Its costing me an arm and a leg .. but you can't take it with you and I'd hate to be 10 years from now with some chronic disease wishing I'd done it when I was 65 .... so I AM doing it when I'm 65
Last wednesday (12th) I flew in ML407 with the pilot Jon Gowdy
How the day went ....
A weigh in and measure (15st 2lb in ALL my clothes - chuffed with that) Flight suit, gloves and helmet A 1/2 hour briefing with Carolyn Grace at the cockpit covering EVERYTHING... It was a privilage and an honour to even meet Carolyn Grace
I was the last flight of the day but that turned out to be a huge benefit as the weather just got better and better and we saw some amazing members of the Air Leasing Fleet during the day as 2 seat ‘Contrary Mary’ Mustang came out for flights... and the 2 seat Buchon.
The Spitfire flight before me got the benefit of a 3 ship formation and flyby - all 3 two seaters...
But I was lucky enough to have a 2 ship with the Buchon on our right quarter ... so close I felt I could touch it .. flown by Carolyn's son Richard Grace.
The start up is incredible .. the whole thing shakes and quivers and you can ‘feel’ the power .. and the noise is spine tingling .. oh and the gorgeous smell ...
Full power on the runway is just SOMETHING ELSE it just wants to fly ..we were up in what felt like 20 yards!!!
The pilot was Jon Gowdy - it transpred that my great friend of 50 years Chris Jarman has a son Will who is the same age as my son - and Will worked with Jon Gowdy at Air Atlantique years ago - so it was a bonus to have Will ‘in common’ ...
Jom was brilliant - he talked all the time - explaining things as we went ..
Got to 3000ft and he let me fly it .. we had fluffy small white clouds all around us and he encouraged me to fly in and out and around them ... I was ASTOUNDED how little you have to move the stick to get quite a steep turn ... maybe 1cm in roll and only 2/3mm in pitch and the aileron deflection is tiny ..
Then he did the aerobatics I requested .. it was EFFORTLESS.. he got me to climb to 4500ft then he took over and did huge steep wing overs .. a full loop and a Cuban 8 and the obligatory victory roll ... all amazing and the Spit does them with consummate ease ..
Then we heard the Buchon call us and ask for a join up and he came up from below and formatted to the right and we flew in formation - then swept across the field at an angle .. then he broke off and we got an ‘extra’ 5 mins flying whilst the Buchon landed and cleared the runway ...
All in all a stunning experience...I shall remember for ever ... and not a crappy Vickers canopy in sight
I've got the in cockpit DVD now ... Here's a couple of stills ...
Inverted in a Loop ... yes I know it should be the other way up as a still from the camera - but this is more fun
And here is the Buchon joining us - top left corner sliding in to formation - when he's actually in formation the in cockpit camera can't see him as he's FAR too close
I have sought and been given permission to show my Spitfire flight in cockpit video in its entirety ....
My pilot Jon Gowdy speaks to me all the time explaining everything he's doing and making the whole thing so much more fun.
I have also added text to the footage to explain things as they happen ...
So if you have a spare 43 minutes [chock to chock plus a ground shot of start up and the flyby with the Buchon stitched in] ... here it is ...
The experience is one that I shall never ever forget and will relive a thousand fold in my memory. A flight as a passenger in ML407 is an experience beyond words
My grateful thanks for extreme kindness and faultless hospitality go to Carolyn Grace for making this such an extra special day and for ‘lending’ me her Spitfire for a short while.
To Sophie and everyone else in the team a huge thank you too - nothing was too much trouble.
Finally to my pilot Jon Gowdy .. what can I say ... except the biggest of all thank yous for your care and utter professionalism in making this all so very special for me.
I cannot praise the experience of a flight in this family owned Spitfire enough - very special and personal
Sooty655 wrote:Shouldn't this video come with a "May contain excessive grinning" warning?
Looks like you rather enjoyed yourself.
Understatement of the century - a lifetime experience of every conceivable kind .... And boy I loved those aerobatics ... and the 109 join up ... oh and flying it myself ...
by 
