{"id":2905,"date":"2026-06-03T12:24:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T11:24:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/?p=2905"},"modified":"2026-06-03T12:24:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T11:24:19","slug":"spitfire-mk-xvi-sl721","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/en\/spitfire-mk-xvi-sl721\/","title":{"rendered":"Spitfire Mk XVI SL721"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A living legend of the skies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An iconic symbol of the Second World War, the Supermarine Spitfire remains one of the most famous aircraft in aviation history. The Mk XVI version, an evolution of the legendary British fighter, retains the elegance and performance that made this aircraft so renowned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A remarkable historical heritage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Built towards the end of the conflict, the Spitfire Mk XVI is notably fitted with a Merlin engine produced under license in the United States and features an improved canopy providing better visibility. Today, preserved in airworthy condition, SL721 keeps alive the memory of the pilots and missions of its era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">In flight at the BAF Days<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Spitfire Mk XVI SL721 will perform a flying display at the BAF Days. Its presence is always a highlight, giving spectators the chance to admire this legendary aircraft in action and to hear the unmistakable sound of its engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A timeless silhouette<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With its distinctive elliptical wings and graceful lines, the Spitfire is instantly recognizable. Its elegance in flight and rich history make it a firm favorite at airshows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A heritage still flying<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More than just an aircraft, the Spitfire represents an entire chapter of aviation history. Thanks to passionate owners and restoration teams, examples like SL721 continue to fly today, preserving this unique heritage for future generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"2907\" src=\"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/peter-van-loey-dsc8870-1600-1600-80-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2907\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/peter-van-loey-dsc8870-1600-1600-80-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/peter-van-loey-dsc8870-1600-1600-80-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/peter-van-loey-dsc8870-1600-1600-80-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/peter-van-loey-dsc8870-1600-1600-80-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/peter-van-loey-dsc8870-1600-1600-80-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/peter-van-loey-dsc8870-1600-1600-80.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"2908\" src=\"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SL721-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2908\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SL721-5.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SL721-5-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SL721-5-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/SL721-5-18x12.jpg 18w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u00a9 Mario-Jamers \/ Peter-Van-Loey <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Une l\u00e9gende vivante des airs Symbole embl\u00e9matique de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, le Supermarine Spitfire reste l\u2019un des avions les plus c\u00e9l\u00e8bres de l\u2019histoire de l\u2019aviation. La version Mk XVI, \u00e9volution du mythique chasseur britannique, conserve l\u2019\u00e9l\u00e9gance et les performances qui ont fait la r\u00e9putation de cet appareil l\u00e9gendaire. Un h\u00e9ritage historique exceptionnel Construit \u00e0 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2906,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"saved_in_kubio":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[105],"tags":[72],"class_list":["post-2905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spitfire-mk-xvi","tag-baf-days-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2905"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2905\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2909,"href":"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2905\/revisions\/2909"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.belgianairforcedays.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}