Supermarine Spitfire XVI SL721, formerly operated by Vintage Wings of Canada in Ottawa, has been sold to an enthusiast and will be making its way to a new home in Belgium.
As previously reported, SL721 was built in August 1945 and delivered to the RAF, where it became the personal aircraft of Air Chief Marshall Sir James Milne Robb, a WW1 pilot who served as Commander-In-Chief – Air Forces Europe following WW2. The Packard Merlin 266/R55-powered machine was sold in 1967 and transported to the US, where it would stay until 2002, when it was acquired by Vintage Wings of Canada. Today it is considered one of the most original airworthy Spitfires in the world.
Details regarding a home base and future plans are reportedly forthcoming.
(via Belgian Aviation Preservation Association and Platinum Fighter Sales Photo: Ahunt via Wikimedia Commons)
