Shuttleworth Military Pageant

The first airshow of the season - and a nice gentle one down at Shuttleworth, Old Warden.

There are all sorts of old aircraft here ranging from World War 1 machines like the Sopwith Camel and SE5a - all of which fly! - right through to the most modern of the aircraft on display which was the Hawker Hunter. It did an aerial display which was a joy to behold - a testament to the great days of British Aircraft Construction.

But the all time classic for me is as always - the Spitfire. That amazing mixture of grace and power and sheer awesome beauty all in one package. This one is a recently restored one from Duxford, and it is mint. Absolutely beautiful.

What is it about the Spitfire that captures the soul?

Why is there the obsession with the Spitfire that so many who are into aviation have? I’ve talked to several mates at work, and she’s the one – she is the one. Sure, there are other great aircraft, but the Spitfire stands head and shoulders above them all. She’s the one we all dream of flying, the one that can bring a tear to the eye just with a simple slow roll overhead…

Of course, from a purely technical point of view, the Spitfire represents a truly awesome fighting machine – made for one purpose and executing that purpose superbly, throughout its long and varied career and over many marks of aircraft.

But from a more “spiritual” angle, the Spitfire perhaps brings so many strands of human endeavor together – the struggle against an overwhelming force, the fight of good against evil, a patriotism and a pride in one’s country that perhaps has dwindled over the years, an aggression and a refusal to give in, and a willingness to give one’s life for one’s country and for one’s fellow man. These are just a few of the ideals that the Spitfire seems to encapsulate.

And although we all know there were other great aircraft involved – the Hurricane and the Lancaster to name but a few – somehow the Spitfire captures a “spirit”, an almost intangible feeling and a link with a past that most of us can only imagine.

We wonder at an entire world at war. We pause to think of years filled with so much loss, so much destruction – and yet conversely a time when so many showed so much valour and so much heroism in so many ways.

And the Spitfire with its glorious growl and roar and its utterly beautiful poise and sheer graceful presence in the sky continues to remind us that yes, once Britain truly was Great.

Seeing a Spitfire fly somehow reminds us that good does triumph over evil, that the darkness in men’s hearts will not overwhelm what is good and true and right and glorious and worth dying for - freedom.

That’s what the Spitfire means to me.