The most interesting parts of my job that I love are firstly that I get to meet people from all walks of life and secondly in such a variety of locations.
After being contacted from a lovely lady in the Midlands whose husband was in a position to tick off the top item on his bucket list and fly in a Spitfire, I found myself at Headcorn Aerodrome spending a couple of hours with him.
This was a very important and emotional morning for Kevin who had a very interesting story to tell and it was a privilege to be a part of it. After a briefing about his 30 minute flight across to the east coast of Kent and back we were both given time to take a selection of shots of ‘Elizabeth’ the Spitfire which I have to say commanded a huge presence sitting on the grass airfield between various other aircraft around her.
Having taken a selection of images it was time for the pilot to do his last minute checks and fire up the aircraft. What a sound that Merlin engine makes when you’re literally standing a few yards away, its an experience that cannot be matched and immediately takes you back to the era of WWII. I took a selection of images of the aircraft taking off and upon its return a 360ª roll before landing.
Post flight images taken with a very smiley Kevin, we headed into the flight hut to relax and have a drink along with the presentation of a certificate. It really was a one off morning, I went on to my next shoot, a Pantomime cast in full regalia thinking I love my job!
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