Spitfire: A Very British Love Story

by John Nichol

Nerves got the better of the most experienced pilots during Rhubarbs. On one occasion, two of Robertson’s fellow 111 Squadron pilots flew over the Channel up into cloud then came down and slipped over the coast. They spotted a train and shot it up before heading back home. They were surprised on return to be called into the Station Commander’s office. What had they been shooting at? A train. Did they damage it? Yes, quite a bit. Did they realise the train they’d shot up was heading to Margate?16

‘I am often asked which is my favourite aircraft. It is a very difficult question to answer. Who couldn’t be impressed with the gut-wrenching climb performance of the Lightning, almost touching the lower reaches of space, or of howling along in a Hawker Sea Fury? So I answer the question this way: if God said that I could have just one more flight, my last flight before I die, in any aircraft I have ever flown, I would choose to get airborne in a Spitfire.’

A perfect way to end a fantastic book.