08-05-2025
EXCLUSIVE The Spitfire was the iconic plane that helped Britain win WWII. Now as the nation remembers the defeat of Hitler 80 years ago, HARRY HOWARD finds out first-hand what made it so formidable
It was the plane that pilots 'put on' rather than flew; the beautiful beast that left even the Germans waxing lyrical.
If you ask people today what typified British defiance the most in the Second World War, many of them will tell you it was the Spitfire.
So when I got the chance to take to the skies in one - and even briefly take control - on a sunny morning in March, I knew that this would be the experience of a lifetime.
Today, as Britain marks the 80th anniversary of VE Day, we are rightly remembering the men and women who gave their lives in the fight against Nazi tyranny.
But it was specifically the bravery of 'The Few' - those young pilots who kept Hitler at bay during the Battle of Britain in 1940 - who I had in mind as I was flown above Cambridgeshire by a former Red Bull Air Race champion.
And the fact that we were flying from the historic Duxford Aerodrome - the wartime home of the Spitfire that is now a popular Imperial War Museum site - made it even more fitting.
Less then two weeks later, news of the death of the last surviving Battle of Britain pilot, 105-year-old John Paddy Hemingway, was broken by the Daily Mail.
Like many other pilots, Mr Hemingway flew both the Spitfire and its great wartime counterpart, the Hurricane.
The debate about which aircraft was more consequential continues to rage.
But none of that drama was on my mind as I arrived at Duxford with my brilliant colleagues, videographer Amogh George and photographer Nick Edwards.
How YOU can see Spitfires in action at the Imperial War Museum's upcoming air shows
In June, Spitfires are set to feature at Duxford's summer airshow alongside other Second World War-era planes, including the Hurricane and Lancaster bomber.
The RAF's Red Arrows display team and modern Typhoon fighter jets will also fly at the event, which last year attracted around 40,000 visitors.
Yet more historic aircraft will feature at the Battle of Britain airshow in September.
Adam Kendall, head of commercial services at Duxford, told MailOnline: 'We see ourselves as the home of the Spitfire, we took the first operational delivery in the 1930s.
'The Spitfire is synonymous with the Battle of Britain, it's something people can immediately recognise.
'Every year, we try and put on a large formation of Spitfires and Hurricanes. When you see 16 or 17 mostly Spitfires and Hurricanes flying together, it is so emotional.
'With the very sad passing of the last Battle of Britain pilot fairly recently, this event becomes even more poignant.
'It's even more important that we are letting people see and feel and witness what it was like to fly those aircraft.'
More details about the Duxford Summer Air Show, which takes place on the weekend of June 21-22, can be found at
Having been whisked through to the hangar run by experience provider Aerial Collective, I was given a safety briefing by the company's ground operations manager, 56-year-old Lisa Parnell.
She has worked for parent firm the Aircraft Restoration Company (ARco) since the late 1980s.
'It's a really special job,' she told me.
'People who come here are here because they want to be here. They have grown up making little models or sticking them on their walls or their dad flying them.
Lisa, who is a qualified pilot herself, helps to maintain aircraft alongside her main role of overseeing customer flights.
She was reassuringly calm as she explained the risks involved in flying Second World War-era aircraft.
In short, the chances of something going wrong are significantly higher than your average commercial flight.
That fact was evidenced only days ago when a war-era Spitfire made an emergency landing in a field in West Hythe, Kent after losing power.
As scenes of disaster flashed through my mind, I was told I did not need to worry. My parachute would be strapped to me.
If something were to go wrong and an emergency landing was not possible, I just needed to open the canopy, jump out and pull the metal rings on my chest. Simple.
Briefing concluded, I was led outside to the waiting beast - the majestic PT462, a Mark IX Spitfire that saw action in Italy and elsewhere in the latter part of the war.
Seeing it shining in the colours of hero fighter ace Brian Lane, who was killed on a mission in 1942, it was hard to imagine that PT462 was once left to rot on a rubbish dump in Israel.
After being rescued in the 1980s, it was converted to a two-seater by plane-obsessed builder Charles Church so it could ferry nervous passengers like me into the air.
Church would be killed in a crash in a different Spitfire in 1989.
You might think that tragedy was not a great omen for me, but I knew I was in safe hands with my pilot, 60-year-old Paul Bonhomme.
As well as having been a Red Bull Air Race champion, he was for decades as a commercial pilot for British Airways and has been flying planes since he was a teenager.
Famous RAF fighter pilots Brian Lane (left) and Douglas Bader, who flew despite having lost his legs in an accident
He first piloted a Spitfire 34 years ago, before I was born.
'This is not my quote, I am pinching this off a Second World War pilot, but famously, you put a Spitfire on, you wear it, you don't climb in and fly [one],' he told me.
The remarkable story of Spitfire PT462
PT462, a Mark IX Spitfire, saw action in the Second World War from 1944 onwards.
It is known to have flown with the South African air force in Italy in November 1944 and was then transferred back to the RAF in early 1945.
It is believed to have spent time in 73 and 326 Squadrons and then moved back to its original home, 253 Squadron.
With the war in Europe in its final chapter, PT462 was largely restricted to reconnaissance and the strafing of targets, instead of thrilling but deadly dogfights.
When 253 Squadron disbanded in 1947, PT462 was sold to the Italian air force.
It changed hands again in April 1952 when it was bought by the Israeli air force.
After Israel's fleet of Spitfire's were retired in 1956, PT462 fell into disrepair and eventually ended up in a rubbish dump.
The plane was rescued by vintage aircraft enthusiast and racing driver Robs Lamplough, who brought it back to the UK in 1983.
By then, all that remained of the plane was its propeller hub, engine and front fuselage.
In 1984, the project was sold to builder Charles Church, who oversaw the rebuild of PT462 back to flying condition and its conversion to a two-seater.
When Church was killed in a crash in another of his Spitfires in 1989, PT462 was sold to owners in Florida.
The plane flew extensively before being bought by another UK businessman in 1998.
On its return to the UK, the plane was maintained by the Aircraft Restoration Company (ARCo)
PT462 was sold to ARCo in 2017. The plane now spends its days taking paying passengers into the air from Duxford, via ARCo's experience provider Aerial Collective.
'I consider it an immense privilege to be able to fly these aeroplanes.
'When you consider the history and what they stand for and why you and I are standing here speaking English, for me it is really important that we remember what these people did 80 years ago.'
After donning my flying suit, I gingerly climbed into the snug cockpit.
I could feel the sense of excitement – and mild trepidation – building as I was shown how to use my parachute and to open and close the canopy.
Lisa pointed out that my sick bag, should I need it, was in my pocket.
Onto my head went the vintage flying helmet, complete with retro goggles and a not so retro headset that I would use to communicate with Paul.
Soon, the roaring sound of PT462's V12, supercharged Rolls-Royce engine was filling my ears.
As we taxied towards the runway, I could not help but remark at how privileged I felt at being able to do something that very few people get to do.
'Bizarrely, I'm the same,' Paul said over the crackling headset. 'Although I've been doing it for a while, it is still incredibly special.'
A 20-minute flight like the one I was about to enjoy will set you back just under £3,000 with Aerial Collective.
So I felt slightly guilty that it was only because of my status as a journalist that I was getting to have the experience of a lifetime.
Once we were on the runway, it was chocks away. After a blast of the throttle from Paul, we were in the air in little more than ten seconds.
Below me, the gaggle of early Duxford visitors who had gathered to watch quickly became pinpricks.
Once we had gained some altitude, Paul set about explaining just how remarkably agile our plane was.
Telling me to put my hands and feet on the controls, he said it would take 'just a squeeze' to move the aircraft.
His words echoed those of wartime ace George Unwin, who later recalled how the Spitfire was 'so sensitive on the controls.'
'There was no heaving or pulling or pushing and kicking. You breathed on it.'
'If you wanted to turn, you just moved your hands slowly and she went. She was really the perfect flying machine. I've never flown anything sweeter.'
Even German pilots were grudgingly praiseworthy, with one saying: 'The bastards make such infernally tight turns. There seems no way of nailing them.'
With those comments in mind, I asked Paul if this was his favourite plane to fly.
'I must admit I always say my favourite aircraft is the one I'm in at the time. And then I don't feel I am upsetting any aeroplane,' he said, diplomatically.
Although capable of flying at more than 400mph, PT462 'rarely goes there' because of the need to protect the precious air frame, Paul explained.
Looking at the dials, I could see we were doing just over 200mph. It was therefore the perfect moment for me to 'have a go'.
Under Paul's calm guidance, I did some light turns to the left and right. He then got me to 'dive' down and then squeeze back on the stick to gain height.
As the G forces piled into me and we reached a speed of just under 300mph, I felt a creeping sense of nausea.
Catastrophic visions of me throwing up all over the cockpit filled my mind and I rather pathetically told him that it was 'almost on my limit'.
'Oh, was it?', said the champion air racer with thousands of hours of flight experience under his belt.
Now was the time for Paul to show me the Spitfire's remarkable versatility. As he started to bring the speed down, he asked me at what point the wing would 'stop working'.
I made a wild guess that proved to be correct: 80mph. When it did hit that figure, the plane just juddered and 'gurgled', telling us it was not happy.
Having restored the throttle, Paul told me that, if I was 'happy', we would do a 'gentle roll'. 'I think you'll love it', he said cheerfully.
Despite admitting that I was now feeling rather dodgy, I agreed that we should make the most of our time in the air.
'I think you'll be amazed at how smooth it is,' Paul added.
From around 5,000 feet, he pushed the plane into a gentle dive and then rolled us to the left.
He was right. It was smooth. But my stomach was not agreeing. Those vomit visions returned in full force.
Then came the next piece of good news from Paul. 'Whilst we are here we will just do a bit of a loop if you're happy.'
As with the roll, we went downwards first, and then PT462 did a graceful loop under Paul's calm control.
I went from saying 'wow', to 'Oh my God'.
Totally unfazed, Paul asked: 'How's that?'
'Unbelievable,' I said, as my insides went to full jelly.
Paul then cheerfully asked me if I wanted to take the controls again.
Although I was keen to make the most of it, I had to politely decline because my body was not agreeing with the experience of a lifetime.
The plane saw active service from late 1944 and was converted to a two-seater in the 1980s after being rescued from a rubbish dump
So instead, we turned to our final task of flying over the nearby Cambridge American Cemetery to pay our respects to the nearly 4,000 US war dead who are buried there.
Then, the landing was as over as quickly as it had begun. The plane was as smooth on touchdown as it had been on take-off.
As we taxied back to our grass parking space, I told Paul how pathetic I felt that I'd hardly been able to handle what was a walk in the park for Britain's greatest wartime fighter.
And I kept having to bear in mind that thousands of young men, many of them still teenagers, flew these beasts in anger whilst knowing that their lives could be snuffed out in an instant.
'If you asked me to write a 3,000 word article that would take me months,' Paul said reassuringly. 'We are all used to different things. I've been pulling G for 40 years.'
It was at Duxford - which opened in the final months of the First World War - that the Spitfire first went into active service.
It is why the airfield-turned-museum remains such a draw for hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.
At the end of 1938, the RAF's No 19 and No 66 Squadrons were equipped with Spitfires aircraft at Duxford.
Spitfire Mk IXs of the RAF's No 241 Squadron, Flying Officers H Cogman and JV Macdonald, are seen in flight south of Rome in 1944
It proved vital as a sector station during the Battle of Britain, which was fought between July and October 1940.
As Nazi Germany launched wave after wave of day and night-time raids on Britain, Spitfires and Hurricanes flying from Duxford defended the skies.
The airfield was home to the controversial 'Big Wing', which saw up to five squadrons of fighters flying together in one big formation.
The tactic was the brainchild of famous fighter pilot Douglas Bader, who flew with two false legs after losing his limbs in a crash.
The climax of the Battle of Britain was on September 15, 1940, when the Luftwaffe lost 15 aircraft. The blow prompted Hitler to abandon any dreams of conquering Britain.
But the human cost of the air war had been immense. During the Battle of Britain alone, 544 pilots from Fighter Command – around one in six of the total – were killed.
A further 718 pilots from Bomber Command and 280 of Coastal Command lost their lives during those bloody months.
On August 20, 1940, when the Nazi campaign against Britain was at its height, Winston Churchill famously honoured the sacrifice of 'The Few' in the House of Commons.
'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.'
The Supermarine Spitfire was the brainchild of masterful designer RJ Mitchell, who worked on perfecting the plane even while being treated for the cancer that would kill him in May 1937.
Mitchell had been set the task of creating a new fighter as the threat posed by Nazi Germany increased in the 1930s.
He had wanted to call his new plane the 'Shrew' or the 'Snape'. Perhaps thankfully, Supermarine insisted on Spitfire.
When Mitchell's first prototype emerged, it proved to be a dud.
The designer - now under more pressure than ever amid fierce competition from Hawker's Hurricane fighter - set about making changes.
Within weeks of the revised model being successfully flown in March 1936, an initial order for more than 300 Spitfires had been placed.
When it entered service, it was the first ever all-metal monoplane and, with a top speed of more than 350mph, it was by far the fastest aircraft in the RAF.
Despite severe teething problems with production at the huge plant in Castle Bromwich, by the outbreak of war at least ten RAF squadrons had been equipped with Spitfires.
Its first 'victims' were two JU88 bombers over the Firth of Forth in October 1939.
And as the aircraft proved just how good it was, production continued to be ramped up.
By 1943, more than 300 Spitfires a month were being built by the 14,000-strong workforce at Castle Bromwich.
Key to the story of the Spitfire was that, unlike the Hurricane, it underwent continual improvements throughout and even beyond the war.
There were a total of 24 different marks, with the last - which was produced in 1948 - being a vastly superior plane to the first.
The final land version produced during the war, the Mark XIV, was more than 3,000lb heavier than the Mark I and had a much greater top speed.
Early versions of the plane carried eight .303 Browning machine guns, whilst later marks had even deadlier cannons.
The Mark IX - which PT462 is now a gleaming example of - was perhaps the most beloved of them all.
Fighter ace Brian Kingcome said of his first flight in one: 'It took my breath away. It was exhilarating, a feeling I could never forget.
'I yearned for a chance to demonstrate this astonishing new tool to the Germans.'
Marks beyond the IX proved less popular, however. Test pilot Alex Henshaw remarked: 'The genius of Mitchell had died.
'The beautiful symmetry had gone. In its place stood a powerful, almost ugly fighting machine.'
So when we think of the Spitfire now, it is - even if we do not realise it - it is the likes of the Mark IX that we have in mind.
It was the perfect blend of grace, power, manoeuvrability and speed.
Its legacy was summed up well by fighter pilot Geoffrey Wellum.
'When I was first given one to fly, my emotion was almost intimidation,' he wrote in his memoir.
'It felt like a thoroughbred horse watching a new rider and wondering how much to be bloody-minded. Once I was inside, the Spitfire, quite frankly, flew me.'
Even with my mere 20-minute snapshot, it was a description which I could relate to.
More details about the Duxford Summer Air Show, which takes place on the weekend of June 21-22, can be found at
