• STEM
  • Age 9 to 11 (KS2)
  • Age 11 to 14 (KS3)

The Spitfire is one of the most iconic aircraft in the world even though it first flew over 80 years ago. Behind that sleek design, speed and extensive history is a very effective machine - one that utilises the laws of physics and mathematics that means it still flies as well today as it did in the 1940’s.

Join IWM experts Ngaire Bushell and John Delaney as they give you a special tour of IWM Duxford’s very own Spitfire. We’ll then ask you to complete an important challenge that proves maths and science are as important in keeping this aircraft flying as the pilot in the cockpit.

Chocks Away!

Welcome to Imperial War Museums. My name is Ngaire, and part of my job is making sure the wonderful collections here at the museum get out from our galleries to you. So here at IWM, we have millions of objects which help us to learn about people's lives in times of conflict. Some of these objects are very small, like this First World War medal, while some of our biggest objects are aircraft.  

The first powered aeroplane was flown in 1903 by the Wright brothers in America. A piece of fabric from the original wing coverings of the Wright Flyer can be seen at IWM Duxford. After their maiden flight, several people around the world started developing aircraft design and just seven years after the first flight by the Wright brothers one aeroplane successfully flew across the English Channel in 1909.  

During the First World War fought between 1914 to 1918, aeroplanes were used for reconnaissance which means that pilots flew their planes over enemy sites to report the enemy's positions. Planes were also used for fighting and bombing and you can learn more about the First World War in the air by visiting some of our other resources on the learning pages of our website.  

So, airplane design developed very quickly and by the start of the Second World War in 1939 less than 40 years after the first flight by the Wright brothers there were many different types of aeroplanes designed to carry out different types of warfare. One of the Second World War’s most famous fighter planes was the Spitfire.  

Developed by the British and used by the Royal Air Force, the Spitfire was a small highly manoeuvrable aeroplane. Both exceedingly fast and agile it had one seat and as a fighter aircraft it was fitted with machine guns in its wings for shooting down enemy aircraft in the skies. The Spitfire was very important in the battle of Britain and its design continued to be developed during the Second World War to make it even faster and better.  

The Spitfire had a very powerful engine which is one of the reasons it could fly so fast, but the plane also used a special American fuel which gave it even more power in the air. This extra speed was crucial to the Spitfire outperforming the German fighter planes during the Battle of Britain which started in July 1940 and lasted for three months until hard-fought victory came in October 1940.  

Here at Imperial War Museums London, we have this Spitfire hanging from the ceiling, but we also have our very own fully airborne Second World War Spitfire. It's known as Spitfire N3200. The numbers are its own unique serial number, and every Spitfire has its own serial number. It's based at IWM Duxford in Cambridgeshire which used to be RAF Duxford. It was actually the very first Royal Air Force base to have Spitfires. Spitfire N3200 has a remarkable story which I think you'll find fascinating. 

John Delaney [Head, Second World War and mid 20th Century Conflict]: The aircraft behind me is a Spitfire 1A which is the only flying exhibit owned and operated by the Imperial War Museums.  

This is a Spitfire which is an eight-gun Browning version which is the mainstay Spitfire aircraft of that period. It was flown by squadron leader Jeffrey Stevenson who was the squadron leader of 19 Squadron at the time and unfortunately flew it on its one and only mission and was shot down and crash landed on the beach at Sangatte near Calais as part of the Operation Dynamo Dunkirk evacuation. The letters on the fuselage ‘QV’ relate to 19 Squadron which is the squadron based out of Duxford in fact this very aircraft flew from this very hangar on the day it was lost.  

After the aircraft was shot down and crash landed on the beach at Sangatte it became something of a tourist attraction for the German soldiers in the area and they all used to go along and have their photographs taken with it crashed on the beach and inevitably they would take a souvenir i.e. part of the aircraft they'd take away with them as a souvenir on the day and as the war went on more and more of the aircraft went missing and the remaining superstructure and the engine and the cockpit section sank underneath the beach and remained there until 1986 when it was recovered it was brought back to the United Kingdom in 2000 and it took fourteen years almost to the day for it to be restored back to flying condition. It flew again in March 2014. 

This is one of only four flying Spitfire 1A's left in the world of the Battle of France/Battle of Britain era so it's very important and gives a real sense of what an aircraft looked like and sounded like when it was flying. And this one regularly flies out of Duxford on Air Show days to demonstrate to the public the sounds of a Spitfire flying over your head in the Battle of Britain.  

Ngaire: Thanks John, that really is an incredible story and it's amazing to see those old photographs of N3200 after it crashed on the beach. It really demonstrates how important science and engineering skills are especially when restoring pieces of history.  

As John mentioned, nowadays the Spitfire is a popular attraction at Air Shows right across the world because of its speed and agility. It can do all sorts of stunts and people love to watch it fly. Certainly, at IWM's very own Air Show at Duxford, the Spitfire display is one of the main events.  

So, what's our challenge to you? Well, Anna Walker is a pilot who owns her very own aeroplanes. She wants you to imagine that you are the ground crew of a Spitfire display team. You have been asked to plan a stunt flight display. Everything you need, from working out what manoeuvres you'll do to how much fuel you'll need is on the downloadable worksheet.  

Make sure you get that pilot safely back on the ground again. Good luck team Spitfire. Chocks away!  

Teacher Notes

Download the teacher notes for Team Spitfire for tips and advice. This resource looks at scientific considerations used to keep the Spitfire in the air and how a lot of these decisions are made on the ground: in particular, speed, power and fuel. The downloadable resource encourages students to engage with a virtual stunt display in order to thrill the audiences watching, but to also make sure the aircraft lands safely.

Curriculum Links

Find out more about how this resource is mapped against some of the themes and content topics found in the curriculum for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Suggested Activities

Watch the video presented by IWM expert John Delaney and starring Spitfire N3200. You may choose to watch the film a second time and encourage students to take notes.

Download and print the worksheets and ask the students to calculate the answers. You may wish to put the students into teams of Team Spitfire! ground crew or ask them to work individually.

Check your answers here.

Tell your students that they have been asked to explain their calculations to a display pilot and they will need to prepare a presentation which will describe their display and calculations to prove to the test pilots that they should have full confidence that the display will have enough fuel to make it a success and to get them safely back down onto the tarmac of the runaway!

Ask your students to draw a Spitfire display flight path whilst bearing in mind the amount of fuel their display manoeuvres use – there is a table of manoeuvres and fuel use at the end of the worksheet for students to refer to. They must keep some fuel for landing, taxi and reserve.

Explore More

Poster image for Adventures in History: Grumpy and his Spitfire
Home Learning

Grumpy and his Spitfire

Find out why pilot George Unwin was given the nickname 'Grumpy' and find out how he achieved his dream of flying a Spitfire. 

RAF Duxford and The Spitfire
Battle of Britain

The Fascinating Story Of Duxford And The Spitfire

Duxford and the Supermarine Spitfire have a shared history. RAF Duxford's No. 19 Squadron was the first RAF squadron to re-equip with the new Supermarine Spitfire, and the first Spitfire was flown into RAF Duxford in August 1938

Pilot Officers Jan "Donald Duck" Zumbach (left) and Mirosław "Ox" Ferić playing with the Squadron's mascot
© IWM CH 1537
Second World War

The Polish Pilots Who Flew In The Battle Of Britain

On 1 September 1939 the German Army, supported by the Air Force (Luftwaffe) and Navy (Kriegsmarine) invaded Poland from three sides. Polish defences, already strained under a powerful and innovative German assault, collapsed shortly after the Soviets launched their own invasion from the east on 17 September. 

Squadron Leader Brian 'Sandy' Lane of 19 Squadron (centre) confers with Flight Lieutenant Walter 'Farmer' Lawson and Flight Sergeant George 'Grumpy Unwin at Fowlmere near Duxford, September 1940.
© IWM (CH 1366)
Second World War

Battle of Britain

With online collection stories, new exhibitions and virtual reality experiences, discover the Battle of Britain story with IWM Duxford.