Photograph by Paul Cremin on 30 May 2026 at the Shuttleworth Wings and Wheels Air Show, taken with a Canon EOS 7D Mk II and a Canon 100–400mm zoom lens, f10, 1/200 sec, ISO 100.
Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vc AR501 was built by Westland Aircraft at Yeovil as a Mark Vc and issued in 1942 to No. 310 (Czech) Squadron, based at Duxford. During 1942 and 1943 she undertook escort duties for USAAF bombers, including the famous 'Memphis Belle' of the 91st Bombardment Group. After the Second World War, AR501 was used as an instructional airframe at Loughborough College before being acquired by the Shuttleworth Collection in 1961, together with the Collection's Sea Hurricane, in exchange for a Jet Provost.
In 1968 the aircraft was returned to flight for the film Battle of Britain. A major overhaul was carried out in the early 1970s. The aircraft remained airworthy from 1977 to 2005, before being withdrawn from service for further work. AR501 was displayed for many years in the clipped-wing configuration, which further improved manoeuvrability at low level, and carried the livery of No. 310 (Czech) Squadron as worn on operations in 1942–43. In the mid-2000s the elliptical wingtips were refitted when the aircraft took part in the filming of Pearl Harbor, in which it portrayed a fictitious member of an Eagle Squadron. In 2005 the Spitfire fell due for a major overhaul but, as the previous significantly major work had been undertaken as far back as 1975, a detailed inspection led to the decision to complete a full strip-down and rebuild to original specification, with areas of the structure still showing evidence of wartime repairs.
Following a ten-year in-house restoration by Shuttleworth's full-time engineering team and the Collection's skilled volunteers, Spitfire Mk Vc AR501 made her first post-restoration flight on 20 March 2018 and now wears the original livery of RAF 310 (Czech) Squadron, with whom she saw front-line service during 1942–1943.
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