There’svirtuallynothingBrendon Deere doesn’t know about World War II Spitfire fighter aircraft, except how to fly one. Well, he knows how but he doesn’t know what it feels like, because after spending 35,000 hours restoring a wreck acquired from a US collector, he made a decision never to fly it himself, even though he is a qualified pilot.
“I could have, but I felt it was too precious and I have a view that it should be flown well,” he says. “I have flown in a Mosquito and it remains the highlight of my aviation career.”
What is “precious” in a monetary sense? “No comment,” says Deere. “We consider our aircraft to be priceless and we have no plans to sell anything.” (Platinum Fighter Sales –a Californian business that specialises in the sale of historic warbirds – lists a fully reconditioned, flying, 80-year-old Spitfire
