A 94-year-old Perthshire man has realised a dream by boarding a Spitfire aircraft he used to work on.
James Smith, from Dunning, read in The Courier that Goodwood-based Spitfires.com was bringing the iconic World War II plane to Perth Airport for pleasure flights for the first time.
For £3,300 the 30-minute experience enabled people to enjoy views of Perthshire and Fife from the cockpit – and even gave them a chance to take control of the aircraft.
And there was added poignancy for former plumber James, who was an airframe mechanic working on Spitfires while completing his National Service between 1950 and 1952.
He was even seconded to the famous 617 Squadron ‘Dambusters’ for a time.
Seventy-two years on, James, finally took off for what was a “dream come true”.
He said: “It’s thanks to The Courier – otherwise I’d have missed it,” he laughed.
“I told the family I’ve found what I want for my 95th birthday.
“The best moment was when I flew over my own village of Dunning where I live.
“I’d told neighbours to look out for me and I gave them a wave as we flew over.
“The Spitfire is an incredible piece of engineering and to experience it is beyond anything I could ever have imagined.”
It was amazing to fly Spitfire over Fife, says Burntisland man
Burntisland man Graeme Gillespie also took to the skies in a Spitfire.
As a retired engineer, Graeme’s passion and interest in all things mechanical drew him to boarding the aircraft.
The 65-year-old described the flight as “an assault on the senses”.
“You are aware of so much going on all at once,” he said.
“There’s very little room inside the cockpit and you are acutely aware of things moving around you.
“It was amazing to fly over Fife and I could clearly see all the recognisable towns like Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath.
“We were asked by RAF Leuchars if the Spitfire would do a flypast the airfield and the pilot, Neil, readily agreed.
“I must admit that was just magical as we flew over Leuchars, a place I know so well.”
It’s the first time the Spitfire flights have been conducted out of Perth Airport and they have proved a huge success for Spitfires.com.
Courier photographer Kenny Smith was also on hand to capture the best images from the special flights.
Conversation