He is no stranger to famous aircraft, having worked as an airframe mechanic, which included a stint in the legendary 617 ‘Dambusters’ squadron.
However, James Smith had never flown his favourite, the iconic Spitfire, until he finally achieved his dream last week, at the age of 94.
And the pensioner, whose dramatic 30-minute outing over Perthshire included a flyover of his home village, was not disappointed, describing the experience as “beyond anything I could have imagined”.
Taking off from Scone Airport, the first time the Spitfire ML-295 had flown from a Scottish airfield, he said: ‘I told the family I had found what I wanted for my 95th birthday, which is in October, and that was to fly a Spitfire.
‘The best moment was when I flew over my own town, Dunning. I told my neighbours to look after me and waved to them as we flew over.
James Smith prepares for takeoff at Scone Airport
‘The Spitfire is an incredible piece of engineering and to experience it is beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I have trained on Spitfires and flown aircraft such as the Canberra and Lincoln, but this was the first time I had flown in a Spitfire.
‘Some might say I left it for last, but it was incredible, an experience that anyone lucky enough to fly on one of these will never forget.’
Mr Smith, who completed his National Service in the RAF 72 years ago, was watched by three generations of his family, including his great-granddaughters Georgia, four, and Pippa, two, in what he said was “a dream come true”.
He was one of the few enthusiasts to fly over Scone in the aircraft considered an icon of British aviation and which, for many, will always be the quintessential fighter aircraft.
The adventure doesn’t come cheap: the price tag of around £3,000 for half an hour equates to a staggering £100 per adrenaline-fuelled minute.
The price reflects the running and maintenance costs of the Spitfire, with the ML-295 itself having recently undergone a £350,000 engine overhaul. Another participant, Derek Darnell, from Muir of Ord in Ross-shire, enjoyed the experience as a treat for his 69th birthday.
“I feel like I’ve left my stomach behind for a moment, but flying in a Spitfire, experiencing its speed and agility, is an incredible feeling,” he said.
A third who enjoyed the flight, Mark Newbold, whose wife Terri planned it as a 60th birthday present, said: “It’s quite hard to put into words how special it is.
“The passenger cabin, just behind the pilot, is very narrow, and the plane reaches such amazing speeds that it is simply the most incredible feeling to be up there in this very historic aircraft.”
The Supermarine Spitfire was a high-performance, short-range fighter aircraft conceived by designer Reginald ‘RJ’ Mitchell and introduced shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War.
The aircraft would play a key role during the conflict, notably during the Battle of Britain in 1940, where Spitfires and their intrepid pilots engaged and fought against the Luftwaffe’s Messerschmitt 109s.
Huge demand for Spitfires meant that more than 20,000 were built, but more than 80 years later, only around 60 remain airworthy.
A trio of preserved and restored aircraft have been returned to airworthiness by enthusiasts following last week’s sorties in Perth, with further flights planned at the airfield soon.
Spitfire ML-295 flying over the Perthshire countryside
Mark Hillier, Spitfire Academy operations director, said: “It’s a brutal aircraft, a real fighter plane, and it performs like one. It’s really part of the British mindset, so it’s something very special to be able to fly in one.”
“Some people want photographs, some want aerobatics and some just want to fly a Spitfire, so we try to give them what they are looking for. This is our first time in Scotland and flying this aircraft in such beautiful surroundings is truly memorable.”
At Scone Airport, the Spitfire stands out among the dozens of aircraft preserved there, its sleek design still looking powerful 80 years after it rolled off the production line at Castle Bromwich in the Midlands.
After his emotional flight, Mr Smith said: ‘I did my National Service in the RAF from 1950 to 1952 and had a lot of experience working with Spitfires.
“I was stationed in St Athan in Wales and there were many different types of aircraft there but the Spitfire always stood out as something special. It’s been an amazing experience to finally be able to fly in one.”
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