The Spitfire Mark I was a utility helicopter built in the United States in the late 1970s and intended for series production.
[4] Spitfire Helicopters' parent company, Fetsko Aviation Sales and Transportation began work on the prototype in January 1976, and on a number of pre-production aircraft in February 1977.
[4] Fetsko displayed a mockup of the concept at the National Maintenance and Operations Meeting at Reading, Pennsylvania in June 1976.
[9] Competing plans by Enstrom and Spitfire to market Polish-built Mil Mi-2 helicopters in the United States might have contributed to the friction.
[11] By that time, costs had increased from $US 165,000 expected in 1979[1] to $US 285,000[11] but Spitfire had taken deposits for 50 Mark Is, and had a firm sale for the first production aircraft.