Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Independent TV

Showing now | Lifestyle

102-year-old former RAF Pilot takes to the skies in iconic Spitfire

01:19

102-year-old former RAF pilot takes to skies in iconic Spitfire

A 102-year-old former RAF pilot who took to the sky in a Spitfire described the experience of being back behind the controls as “absolutely delightful”.

Jack Hemmings, a former RAF squadron leader, is believed to be the oldest pilot to fly the Second World War aircraft in a bid to raise money for a charity he co-founded nearly 80 years ago.

After the journey, the grandfather-of-three described the experience as “very bumpy”.

“To be honest [it was] slightly heavier than I expected but we were flying about 210 knots faster than I normally used to fly at in my air force days,” Mr Hemmings added.

Up next

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in