Jack Hemmings (102) posing in the cockpit of a fighter jet on the 5th (local time). /AP Yonhap News
A 102-year-old man who served as a British Air Force pilot during World War II recently became a hot topic by taking control of a fighter jet again.
According to the Telegraph and BBC on the 9th (local time), Jack Hemmings (102), a former British Air Force squadron commander, flew the Spitfire, Britain’s main fighter aircraft during World War II, for 20 minutes at an airfield in southern England on the 5th. ‘ and showed off his skills.
Hemmings joined the Air Force in 1940 at the age of 18 and served as a pilot until 1946. He is credited with playing a major role in defeating the German army by driving a Spitfire during World War II. Hemmings was also awarded the Air Force Cross for his example and valor during his flight. At the time, former Prime Minister Winston Churchill praised Spitfire pilots like Hemmings, saying, “Never in all of history has so many people been helped by so few.”
The reason Hemmings took the reins again this time, despite his old age, was to raise funds for the International Aviation Mission, an organization supporting underdeveloped countries that was founded 80 years ago. The International Air Mission uses airplanes to deliver relief goods, medicine, and emergency cargo to countries in need. Currently, about 120 light aircraft are being used to provide assistance to more than 25 underdeveloped countries.
Hemmings looked satisfied after the flight. “I thoroughly enjoyed it,” he said. “The controls were a little heavier than I expected. “It was faster than what I flew during my Air Force days,” he said. He said, “To be honest, I felt a little rusty. “It’s natural because time has passed,” he said.
Co-pilot Barry Hughes, who took over the controls during the flight, said, “It looks like he’s still maintaining his senses.”
Meanwhile, Hemmings did not stop flying even after being discharged. In 2021, for his 100th birthday, he received a small aircraft ‘Slingsby Firefly’ as a gift from his wife and performed aerobatics. He also piloted ‘Gemini’, built in 1947, in 2022. This plane is also the model he took to Africa in 1948 to provide humanitarian aid. At that time, he provided resources to areas with poor environments such as jungles and deserts, using only a map, compass, and the Nile River as a guide.
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2024-02-09 22:19:09
