{"id":3901,"date":"2021-09-04T09:17:03","date_gmt":"2021-09-04T08:17:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=3901"},"modified":"2021-09-11T10:12:48","modified_gmt":"2021-09-11T09:12:48","slug":"head-in-the-clouds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/?p=3901","title":{"rendered":"Head in the Clouds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

To leaven recent Arsenal-related gloom and current Interlull-imposed ennui, Goonerholics Forever is delighted to publish a special report through which our very own TTG shares a special occasion with which he marked his coming of age. Many happy returns, mate.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back in January during the lockdown I reached my three score years and ten. It was a frustrating time and Zoom was the only link with loved ones whom we had already missed seeing at Christmas, but on my birthday morning I was delighted to open a very precious and expensive present from the family which was a flight in a Spitfire from Biggin Hill. This flight actually took place last Sunday and was an extraordinary event. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I need to preface my account of it with a little bit of background. I am not heavily into the technical aspects of planes although I estimate over the years I\u2019ve probably flown on commercial airlines about 1500 times. I\u2019ve done very little \u2018proper\u2019 flying in small planes – a helicopter flight around New York in the eighties, a couple of flights in North America in very light aircraft and a trip in a Dakota from Duxford many years ago. However, I\u2019ve always had enormous respect for the Spitfire and the men who flew them, partly because my Dad revered them. He had cause for feeling that because he was at Dunkirk and said some incredible Spitfire pilots held the Luftwaffe off as our forces queued in the water to board any vessel they could to get home (there is controversy about the extent of the role Spitfires played in the evacuation of Dunkirk but he was adamant about the part they played). Every time they flew over when I was a boy he would always nod to them in great respect<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cThose planes helped us win the war, son,\u201d he said, referring especially to the job they did in the Battle of Britain. I don\u2019t think many people would challenge that point of view. Sadly, they were piloted mainly by young lads not yet out of their teenage years most of whom perished within weeks of learning to fly them. I read somewhere that the average expectation of life of a Spitfire pilot in the Battle of Britain was around three weeks – heroes all! Yet what an extraordinary waste of fine and immensely brave young men!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of us recognise the iconic status of the plane designed in the late 1930s by Mitchell and which eventually became the stock aircraft of RAF Fighter Command as the war unfolded. Its elliptical wing design is familiar to so many people, many of whom (myself included) built Airfix kits of them as young children. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I booked a flight for late August hopefully to guarantee better weather and above all, better visibility. I was able to bring my immediate family and as the day grew near my enthusiasm increased. Several friends suggested I must be mad and reading the literature which they send you I began to see why they might think that. They emphasised the high risk of flying in an eighty-year old aircraft, of relying on a pilot who might peg out on you and the possibility of mid-air collision in uncontrolled air space. I began to wonder if Mrs TTG had an ulterior motive and whether she had upped the coverage on our life insurance!  But frankly I couldn\u2019t wait to do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The family joined me to travel to Biggin Hill and as I went through the pre-flight checks, Mrs TTG thought it would be a very nice idea to hire what they call the AirVan to fly alongside for part of the time. My son-in-law leapt at the chance and one grandson decided it was far too cool an opportunity to miss. They are Tottenham fans so this would be the highlight of their year! My daughter only flies in large planes in extremis<\/em> (or family holidays) so she declined and my youngest grandson kept her company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had a chance to chat through the itinerary with my pilot who was ex-Red Arrows, who explained that even if the engine failed we could glide down with no problem – reassuring that! I kitted up in a fetching flying suit, was weighed to ensure I was under 17 stone (smashed it!) and was strapped into my parachute and shown emergency exit drill and the location of my sick bag if needed. Thankfully it was redundant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we taxied out to the runway I did start to wonder if this was as good an idea as I had originally thought! You are in an elevated cockpit with a Perspex screen and space is at a premium. Anyone with a waist much beyond 40 inches would struggle to fit into the cockpit. I never worry in the slightest about commercial flying, in fact most flights don\u2019t register with me but I suddenly realised this was the point of no return. But it was also time to man up. Teenagers died for our country in these machines. I was taking a short pleasure flight. It was time to go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The AirVan left first and then that evocative sound of the Spitfire firing up started. The take-off is quick and thrilling and you are aware of having much greater visibility all around than you do on a normal scheduled flight Our highest altitude was only about 1000 feet so you see an awful lot of detail on the ground, traffic, landmarks, golf courses and ladies sunbathing topless across the Kentish Weald (or did I imagine that?) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We banked around the AirVan and then peeled away. My wife said it was an extraordinarily evocative sight and it certainly was different to anything I\u2019ve experienced on an aircraft before. I was concerned about touching the joystick in front of me. You\u2019ve little room to manoeuvre and when you turn rapidly it\u2019s quite disorientating for a few seconds. Some planes did some serious aerobatics. We did a few but mainly very sharp turns. I had no wish to take the controls and chose not to do a Victory Roll which although the classic Spitfire manoeuvre looked a somersault too far for me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We crossed the Sevenoaks Weald, flying over where my parents lived for twenty-five years. Visibility improved during the flight and while the plane does not progress at that height as smoothly as a bigger airliner it was a pleasant flight in good conditions. There is vibration but it is not unpleasant or too powerful. Banking in a Spitfire is an incredible experience as you drift away at a 90-degree angle and scythe through the wispy threads of cloud. I found myself wondering how eighty years ago boys could pilot these wonderful planes back from missions at which they had taken down the Luftwaffe and had returned to base not knowing if they would ever reunite with their best mates again. It was a deep and troubling thought and I was brought back to reality by my pilot informing me that we would be landing in two minutes and after a couple of adjustments to line up with the airfield and the runway he put the plane down as gently as a feather. As someone who once carried out a perfect landing in the flight simulator at Gatwick in heavy cobblestone turbulence I felt he would appreciate my professional approval! My flight was over and the eighty-year old aircraft had returned me safely to base. Mrs TTG was ripping up the insurance policy as I arrived back at the terminal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Time for photos, checks on videos which are taken automatically and the presentation of my flight certificate. We also went to the hangars to see Spitfires and Hurricanes and the odd Messerschmitt being renovated and serviced. I\u2019m not mechanically inclined but there is a real beauty about the intricacy of their engines and bodywork. It\u2019s an impressive operation, slickly put together and with a compelling central proposition.  I\u2019m so glad I did it but I have got it out of my system now and won\u2019t be going back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m sorry my Dad wasn\u2019t alive to see me do it. He would definitely have reminded me how brave and brilliant those young Spitfire heroes were. Their memories still resonate strongly around a Kent airfield, from which many flew to their deaths. The ultimate sacrifice – but one that helped us to remain free and which will never be forgotten \u2014 and neither should it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An ordinary Sunday afternoon represented an extraordinary experience for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To leaven recent Arsenal-related gloom and current Interlull-imposed ennui, Goonerholics Forever is delighted to publish a special report through which our very own TTG shares a special occasion with which he marked his coming of age. Many happy returns, mate. Back in January during the lockdown I reached my three score years and ten. It […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3901"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3901"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3901\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3933,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3901\/revisions\/3933"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goonerholicsforever.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}