A Spitfire that flew combat missions with the Royal Canadian Air Force before being shot down during the Battle of the Bulge is beginning a new chapter in Australia. Fighter Pilot Adventure Flights, based at Archerfield Airport in Queensland, announced its acquisition of Spitfire MJ444, known as Lady Luck, on May 16, 2026. Rebuilt in a two-seat configuration, the aircraft is being promoted for passenger flights from Watts Bridge Memorial Airfield in the Brisbane Valley.
(Image credit: Fighter Pilot Adventure Flights)
MJ444 returned to the skies at Duxford, England, on June 6, 2024, following a restoration by the Aircraft Restoration Company (ARCo). Its first post-restoration flight coincided with the 80th anniversary of D-Day, an appropriate milestone for an aircraft whose history is closely connected to the Canadian fighter squadrons that supported the Allied advance across Europe. Built at Castle Bromwich in 1943, MJ444 joined No. 411 Squadron RCAF on September 21, 1944, before transferring to No. 403 Squadron. Among its pilots with the latter unit were Flying Officers Mac Reeves and Stephen Butte DFC. The squadron formed part of No. 127 Wing, led by Wing Commander James Edgar “Johnnie” Johnson. On December 14, 1944, MJ444 transferred to No. 443 Squadron RCAF at Advanced Landing Ground B.56, Evere, Belgium. Its pilots there included Pilot Officer P.C. Gomm and Flight Lieutenant Edmund Harold “Hal” Fairfield. Within a month, Fairfield would become the last pilot to fly the aircraft during its wartime career. Fairfield, from Cardinal, Ontario, had previously flown Hawker Hurricanes with No. 129 Squadron RCAF from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. He subsequently joined No. 127 Squadron at Gander, Newfoundland, flying coastal patrols before traveling to Britain with the unit aboard SS Pasteur in January 1944. In England, the squadron was renumbered No. 443 Squadron and prepared for operations over occupied Europe. During the Normandy invasion, Fairfield and his fellow pilots helped protect the skies over Juno Beach. By the following winter, the squadron was operating from Belgium, supporting Allied ground forces as the fighting continued toward Germany.
On January 13, 1945, Fairfield flew MJ444 on a ground-attack sortie near St. Vith during the Battle of the Bulge. His formation reportedly destroyed five enemy vehicles and damaged another 25. During the return flight, however, the Spitfire began losing engine coolant, apparently after sustaining ground fire. Squadron Leader Thomas Decourcy noticed the escaping coolant and alerted Fairfield. The Canadian pilot kept the damaged fighter airborne long enough to cross back over friendly territory, but an engine fire eventually forced him to bail out. Fairfield survived, although his parachute caught in a tree. A local farmer brought a ladder and helped him down, and an American soldier subsequently returned him to base by jeep. MJ444 crashed into the Belgian countryside, where its remains stayed buried for decades.
Fairfield survived WWII and married his wartime sweetheart, Sylvia Gething, who had served with the Women’s Royal Naval Service at the Admiralty Signals and Radar Establishment in Haslemere, Surrey. They settled in Canada and raised four children. The restoration of MJ444 brought renewed attention to his service and the experiences of the other Canadian airmen who flew the aircraft.
Recovered in 2020, the surviving wreckage provided the basis for a substantial reconstruction commissioned by Aero Legends. Aircraft Restoration Company led the project at Duxford, converting the former single-seat fighter into a two-seat, dual-control Spitfire T.9. Airframe Assemblies supplied major structural components, while Aero Legends’ engineering division, Vintage Aero, contributed to the rebuild. ARCo lists the completed aircraft among its 2024 restoration projects.
(Image credit: Fighter Pilot Adventure Flights)
For Fighter Pilot Adventure Flights, Lady Luck adds a two-seat Spitfire to an operation that also offers flights in aircraft including the P-51 Mustang, L-39 Albatros, Harvard, and Yak-52. The company operates from Archerfield and Watts Bridge, both airfields with WWII connections. The planned Spitfire experience places passengers in the rear cockpit for a flight over the Brisbane Valley, with any more dynamic maneuvering at the pilot’s discretion. The company currently lists its “Lady Luck Legacy Spitfire Flight” at approximately 25 minutes, with prices starting at A$4,950. Its website also retains wording anticipating the aircraft’s arrival, so prospective passengers should contact the operator for confirmed operating dates and availability. From combat operations over Belgium to a painstaking rebuild at Duxford, MJ444’s history now extends to Queensland, where passenger flights will introduce another audience to the Spitfire and the Canadian pilots who once flew it in wartime. For flight information and booking inquiries, visit Fighter Pilot Adventure Flights.
(Image credit: Fighter Pilot Adventure Flights)
