Local resident, Brian Clifton, has achieved his dream of flying in a Spitfire, for a second time. On Sunday, August 31, at Headcorn, Brian climbed into the cockpit of a Spitfire with pilot A. Parkinson, for his 30-minute flight.
Having spread the word, via social media, that he was due to fly over Rye at around 11am, a small group made up of members of his family and the public, gathered at Strand Quay to wait for him.
After a slight delay in take-off, the group were thrilled to see not one Spitfire but two flying low and close together over the town and circle several times above the Strand. It was the first time for Headcorn aerodrome that two people had wanted to go to the same place and had flown in two Spitfires together. Brian’s plane was a Spitfire MK 1XT known as Lady Luck.
One of the planes peeled off towards Dover while Brian’s flew towards Tilling Green where the crowd at the Green Waves Festival were treated to the sight and sound of a Spitfire flying above them.
Returning to the Strand, the assembled audience were given a display of barrel turns and loop-the-loops before Brian and the pilot turned to head back to base.
For Brian, the experience was incredible. “The first time I flew was amazing, a real adrenaline rush. The agility of the plane is ridiculous – you just touch the controls and it’s off. This time I could take it all in. It was brilliant to be over Rye and when we flew to Fairlight cliffs, I was able to take the controls for around 5 minutes, longer than the first time. Over Rye we did more barrel rolls, and a loop-the-loop which I hadn’t done before.”
Image Credits: Tony Ham , Mark Dawson , Brian Clifton .