Replica Spitfire near Southampton Airport The Supermarine Spitfire prototype (given the military serial K5054) was developed in 1936 by the manufacturer’s chief designer, RJ Mitchell in the Woolston area of Southampton; test flights were from the Eastleigh Aerodrome, now developed as Southampton Airport. This 2/3 scale replica of K5054 forms the main centrepiece of a Spitfire memorial sculpture on the roundabout at the end of Mitchell Way at the entrance to the airport. The sculpture has a wingspan of 24 feet, compared with the original 36 feet span of the aircraft and was unveiled in 2004.
