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Thu, Sep 13, 2018

Former Spitfire Pilot Flies For The Final Time

Archie McInnes, 99, Is One Of A Handful Of Surviving RAF Pilots From The Battle Of Britain

By any estimation, 99-year-old Archie McInnes, who lives near Cambridge, England, is a war hero. He flew for the RAF during WWII, becoming an ace while fighting off Hitler's Luftwaffe during the war.

He recently got to fly again, possibly for the final time, in a refurbished Spitfire in the skies over Kent. McInnes was a passenger this time, but on his wing was a Hurricane aircraft like the one he flew during the war, according to the U.K. newspaper The Sun.

Jonny Cracknell, a friend of McInnes, organized the flight with the help of the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar's Peter Monk. Cracknell said McInnes is one of only eight airman still alive who fought in the famous Battle of Britain, and he is the most active of the pilots.

McInnes left the RAF in 1946 after losing his left arm in North Africa, according to the report. During his Spitfire flight, he was all smiles, and the look on his face when he saw the Hurricane pull alongside the Spitfire was "priceless", according to Cracknel.

(Hurricane image from file)

FMI: Source report

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