A southeast Queensland father and his son are currently nipping around Australia in their home-built Spitfire MK 26B replica to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation.
Under the banner of ‘The Spitfire Project’, Brian Scoffell and his 14-year-old son Stewart left their Willowbank home last week for a route that’ll see them fly up the Queensland coast, across to Normanton and on to Darwin, down the Western Australia coast, across the Nullarbor to Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and then back up to Brisbane. Scoffell senior says each leg involves a maximum of two hours flying and that they expect to complete the trek in four to six months.
“I’ve seen first-hand the trauma that is caused by leukemia and chemotherapy and if we can raise enough money to help one person it will be worthwhile,” Scoffell told The Queensland Times. “We often hear about fires, floods and cyclones, but cancer is here forever.”
Änd on the aircraft they’re flying, which is a kit from the popular Moggill-based Supermarine Aircraft, Scoffell says, “It is a lovely plane to fly; you really feel part of it. But on the ground it is a bit of a dog because you can’t see where you are going because the nose is up so high.”
Below is a video that covers the father/son team building and flying the aircraft in preparation for their flight. To donate to this very worthy cause, email Scoffell at thespitfireproject@gmail.com.
Brian Scoffell and son Stewart with their Spitfire MK 26B replica.
