Three World War II veterans are set to have their dreams come true after being given the opportunity to take flight in an iconic Spitfire plane.
Speaking to GB News, Paul Terry, Ivan Staines and Alfred Cooley expressed their joy at the chance to take to the skies in the famous war planes.
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The opportunity was given to the veterans thanks to the efforts of the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans, who are funding the flights with money raised for the charity.
Speaking to GB News National Reporter Will Godley, 99-year-old veteran Ivan Staines said he “never thought this would happen in his lifetime”.
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Mr Staines said: “I’ve never expected this at all. I’m going to thoroughly enjoy going up in this Spitfire.
“But I must thank the taxi charity for giving me the opportunity to go in this Spitfire, which I never thought would ever happen in my life.
“So I intend to enjoy it and I’ll probably speak about it for the rest of my life, because it’s something I cannot forget.”
Just weeks away from his 100th birthday, the World War II veteran said it is going to be an “unbelievable experience”.
He gushed: “Oh, it’s unbelievable. What a marvellous experience. I’m really happy.”
Asked what he remembers of the Spitfire planes when he was younger, Mr Staines listed his favourite of the fighter planes.
He told Will: “I always remember the old Merlin engine, I like that.
“I like the Hurricane, and my one of my favourites was Mosquito, which was made with all plywood. That was one of my favourite fighters.”
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Speaking to GB News ahead of his flight, veteran Paul Terry admitted he is “not a lover of heights” as he prepared to fly in the Spitfire.
He said: “I don’t know really what to expect. I must admit I’m not a lover of heights and I’m not a lover of speed.
“But I know I’ll be in good hands with the pilot.”
Asked whether his plane will be doing any barrel rolls or going upside down, Mr Terry said: “Well, I don’t know, I’ll let you know when I get down.
“That’s another thing I wouldn’t be good at. At fairgrounds on the swings, my stomach used to turn up very quickly.”
Recalling his first memory of seeing aa Spitfire, Mr Terry told Will of how he was shocked to see one flying over him as a child.
He said: “The memories I remember vividly, the first dogfight over Biggin Hill. I lived quite near here, and this particular morning my mother had asked me to go and get her a pint of beer for me. All was quiet in the Western Front, so I’m going down the road.
“I hadn’t gone a quarter of a mile, and all of a sudden there’s this confusion, all this noise, zooming and banging, I thought, ‘what on earth’s that?’, and I looked up and there they were, dogfighting.”
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