Mr Markham, who lives near the base, said he… wanted a Spitfire since I was eight years old and saw Reach for the Sky,” a 1956 biopic of aviator Douglas Bader.
He said the PL793 models, which were “painted blue to hide in the sky”, were the spy planes of their time, adding that his plane was a tribute to the RAF soldiers who flew it.
He said: “Without the RAF and their success in the Second World War, the lives of my generation would have been very different. We owe them a great debt.”
Mr Markham had tried to… buy vintage models but was always outbid, so he decided to build one himself.
He bought a kit for the aircraft frame in 2006, but bought the engine parts, propellers and paint separately.
He said: “If you want to buy an original WWII Spitfire, it now costs between £2 million and £4 million. This is a much cheaper way to do it.”
‘Wonderfully supportive’
He described it as a “complicated beast” to assemble, with some parts not fitting properly and having to be replaced.
Mrs. Markham helped him with the rivets that two people needed to put them in place and also made the leather upholstery.
He said, “She has been wonderfully supportive throughout the process.”
He finally completed the Spitfire in 2017. However, it took five years to get a full permit to fly from the Civil Aviation Authority.
It was flown by a test pilot in 2018 but the engine overheated, so he had to go back to his workshop for repair.
On later test flights, it was limited to a range of 35 nautical miles from the airfield and allowed to carry no passengers.
In July 2022, Mr. Markham successfully completed the flight test program and was cleared to further afield and be escorted.
Since he began construction, he has asked visitors to donate to the RAF Benevolent Fund, which supports serving and former RAF members and their families.