Imperial War Museum, Duxford 7 June 2023. The Fighter Collection's chief pilot, Pete Kynsey, takes Gloster Gladiator Mk.II, N5903, GGLAD for a test flight, following its first flight in 6 years the day before. Engine problems had grounded the aircraft, on its way back from La Ferte Alais Airshow in France, in Summer 2017.
The purpose of this flight was to 'run in' a new set of piston rings that have been fitted to the Gladiator's Bristol Mercury Engine. Further 'test flights' were made on Tuesday 13 June and more are planned as necessary in order to get the aircraft ready for the airshow season and a planned appearance at Flying Legends Airshow at Leeds East Airport (formerly RAF Church Fenton) on 15 and 16 July.

Gladiator, N5903, was the last of 25 Mk.II aircraft built under Contract 773235/38 and delivered in 1939. It is believed that she briefly served with 141 Sqn in October 1939 at Grangemouth, west of Edinburgh, and was then allocated to the Air Ministry Development Pool as a flight trials platform in December 1939. Following this N5903 was placed in longterm storage with 27 Maintenance Unit at Shawbury in May 1940, until she moved on to 8 MU at Little Rissington in October 1943 and then subsequently to 61 Operational Training Unit at Rednal in November 1943.

N5903, along with her Shuttleworth sibling Mk.I L8032, was earmarked for meteorological survey work and returned to Gloster's at Hucclecote for conversion in January 1944. This conversion didn't happen as more modern types took on such duties instead and the two Gladiators remained unused at Hucclecote.

After the war in February 1946 famous wartime Ace and future test pilot, R. P. ‘Bee’ Beaumont, flew her on four occasions.

In 1950 the Gladiators were handed over to Air Service Training for ground instructional use with N5903 going to Ansty, near Leicester, and L8032 going to Hamble. When the Ansty School closed Viv Bellamy saw the pair on a visit to Hamble, and as an ex Fleet Air Arm Sea Gladiator pilot during the war he had an affinity with the type. He purchased both aircraft for £1 each.
He moved them to the nearby Eastleigh base of his air charter company, Flightway. It was here that the task of getting one of the Gladiators back into airworthy condition, unfortunately N5903 was chosen as the donor aircraft in favour of L8032, even giving up her Bristol Mercury VIII engine that had just eight hours logged since being installed.

N5903 was used for spares to support the successful rebuild of L8032, which flew again in 1952. N5903 remained hangared, until both aircraft were sold back to Gloster's for £50 and L8032 attended displays across the UK for the next few years. It is assumed N5903 accompanied L8032 when she was presented to the Shuttleworth Trust in 1960. In 1971, N5903 was loaned by the Shuttleworth Trust to the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton. She was in a sad state when she arrived, with no engine, propeller, or spinner.

Following refurbishment work N5903 was placed on museum display in 1978 at Yeovilton in a spurious Fleet Air Arm colour scheme as Sea Gladiator N2276, complete with a dummy arrestor hook under the rear fuselage, wooden flaps and a glassfibre spinner.

Following purchase from the Shuttleworth Collection the Gladiator joined The Fighter Collection fleet in 1994, arriving by road at Duxford from Yeovilton on December 1. By 2004 restoration of N5903 was progressing, following concerted efforts by the TFC Engineering Team and contracting out of the fuselage woodwork to Skysport Engineering. In 2006 the rebuilt wings were trialfitted to the fuselage. 2007 saw the fabric work completed by Vintage Fabrics, who also applied the 72 Squadron colours worn today. 72 Squadron was the first frontline RAF squadron to be equipped with Gladiators at Hornchurch, Essex in March 1937. In addition to these markings N5903 also wears the blue fin and forward tailplanes of the personal aircraft of the ‘B’ Flight commander. By late 2007 the recovered and painted wings were refitted permanently.

The first post restoration flight was on Thursday 10th July 2008, with TFC Chief Pilot Pete Kynsey. On Sunday 13 July N5903 taxied out and took off for a test flight during the Flying Legends Airshow.. Unfortunately due to a number of factors these were the only flights N5903 undertook and she was returned to the hangar. Over the next few years she underwent some minor work which culminated in another test flight on Wednesday 1st May, 2013. Since then N5903 became a popular performer at airshows, until an engine problem grounded her during summer 2017. She now flies once again.

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