Former Spitfire Pilot Flies For The Final Time | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

 Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-11.17.25

AirborneNextGen-
11.11.25

Airborne-Unlimited-11.12.25

Airborne-FltTraining-11.13.25

AirborneUnlimited-11.14.25

LIVE MOSAIC Town Hall (Archived): www.airborne-live.net

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

Advertisement

More News

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (11.17.25)

“We achieved full mission success today, and I am so proud of the team. It turns out Never Tell Me The Odds had perfect odds—never before in history has a booster this >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (11.17.25): NonDirectional Beacon

NonDirectional Beacon An L/MF or UHF radio beacon transmitting nondirectional signals whereby the pilot of an aircraft equipped with direction finding equipment can determine his/h>[...]

NTSB Final Report: Fred L Wellman CH 750 Cruzer

About 5ft Above Ground Level, The Airplane Stalled, And The Left Wing Dropped Analysis: The pilot reported that this flight was conducted as part of phase 1 flight testing of the n>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (11.17.25)

Aero Linx: Brodhead Pietenpol Association The Brodhead Pietenpol Association is a newly reorganized (in 2017) non-profit educational corporation that grew and developed from an ear>[...]

Airborne-NextGen 11.11.25: Archer Buys Hawthorne, Joby Conforms, Stranded Astros

Also: VerdeGo Contract, Medi-Carrier, Gambit 6 UCAV, Blade Urban Air Mobility Pilot Archer Aviation has inked a deal for control of Hawthorne Municipal Airport (HHR), also known as>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Change Display

Headlines Only | Headlines w/ Teasers | View Everything

Advertisement

Top Videos

Airborne 10.03.25: Phantom 3500 Buy, ‘Chinese Military Company’, NOTAM Redesign

Airborne Affordable Flyers 10.02.25: MOSAIC Start Date, AFE25 Tickets, ePulitzer

Airborne 10.01.25: New Gulfstream G300, Affordable Flying Expo Tkts, Starship 11

See All

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC