PILOTS Steve Bridgewater and Louise Walker plan to take off early tomorrow in an attempt to visit as many former Spitfire airfields as possible over the course of a day.

The Dawn to Dusk Spitfire Challenge is due to begin at around 4.30am at Oxford Airport and end at around 9.30pm.

The pair hope to visit the following airfields: Oxford, Lyneham, Exeter, Southampton, Cardiff, Cosford, Woodvale, Blackpool, Sherburn in Elmet, Church Fenton, Hucknall, Coningsby, Wittering, Coltishall, Duxford, Fowlmere, Cambridge, North Weald, Southend, Biggin Hill, Manston, Headcorn, Goodwood, Little Rissington.

The event, supported by Spitfire Premium Kentish Ale, marks the 70th anniversary of the Spitfire and is aimed at supporting the charity Flying Scholarship for the Disabled.

The charity, inspired by the indomitable spirit of wartime flying ace Douglas Bader, helps disabled people discover their true potential through the mental and physical stimulation of learning to fly a light aircraft.

Scholarship students complete a six-week residential training course in South Africa, which includes 40 hours of airborne tuition and ground school.

Scholarships also take place in the UK where students take a one-week course involving 10 hours of airborne tuition and ground school.

More than 250 disabled people have participated so far. Several are paraplegic and others suffer from cerebral palsy, MS, ME, spina bifida and poliomyelitis.

Challenge pilot and deputy editor of Today’s Pilot Magazine, Steve Bridgewater, said: “The weather looks good and our months of preparation and planning mean we’ll be setting off at first light tomorrow.

“Supporters can monitor our progress on the internet thanks to Skytrax, on online GPS system linked up to our website www.spitfireD2Dchallenge.co.uk.”