11/02/2026
This time last week, we began the careful process of taking Spitfire BS548 apart and
preparing her for an exciting new chapter — a journey all the way down under to
Scone, Australia.
Many of you who follow our work will know that this isn’t our first overseas adventure.
We’ve shipped several aircraft around the world, and while there’s a well practised
process in place, it’s still a detailed and hands on task every single time. So, we
thought we’d walk you through the key stages — and hopefully answer a few of the questions we’ve received in previous Spitfire shipping posts we’ve shared.
To safely pack and transport a Spitfire, several major components need to be
removed: the wings, propeller, and tail.
First to come off is the propeller. Once that’s removed, the entire aircraft is carefully
lifted onto jacks. The seven large bolts in each wing are then knocked out of the
main spars — each one carefully numbered to match the exact hole it came from,
ensuring everything goes back together precisely as it should. With that done, the
wings can be removed one at a time and placed into wing stands.
With her wings off, the fuselage is lowered onto a purpose built transport frame. Now
with the fuselage on the ground one of our engineers ‘gracefully accesses’ the rear
of the fuselage and what feels like hundreds of 2BA bolts securing the tail to the
fuselage – it’s actually fifty bolts and four studs. Once the tail is removed, the wings are
securely stowed alongside the fuselage on the transport frame, ready for the journey
ahead.
When each major component is safely mounted and secured, they’re carefully
moved into the container and fastened in place for their long voyage to Australia.
But our job doesn’t stop there. Once BS548 arrives in Scone, our Chief Engineer of
the Restoration Department, Martin “Mo” Overall, will soon follow with members of
the team to reassemble her and prepare her for flight once again.
Until then — safe travels, BS548. We hope you enjoy your new adventure down
under with
