Hero of skies once more… at 94! Dambuster fulfils dream to fly in Spitfire
He is no stranger to famous planes, having worked as an airframe mechanic which included a stint with the legendary 617 ‘Dambusters’ Squadron.
However, James Smith had never flown in his favourite, the iconic Spitfire, until finally achieving his dream last week – at the age of 94.
And the pensioner, whose dramatic 30-minute sortie over Perthshire included a swoop over his home village, was not disappointed, describing the experience as ‘beyond anything’ he could have imagined.
Taking off from Scone Airport, the first time that Spitfire ML-295 has flown from a Scottish airfield, he said: ‘I told the family I’d found what I want for my 95th birthday which will be in October – and that was to fly in a Spitfire.
‘The best moment was when I flew over my own village of Dunning. I’d told neighbours to look out for me and I gave them a wave as we flew over.
James Smith gets ready for take-off at Scone Airport
‘The Spitfire is an incredible piece of engineering and to experience it is beyond anything I could ever have imagined. I trained with Spitfires and flew in aircraft such as Canberras and Lincolns, but this was the first time I have actually flown in a Spitfire.
‘Some would say I have left it late, but it has been quite unbelievable, an experience never to be forgotten for anyone who is lucky enough to fly in one of these.’
Mr Smith, who completed his RAF National Service 72 years ago, was watched by three generations of his family, including great-granddaughters Georgia, four, and Pippa, two, in what he said was ‘a dream come true’.
He was one of a small number of enthusiasts to take to the skies above Scone in the aircraft viewed as an icon of British aviation and which, to many, will always be the ultimate fighter plane.
The adventure does not come cheap, with the price of around £3,000 for half an hour working out at an eye-watering £100 per adrenaline-filled minute.
The price reflects the Spitfire’s running and maintenance costs, ML-295 itself having recently undergone a £350,000 engine overhaul. Another participant, Derek Darnell, of Muir of Ord in Ross-shire, enjoyed the experience as a treat on his 69th birthday.
‘I feel like I left my stomach behind at one point but to fly in a Spitfire, to experience its speed and agility, is an unbelievable feeling,’ he said.
A third to enjoy a flight, Mark Newbold, whose wife Terri planned it as a 60th birthday gift for him, said: ‘It’s quite difficult to put into words how special it is.
‘The passenger cockpit, just behind the pilot, is very tight, and the aircraft achieves such an amazing speed, that it is just the most incredible feeling to be up there in this most historic of aeroplanes.’
The Supermarine Spitfire was a short-range high-performance fighter conceived by designer Reginald ‘RJ’ Mitchell and introduced shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War.
The aircraft would go on to play a key role during the conflict, in particular during the Battle of Britain in 1940, where Spitfires and their fearless pilots engaged and fought off the Luftwaffe’s Messerschmitt 109s.
Huge demand for Spitfires led to over 20,000 being produced but, more than 80 years on, only around 60 remain airworthy.
A trio of the preserved and restored aircraft have been returned to airworthiness by enthusiasts behind last week’s sorties in Perth, with more flights planned at the airfield soon.
Spitfire ML-295 high above the Perthshire countryside
Mark Hillier, the Spitfire Academy’s director of operations, said: ‘It’s a brutal aircraft, a proper fighter plane, and it performs like one. It is part of the British psyche really, so it’s a very special thing to be able to fly in one.
‘Some people want photographs, some people want aerobatics,
and some people just want to fly in a Spitfire, so we try to give them what they are looking for. This is our first time in Scotland and to fly this aircraft in such beautiful surroundings is very memorable indeed.’
At Scone Airport, the Spitfire stands out among the dozens of aircraft kept there, its sleek design still potent-looking 80 years after it came off the production line at Castle Bromwich in the Midlands.
Speaking after his emotional flight, Mr Smith said: ‘I did my National Service in the RAF from 1950 to 1952 and had a lot of experience working with Spitfires.
‘I was stationed at St Athan, in Wales, and there were many aircraft types there, but the Spitfire always stood out as something special. It has been an incredible experience to finally fly in one.’
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