Putting viewers in the cockpit of the planes that wrote history, the third series of Warplane Workshop traverses the globe to find rare aircraft and meet the people who save them. From New Zealand to the USA, the landing grounds of Normandy and the killing fields of Arnhem, its stars include two iconic Spitfires and the First World War biplane that made the first landing on an aircraft carrier at sea. In this episode, pilot and engineer Richard Grace stages a major airshow at the airfield where he's restored dozens of rare warbirds. But the crowds are unaware that he's fighting a personal battle for survival against a terminal illness. It means he may not survive to see the big day.

The makeover of an iconic Spitfire becomes unexpectedly controversial as the UK re-assesses its main military alliance. Lady Ellen III was one of dozens of RAF fighters given to the US Army Air Corps during the Second World War and emblazoned with America's stars and bars. And the restoration team discover that their Spitfire's wartime pilot was a celebrated US civil rights activist.