Spitfire–a dream birthday present

This invited letter represents one of ‘Life's Moments’!

Mention ‘Spitfire’ to any aircraft buff to provoke a skyward glance, while awaiting the discrete but distinctive growl of the Merlin engine. I'm fortunate to have flown a wide variety of aircraft from jets to single engine antique flying machines, even a Mustang, but the iconic Spitfire eluded my grasp – until a few months ago…

Poised on her narrow track undercarriage the Spitfire resembled an athlete on the starting blocks straining for release. My mentor ‘Cliff’, otherwise known as Marshall of the Royal Air Force, Sir Clifford Spink, seemed quite relaxed about explaining that forced landings should be made gear up to avoid tipping over, and that the fire extinguisher wouldn't be much use with 120 gallons of high octane aviation fuel just a few feet away. There was no safety mechanism to prevent accidental retraction of the undercarriage on the ground – a sure way to unpopularity with the owners. Health and Safety did not feature prominently in the design!