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Amazing, smart, and skillful people make dreams happen, of course, with deep pockets. Wonderful story.

Wanted 2 listen 🎶 2 the Engine & the Wind . Pretty Disappointing. MK 24 Looks Gr8 👍

Good effort but does not do the model justice being 70%. For me its got to be a 1 for 1 scale..

Super design. Dave Thatcher really knows how an aircraft should be.

I've been wanting to build a P-51 Mustang replica for a number of years but I have to admit this Spitfire replica is a beautiful plane. The engine out landing in the cornfield is a little concerning. I recall a Titan T-51 Mustang did a similar thing a few years ago. I think it was a prop reduction unit problem. Gears and belts seem to be a weak point in these builds.

those aren’t issues. those are things that make this video great!

Apart from the canopy being a bit different and the wide stance undercarriage this thing is awesome. 70kts stall is high. Great work.

What a beautiful job ! I do CAD work on Spitfires, mainly wing, landing gear, engine cowls, propeller and spinner, along with all skin lofting. Unlike most people I really like the low back fuselage; especially on the Mk. XVI . I really admire your skill and persistence through all the development issues. Well done, and thanks for showing us your fabulous aircraft.

Incredible machine. Cudos.

Really nice. Fun video. Looks like you touched down at 65-70, where does it stall?

sure is nice unit but well beyond the limits of the average home build aircraft

Nice EAA biplane!

Not a totally accurate scaled reproduction, but a great achievement nevertheless. Finally flying after 20 years must have been a wonderful feeling.

why not just replace the engine with maybe a 520 or see if a kestrel or merlin is available and build a scaled down one.

Great muzak,crappy plane, powered by music box.

Tell the idiot with the flatulent flat 4, to stay the hell out of microphone range. We want to hear the V8 at full song. And all cockpit video is worthless to anyone who is seeking entertainment because all you can see is gauges that don't show anything that I can read and blue sky out of the wind shield.

70% scale, that means fuselage width is just 25-1/4". No place for a fluffy person.

Things I learned after watching this video : 1; A very select and few people have the Passion , Skill , and Deep enough pockets to develop TRULY INCREADABLE AIRCRAFT with no practical use other than the pure joy of flying ! 2; If you want one of these INCREADABLE AIRCRAFT you had better have Above average flying skill , Deep pockets ,AND a spare engine ! 3; I applaud these efforts from all this type of person BUT ESPECIALY this project. Such a PERFECT rendition of the MOST beautiful single engine aircraft EVER produced ! Thank you to all involved in the development of this inspirational project. Much success . Ontario Canada .

100% the most beautiful reproduction warbird. Well done and way to fail and keep moving forward. Hope the sky is filled with these beauties, sounds amazing too.

Hon, I’ll be outside playing with my airplane.

Amazing ,so many problems with the engine though, fair dues to your perseverance,, it's on my bucket list to fly one

Amazing video of a major accomplishment, your knowledge, skill, tenacity, motivation and determination paid off. Congratulations, this far lesser mortal is in awe of this achievement. :-)) cheers Paul

Just seeing it in the air flying is a incredible accomplishment. Your dream come true, happy for you.

You are awesome, great job!

hats off to you! Great achievement but you are braver than I, I would have employed a test pilot.

Just WOW!! Please lust all parts by manufacturer so we know what to avoid in future builds!!

A testament to the tenacity of a man and his vision. Great Job ...

Great video and even better looking airplane! This is something i dream of doing someday. Maybe when or if i retire. Nonetheless i'd love to see and learn more about this bird's development!

You built a stout plane. Better than Cessna!

Fantastic effort, congratulations on the incredible amount of work, designing, building , an unfortunate engine failure and a hell of a rebuild of both. Thank you for sharing.

I want one so bad rn

CNC prop blades 👌💪

neat project. thanks. all the trials and tribulations and cost. Is this a personal project or intended for sale?

👍

I so wish I had deep pockets. 😩

I don't understand this fascination of making "deformed midgets" of beautiful planes. Seems silly to me.

That last chase plane shot of your plane , just awesome ! Enjoy every second sir. Excellent editing . Perseverance 👏🏻👊🏻!thanks for sharing.

Do it for a Mosquito next.

Cockpit too far back, no cowling blisters over the cylinder bank, tail empenage not tall enough and the wings not the right shape or size. Great engineering but I've seen much better replicas. A Spitfire deserves accuracy and attention to detail

Looks like the aircraft flys well, but you should have done far more investigating that engine. I would have gone with a toyota motor myself IF I was going with a V8. Some guys run the L series from Datona but even then, they have problems. Oh well. Good luck. I LOVE the fact that you built EVERY DAMN PART of that plane INCLUDING the props. Very impressive.

Feelin the pain ... 1965 AC Cobra 427 MKIII. Installed Ford's Aluminum Windsor Racing Engine (basic engine). Basic engine (technical term) because I wanted better components that from Ford. AFR 220 Renegade Heads (built to a specification) / Richard Iskenderian designed camshaft / on-and-on). Engine develops 648hp / 574 ft/lbs torque @ flywheel. As With Your Problems: Ignition - The new MSD Distributor installed with the new aluminum block had to be machined by my "gunsmith" who had the only mill that could precisely position the distributor gear for "gear-climb" to prevent damage to the block. Rocker Arms - The "aluminum racing rocker arms" sheared immediately on startup. Engine required hardened steel rockers from Comp Cam (which perform flawlessly). Fuel Delivery - Required Magna Fuel fuel pump (for 1,200hp) in order to circulate fuel through Deraile Triple Pass Fuel Cooler with two 6" cooling fans sufficient to prevent gasoline from vapor locking and limiting use of the 20 gallon racing fuel tank to 10 gallons usable fuel. I've run it down to 1 gallon now. Blah-Blah-Blah ... The point is, these are just a few of the developmental matters. This has been a journey (operationally and financially ... $35,000+ engine). The Difference: So far no cornfields since I stay on the ground.

Beautifull ship! congrats on your persistence in bringing this dream to reality! i would like to mention that cam gear/ distributor drive gear wear as shown at 5:17 is not usual or common at all and in fact quite unusual, unless the camshaft material and distributor drive gear material are not matched. has this been addressed? Also, why not just run one, or better yet two crank triggers for redundancy and do away with the distributor entirely? i have to say, an external, V-belt driven oil pump scares the crap out of me. i have never seen the design type of external oil pump you chose to go with, is it still a wet sump? happy flying!

Fantastic work. Darn that engine, if it had been up to the same standard as your creation, this would have just been a video about flying ;-) It's got a lot of P51 about it for a Spitfire !?

I want one.

Great stuff mate, my burning question is? Is that a Chrysler donk? It really sounds like one to me.

The reincarnation of Supermarine in Australia made ultralight version of the spitfire. Cheers

YUP.. and then dual turbos.. I would have gone with the 3.5L Eco-Boost due to the max torque being quite low and ditched the down gearing drive.

You really need to put the camera on a tripod. But great work

Best of luck on future flights.

With all that time, work and money you could have gone to a warlord school and checked out in a real Spitfire.