Into the blue

As a previous keen reader of the late Geoff Farr’s exciting flying adventures, I do miss these stories since his sad passing, so I thought I would share with Audlem Online readers my own recent adventure, actually flying a WW2 Supermarine Spitfire, a flight organised by my good lady Wife as a big present for a rather significant birthday!

My own piloting skills are limited to fast Radio-Control models, so whilst I have some knowledge, this experience was going to be massive! The flight took place from Blackpool airport (or ‘Squire’s Gate’ as it used to be known) and as a former resident of the Fylde coast as a child, this seemed ideal as I would also be able to go sightseeing in the Lake District!

The aircraft in question was MT818, the actual prototype Mk.VIII that was built in 1944 and converted by Vickers into a two-seater in 1945. It is operated by the Biggin Hill Heritage hangar ‘flyaspitfire.com' and this year it was re-painted in USAAF colours as a tribute to an American flyer based here in 1942.

After a fairly scary pilots briefing (including worst-case scenarios explaining how to bail-out of a burning Spit & open the parachute…GULP!), I met the pilot and was taken to meet the ground crew and climb aboard to be strapped in! (Getting nervous as they tightly tensioned the harnesses, bringing to mind an F1 driver before a race or even Tom Hanks in the Apollo 13 movie!)

The cameras were started & canopy slammed shut…This was my last chance to chicken-out, as once the engine fires, you are going! With a loud coughing rasp and huge spurts of flames from the 12 exhausts, the Merlin engine barked into life and we taxied away! Once at the end of the long runway, we turned around and I confirmed I was good to go, (despite grimacing at the camera in apprehension!).

The pilot smoothly opened the throttle and we charged down the runway with ease, the landing gear coming up more smoothly and quietly than expected! We headed straight towards the Blackpool south shore beach, only for the pilot to pull hard back and left into a tight banking climb that saw the speed drop from 185mph to just 135! The G-force was tremendous, probably the most I have experienced (I was later told about 3.5G) and we banked over Royal Lytham St. Annes golf course and made our way NE.

After 10 mins, the sun came out and the pilot told me to get ready to take the controls…after confirming “I have control” I took the stick of one of the most iconic aircraft of all time and to my surprise, the controls were light and it was easy to manoeuvre the plane, gently banking it from side to side! This was the stuff of dreams and my only real concern was watching out for other light aircraft, paragliders, etc.

After crossing Morecambe bay, Pilot John took back control as we headed up lake Windermere and were greeted by an almost surreal vista of the peaks of Scafell & Great Gable peaking through a thin cloud band with clear weather below & blue skies above: It reminded me of a scene from ‘Lord of the Rings’!

We banked left over Waterhead Bay, flew over the fells past Tarn Hows and down Lake Coniston with the bright sun making the Lakes look stunning! I took the control again over Grange-over Sands and again experienced the joy of schooning** the plane back and forth across Morecambe bay.

Soon we were over the North Fylde and John resumed control ready to do the highlight of the flight: Spitfire Aerobatics! (Gulp!) This involved several 280mph Victory-rolls and severe 100-degree wing-overs at about 2,500ft! (Luckily I had not yet had lunch so was never in danger of needing the provided ‘bag’ and enjoyed every second!) It is interesting to see the whole World repeatedly inverted above your head though!

Finally we banked in over Fleetwood and performed a double-circuit, saluting my late parents (who are buried in the cemetery beside the golf-course there), before roaring down the Cleveleys seafront at 225mph at 2,000ft finishing off this exhilarating ride by ‘Buzzing the Tower’ and banking hard left over the central Blackpool pier before lowering the flaps (which was like slamming on the brakes!), then gently banking around on final approach and coming in for a perfect landing (despite Blackpool’s surprisingly-bumpy runway).

The thrill of a lifetime (50mins) was finally over and after the taxi-in we got the essential photos with the wonderful aircraft, and then enjoyed a tour of the ‘Hangar 42’ Spitfire Museum (which is well worth a visit). It was one of the most memorable days of my life and for any aircraft enthusiast, it’s ‘The most fun you can have with your clothes on’!

Ed: You can see YouTube videos of Peter's amazing flight at https://youtu.be/h2wZFR6kXdU and https://youtu.be/ym2wY-r_BgY
** apparently 'schooning' means banking the plane back and forth.