Spitfire, the fighter plane that has been a symbol of freedom, the one that probably featured in a few of Hitler's nightmares, is ready to take off on a flight around the world. Two British aviators will take the plane for a flight on Monday.
Bought at an auction, it has been de-militarised, stripped of its guns and paintwork to reveal the shining, silvery metal underneath.
It was bought almost ten years ago by Brooks, 58, and Matt Jones, 45, who run a flight academy.
The 76-year-old plane is due to take off from Goodwood Aerodrome in England for a four-month, 43,500-kilometre (27,000-mile) adventure westwards around the globe.
"It's the most majestic machine," pilot Steve Brooks said.
"We're hoping to reacquaint people with the beauty and the aesthetic of the Spitfire." The duo plan to take the plane around 30 countries and soar over some of the world's most cherished landmarks.
"The Spitfire stands for freedom of humanity," Brooks said. Agile, short-range interceptors, Spitfires were crucial in the 1940 Battle of Britain as the UK fought off the threat of an invasion by Nazi Germany. A design classic with elliptical wings, the outline of a Spitfire is instantly recognisable.
Spitfire is the product of a British submarine company and designed by an engineer named R.J. Mitchell. Fewer than 250 from 20,000 built, survive and from those, only 50 are airworthy.
The silver plane will set off from Goodwood outside Chichester, near England's south coast and head north for Scotland.
First of the few places, the team hopes to cover is Reykjavik, Greenland and remote parts of northern Canada. The sponsor-funded expedition will then cross North America, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, in around 90 legs.
Famous sites covered by the plane will be Grand Canyon, Mount Fuji, and some of the seven wonders of the ancient world in Egypt and Greece. It will also fly over the Great Wall of China and India's pink city Jaipur.
"To see the Silver Spitfire over the Golden Gate Bridge, the Statue of Liberty or the Pyramids of Giza is just going to be fantastic," said Brooks.
The Spitfires initially entered operational service in mid-1938. The Spitfire was part of the Indian forces in the 1950s.