group —greater stability and control authority.
- Ventral airbrake —reduces float during landing.
- Wider undercarriage — approximately 50% wider than the original Spitfire, significantly improving ground handling and stability.
- Griffon-length nose — helps compensate for the lighter modern engine and the weight of the second pilot, maintaining the required centre-of-gravity range.
- Detachable wings — reduce hangarage requirements and make road transport practical.
- Low weight and modest power — maximum take-off weight is approximately 75% that of a Mk I Spitfire, while the 400 hp engine provides around 40% of the Mk I’s power.
- Aerobatic capability — design limit load factors are +6g / –4g, appropriate to the aircraft’s intended aerobatic role.
- Maximum design speed — approximately 220 mph in level flight at sea level under standard atmospheric conditions.
- Range and endurance — anticipated range is approximately 1,000 miles at 174 knots (200 mph) at maximum design weight with two crew, with an endurance of approximately five hours plus a 30-minute fuel reserve.
The Aerolite Spitfire preserves the shape, presence and character of the original, while providing the safety, practicality and operating economics expected of a modern recreational aircraft.
Want to know more?
This overview is the starting point. If you would like to explore the thinking, history and engineering behind the Aerolite Spitfire in more detail, follow the story through the articles below.
Each piece stands on its own, but read in sequence they chart the journey from the original wartime thinking, through design and engineering development, to the commercial vision for the aircraft today.
1. Aerolite Spitfire – An overview
2. The Aerolite Spitfire Design Challenge
3. An Idea Born from Wartime Necessity.
4. Why Doesn’t the Aerolite Spitfire Use A Merlin Engine?
5. From Concept to Full Scale Deelopment.
6. Engineering Development and LAA Oversight
Contact denise.mullen@aerolite-spitfire.com
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