Ode To The Spitfire Pilot

[Uncarina]

This is one of my favorite pieces of aviation writing, which I transcribed from one of my favorite books. Hope you love it as much as I do:

 

A Knight in Dull Armour

 

            First, if it’s anything but high summer, dress up warm. The temperature above 30,000 feet falls to minus 60 Fahrenheit and they haven’t gotten around to heating fighter cockpits yet. Thick underwear, long socks, heavy sweater under your uniform. Fleece-lined leather flying boots (you can keep your maps tucked in the top of them; easiest place to reach, in flight. Put your revolver in the other boot, if you’ve bothered to bring it. It’ll jerk out when your parachute opens anyway).

 

Now your flying overalls: nobody wears the heavy Sidcot suit now, so it’s just a lightweight job to keep oil off your uniform. Then the Mae West—your life-saving jacket. A bright yellow waistcoat with a thick kapok-filled collar to keep your head above water and a number of knobs and whistle pockets in front (if you believe that blowing a whistle whilst floating in the English Channel will help). Tied with tapes in front and up from between your legs.

 

Flying helmet: leather, with earphones built in over each year, an oxygen mask with microphone that fits over nose, cheeks, and chin and always smells of old rubber. Goggles too. Surprisingly good vision, but not all pilots wear them; some use them just with tinted lenses and pull them down when looking into the sun. Still, they may save your eyes if the instrument panel starts blowing burning petrol back in your face. It’s up to you.

 

You don’t leave your parachute in the cockpit unless it’s a fine day and you’re expecting a “scramble”. You’ll never need a ‘chute of course. Still, it’s nice to know it won’t screw up because it’s been packed too long (which causes static electricity) or damp or had oil dripped on it. Put it on before you climb in. Straps around waist, over shoulders, up between legs. Then pull them tight. Unless you want to break your back when it opens. You’ll walk out to the aircraft bent over like a ruptured chimpanzee, but the ground crew will give you a tactful nudge with their shoulders to help you climb onto the wing.

 

Your seat is just a shallow metal pan designed to fit the parachute pack. You sit on your ‘chute. They used to have a sorbo rubber cushion between it and you, but replaced it with a one-man dinghy. Not as comfortable, but possibly more useful. What feels like a lump of sharp metal under your backside is the CO₂ bottle for inflating the dingy in a hurry.

 

Strap yourself in. Straps over the shoulder, and up across the thighs. Tight. Tighter still. If you find yourself on your back you don’t want to be rolling around the cockpit like a pea in a drum. Plug in your R/T lead and your oxygen tube—something like an elephant’s trunk dangling from your mask.

 

The cockpit—let’s say it’s a Spitfire—fits you like a glove. It just about touches your shoulders on either side. The perspex canopy almost touches your head above. You can move your booted feet a few inches in either direction; you can stretch your arms right forward or down, but need to bend your elbows if you pull them back or up. No matter; you can control a fighter with just a few inches movement of hands and feet.

 

You can still turn your head. You can turn it like a roulette wheel if you think a non-friend might be behind you. But you should have remembered to wear a silk scarf—or stocking—to stop ‘fighter pilot’s neck’. Tie it tight and tuck it in. It might strangle you if it catches when you try to bail out.

 

And your gloves—you didn’t forget those? Silk first, then fleece-lined for winter. Wash-leather for summer. Don’t expect them to keep your hands warm. But at least they’ll save a bit of blood when you grab around the cockpit for the flaps and undercart levers.

 

You feel like Henry the Fifth in armour and Joan of Arc tied to the stake at the same time? That’s about right. You can move your hands, feet, and head a few inches that are required. Your Spitfire will do the rest. You are the most powerful, the fastest, the most maneuverable fighting man in the world.

 

J.G.M (1968) “A Knight in Dull Armour” in The War in the Air: The Royal Air Force in WWII. Ed. by Gavin Lyall. New York: William Morrow and Co. 118-119.

 

Cheers,  Tom

Edited February 28, 2021 by Uncarina

[Adrian]

Excellent, that book was one of my favourite reads when I was a kid, I think I still have it somewhere. The epic of the 'battle of the bay' between the Sunderland and a pack of Ju88's (praise the Lord and pass the ammunition) is probably my most read story and also some of the the poetry and humour made it a well rounded book. Must find my copy and read again. I think what made the book stand out was that it wasn't all action . From what I recall there was a long piece about a Liberator transiting the Atlantic on a delivery flight as well as a not too serious parody of a church service referencing a boat that was too take everyone away from their posting.

 

Many thanks for bringing back some great memories.

 

If I can't find my copy I'm off to ebay now!

[Uncarina]

My pleasure, and thanks for reminding me of other great parts of the book!

 

Cheers,  Tom

[Derek B]

Excellent Tom, thank you...as an ex-RAF Survival Equipment Fitter, whose job it was to service, maintain and pack all parachute and liferaft types, and also service, maintain and fit all flying clothing to aircrew, I can very much appreciate those words.

 

Cheers

 

Derek

[Uncarina]

Derek, it’s my pleasure! It resonates with me and I don’t have a fraction of your experience.

 

Cheers,  Tom

Edited March 5, 2021 by Uncarina

[Uncarina]

I just had to revisit this after I received the Kotare Spitfire kit. Never fails to make an impression on me!

 

Cheers,  Tom

 

 

[europapete]

Think I'll print that out and pop it in the box.

[Mark_C]

Think I'll buy the book!

 

Thanks, Tom, for the great intro to what reads like a riveting book.

[Christa]

My copy hit the doormat yesterday.

 

Cheers Tom.

 

Chris

[mozart]

Excellent Tom, love this kind of thing. In a similar vein I’ll later create a thread called “Ode to the Bulldog pilot” which is an extract from “Pilot’s Summer”, another fascinating read especially if you’re as interested in the pre-war era as me:

 

 

 

[Pete Roberts]

I was lucky enough to have a fly of a Spitfire (2-seat) out of Biggin Hill. In the rear cockpit your shoulders squeeze against the fuselage, but not too uncomfortably. I was surprised at his comment about looking behind - I was strapped in so tight I couldn’t twist and my neck isn’t that flexible, plus there is the armour plate sitting behind your head. Sky view was restricted pretty much to the forward upper 1/4 of sky, and perhaps a bit lower forward of the wings and each side of the nose. Any wonder the poor b*st*rds were bounced so often from behind. Not putting rear view mirrors on those early Spitfires was criminal.

 

The most amazing part was that you barely had to move the controls to get a response, as he says above - beautiful. Just as well probably because you can’t move your arms much at all! Can highly recommend the experience - amazing.

[Pete Roberts]

On 2/28/2021 at 7:15 PM, Adrian said:

Excellent, that book was one of my favourite reads when I was a kid, I think I still have it somewhere. The epic of the 'battle of the bay' between the Sunderland and a pack of Ju88's (praise the Lord and pass the ammunition) is probably my most read story and also some of the the poetry and humour made it a well rounded book. Must find my copy and read again. I think what made the book stand out was that it wasn't all action . From what I recall there was a long piece about a Liberator transiting the Atlantic on a delivery flight as well as a not too serious parody of a church service referencing a boat that was too take everyone away from their posting.

 

Many thanks for bringing back some great memories.

 

If I can't find my copy I'm off to ebay now!

 

That sounds like a good story, will have to chase up the book. Many years ago I spoke with a Mosquito pilot. He told me how one afternoon they caught a Sunderland coming back from patrol and decided to have some fun with it. After several mock attacks, they hadn’t been able to get a single bead on it, while all the time the turrets tracked them in their abortive attempts. He said he flew away suitably chastened. In the hands of an experienced crew, they could be dangerous! Not sure I’d want to take on a pack of Ju88s though.