Community Snapshot: From Start To Finish, RTC Students Restore Spitfire Replica

Over the past several months, eight second-year students enrolled in the Automotive Training program worked on a unique project that no other RTC students have done before.

This week they unveiled the fruit of their labors: a restored full-scale replica of a WWII Spitfire Mark 9 airplane.

In the Automotive Training program’s 30-some years, no student has had the opportunity to paint an airplane, although several have gone on to paint planes at Boeing, said instructor Brad Slayton.

These students can now point to this project as an example of what they are able to do, he said, adding it’ll be a great example to show possible employers.

The plane will stay in the area, and eventually be on display at the Olympic Flight Museum in Tumwater.

Doug Wilson, the plane’s owner, and self described “Spitfire enthusiast” will add a few finishing touches to the replica before it goes on display, although he confessed that most of those details are so minor that the average person might not even notice.

The restoration wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work and skill of the students and staff at Renton Technical College, Wilson said.

“They’ve done a marvelous job.”