A Morning With Elizabeth...... — Steve Chivers Photography

Sometimes in life the planets align and a wish comes true. This just happened to me when I received a call from my brother, who asked me if I would like to spend a morning with a beautiful lady called Elizabeth and take pictures of her.

Okay, so my curiosity was piqued to say the least. Then I found out that Elizabeth was in fact a Mark IX Spitfire owned and operated by the wonderful people at Aero Legends ( aero legends.co.uk ) and that his neighbour, Mark “Maverick” Gifford, was one of the volunteers / enthusiasts who help run the air-days out of Compton Abbas Airfield, and he had arranged an all areas pass for me to take some photos of this wonderful aircraft.

For me this is “Boys Own” stuff! I have always been an aircraft enthusiast although I had strangely never combined this with my love of photography. This was going to be a very exciting and challenging photography experience and for the day I took my Leica SL2, with the 24-90mm Vario-Elmarit and the manually adapted 50mm Noctilux F0.95 M lens, plus my Leica Q Type 116.

Mark and I arrived at the airfield at 8.00 a.m. sharp. He had an operational briefing to attend and I would have an opportunity to grab some images before the crowds arrived.

I was introduced to Josh, who runs the Aero Legends side of things and to Andy, who runs the airfield itself. Josh was looking a little nervous as the good old British weather was up to its usual tricks and if it got any worse the day would have to be cancelled. Both Andy and Josh were extremely kind and basically told me to roam freely whilst avoiding getting anything chopped off by propellers……Sound advice in my book!

I was then shown in to the hanger and formally introduced to Elizabeth.

Well it was love at first sight. Such beautiful lines and even though she was made some 70 odd years ago she is still the centre of attention wherever she flies.

At this juncture I was introduced to our pilot for the day, Mr. Charlie Brown.

I have to say that Charlie is one of the coolest guys I have ever met. After all, who has a job description that simply says “Spitfire Pilot”? Absolutely charming and patient he took time to tell me about the history of the aircraft and about the work it takes to keep this wonderful aircraft in peak flying condition.

Charlie, or to be precise Flt. Lt. Charlie Brown, not only looks like a fighter pilot but is the real deal. He joined the RAF in 1981 and throughout his 30 year flying career he has flown all manner of aircraft including the Tornado GR1. A flying instructor and head of training at Aero Legends, Charlie has reached over 1000 flying hours in Spitfires and you could see the glint in his eye as he took me around the aircraft.

Charlie then politely excused himself to attend a comprehensive operational and safety briefing. Whilst the day is about giving a great deal of joy to those lucky few who get to fly with Charlie, nothing is compromised in terms of safety and operational efficiency.

The Team gathers for their morning briefing.

A great many of the team comprise volunteers / enthusiasts who gladly give their time to keep “Elizabeth” in peak condition. By the time they had finished their preparations she was absolutely gleaming and ready to be rolled out of the hangar.

Simply stunning, fuelled up and ready to be moved air-side.

At this point I decided to take a look at the cockpit. I managed to grab a few images and was amazed how simple and straightforward it all looked, albeit a little snug. I must say that if I ever have the opportunity to fly in this beautiful aircraft I might try to lose a few pounds beforehand!

Then Elizabeth was towed on to the grass airstrip ready for the first lucky passenger. Aero Legends run flights from a number of locations and if you follow the link to their excellent website you can see the various locations, aircraft and flight packages. Fair to say I am already saving up for mine!

Passenger safely installed in the rear cockpit

A puff of smoke from the exhausts and the wonderful Merlin engine roars in to life… What a sound!

Low level flypast -simply stunning and very emotional - I was already welling up at this point

One satisfied customer - I just had to record that smile

As you can see above, everyone to a man that flew in Elizabeth came back grinning from ear to ear.

Aero Legends have many different aircraft but one that caught my photographers eye was this beautiful Boeing Stearman. Formerly used as a military trainer this aircraft is in mint condition and that wonderful engine and glistening propellor just begged to be photographed.

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Josh and Andy for giving me access to Elizabeth as well as Mark Gifford for making the necessary introductions. What a great team!

Now Compton Abbas Airfield not only provides a great flying experience but also provides plenty of great food and drink at their onsite restaurant. As I was there really early, I took a few arty shots. Let me tell you, the service is fantastic, the signature burger to die for and all washed down with a pint of the delicious local Gritchie IPA. I was once again in my happy place!

The Restaurant - Early morning before the crowds arrive

There are a couple of Gritchie Ales with my name on them

The Gritchie Brewing Co are on to a winner - My particular tipple was a cheeky IPA called “Session Lore”

Only one thing left to do and that was to have my picture taken with the beautiful Elizabeth.

As you can guess I could have taken hundreds of photos. If you want to see more please go to my gallery page and I have made a specific gallery entitled “Spitfire MK IX NH341 - Elizabeth”.

I hope you have enjoyed my Spitfire experience as much as I did capturing the images. I thoroughly recommend one of the flying days at Compton Abbas Airfield and once you have experienced the thrill of seeing this aircraft up close and personal, like me you will start saving for a flight in this wonderful piece of aeronautical history.

Stay tuned for more of my adventures and warmest regards from Plymouth.