点评:To fly a Spitfire has been a childhood dream ever since I was ...........a child, which was a long time ago! After the Spitfire left operational service, there were very few people who could fly them and of course all those people were pilots, specifically qualified to fly this type of aircraft. But now it is thanks to operators like Ultimate Warbirds that almost anyone (with the financial means) can do so . These days there are quite a number of Operators to choose from. Being familiar with - and having flown with - several of these operators, I chose to fly the Spitfire with Ultimate Warbirds for a number of reasons. Primarily, ML407 (aka the Grace Spitfire) has a wartime record. Here you get to fly a genuine - and essentially original - aircraft that shot down the first Luftwaffe aircraft on D-Day 6th June 1944. That's a good history to start with. You also get to fly what is without doubt one of the finest looking two seater Spitfires around; its Grace Inline Canopy Conversion looking the part, rather than the less aesthetically pleasing bulbous Vickers canopy used on most two seaters. The Grace Spitfire has been operated by the Grace family for many years, and it's been lovingly looked after whilst in their custody. Finally, they know what they are doing. The organising is slick and efficient without feeling rushed, and they make a fuss of friends and family who accompany the lucky flier. There is also the option of flying with another aircraft. In my case, I flew alongside my friend Lee in 'Jersey Jerk', the Ultimate Warbirds' Mustang. This was definitely a day to remember, and my thanks go to Ultimate Warbirds and all the staff. I shall return to fly the Mustang!
翻译:驾驶一架喷火战斗机一直是我从小到大的梦想,那已经是很久以前的事了!喷火战斗机退役后,能驾驶它们的人非常少,当然,那些人都是飞行员,具备驾驶这种飞机的特殊资格。但现在多亏了像 Ultimate Warbirds 这样的运营商,几乎任何人(有经济能力)都可以驾驶它们。现在有相当多的运营商可供选择。我熟悉其中几家运营商,并且曾与他们一起飞行,因此出于多种原因,我选择与 Ultimate Warbirds 一起驾驶喷火战斗机。首先,ML407(又名 Grace Spitfire)有战时记录。在这里,您可以驾驶一架真正的(基本上是原装的)飞机,它在 1944 年 6 月 6 日的 D 日击落了第一架德国空军飞机。这是一段很好的历史开始。您还可以驾驶毫无疑问是最漂亮的双座喷火战斗机之一;它的 Grace Inline Canopy Conversion 看起来很不错,而不是大多数双座飞机上不太美观的球状维克斯座舱盖。Grace Spitfire 已经由 Grace 家族运营多年,在保管期间得到了精心的照顾。他们终于知道自己在做什么了。组织工作井然有序、高效,不会让人觉得仓促,他们还会让陪同幸运飞行员的朋友和家人大吃一惊。还可以选择乘坐其他飞机。就我而言,我和我的朋友 Lee 一起乘坐“Jersey Jerk”——Ultimate Warbirds 的野马飞机。这绝对是值得纪念的一天,我要感谢 Ultimate Warbirds 和所有工作人员。我会回来驾驶野马的!