Funeral held for 'Britain's oldest Spitfire pilot', 103
The family of a former RAF squadron leader who helped to found the world's largest humanitarian airline has said he left "a legacy that is something to be proud of".Jack Hemmings co-founded the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) and is believed to have been the oldest British pilot to take control of a Spitfire when he flew the aircraft at the age of 102 last year.Mr Hemmings's son, Adrian, said he was "very, very proud" of his father following his death on 24 January.Friends and family laid Mr Hemmings, from Horam, East Sussex, to rest at his funeral on Friday, 7 March.
Paying tribute to his father, Adrian Hemmings said: "One of the things he used to say was 'I can leave my troubles on the ground, when I'm up in the air in the clouds it's all down there'."He used to fly over the house and wiggle his wings. We still see him up there and imagine it's him."Mr Hemmings continued to support the work of the MAF for 80 years.
According to his son, Mr Hemmings was dubbed "Crasher Jack" after a number of crashes, including in the Second World War when he was pulled from a burning aircraft.In the 1990s he was also seriously injured when the wheel from his aircraft fell off mid-flight but despite being told by doctors that he was "unlikely to walk and certainly wouldn't fly again", he went on to do both.Jo Lamb, of the MAF, said: "To be able to step into the cockpit of the Spitfire at 102 was such an inspiring thing to do."I was so blown away by how much passion for life he had and how humble, cheeky and playful he was."He did so much for our country that we will never be able to repay."
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