Today in History: 1936
First public appearance of the Spitfire prototype at Royal Air Force Pageant, Hendon
About efcskipper
I can well remember being asked at age 8 what I wanted to be when I grew up. A pilot of course!
I was not unusual (being an Army brat) to have all kinds of military pictures on my walls but my most favourite picture was of RAF Phantom's flying in close formation. That’s what I wanted to do. So I strapped on my cardboard wings and plummeted off our brick outhouse roof. I learned well that day that gravity does indeed suck!
I was told that 16 years old and I was too stupid to be a pilot, so I took up parachuting instead, at least I was close to an aeroplane if only briefly! I then went on to fly hang gliders, microlights , paragliders, paramotors I even had a go at hot air ballooning and gliding. Finally I gained my private pilot's licence. Something I should have done years before.
Why I got involved:
I came to own Enstone Flying Club by accident, but have loved every day for the seven years I have been here. A bit of a change for me after 28 years in the entrainment industry, mainly on the technical side and ending up in sales and marketing.
The Spitfire project came about after discussions with my business coach on how to get more people to come to Enstone. From those humble beginnings it has grown into a fabulous and enormous project and I can’t wait to see our first Spitfire fly.
I have this vision of the full squadron scramble with a formation take off that runs around my head in an endless loop....magic.
What I am looking forward to the most:
For me it has to be seeing the whole squadron on a bright summer’s day, one of those great days where the skylarks fly high into the blue until disturbed by the roar of the squadron as it arrives back from a display, each aircraft taxiing back to the top lawn at Enstone. Every aircraft is greeted by its expectant ground crew, fussing over each Spit like mother hens. Pilots being welcomed home by their loved ones, kids getting their chance to sit in the aircraft. Stories in the bar, the listening audience are held spell bound by the account of the days sorties.
I shall sit, watch, listen and relive my own flight.... looking out to see the whole squadron spread out before me, just above the broken cloud where the sky is so brilliant a blue, it hurts your eyes. Squadron banter on the radio before we run in for our first display...fabulous.
supermarine spitfire 