old ladies. These range from big
events in the UK, such as RIAT and
Farnborough to the many fabulous
seaside shows, including flying into
Scotland and Ireland many times.
“Smaller gatherings at iconic
locations such as Old Warden
and other wartime airfields held
a special place on my calendar.
Trips to Europe, to the Paris
Air Show and many in Holland
and Belgium – flying alongside
a Belgian Air Force F-16 was
especially memorable. I made
many trips into Germany and
displayed over the mountains of
Switzerland, plus an amazing
show at Hahnweide, with
flights over the Black
Forest. These are
memories that money cannot buy –
hundreds of shows and experiences.
I also flew several times at private
events such as weddings. I know
these gave a lot of pleasure to the
newlyweds, some of whom I still
speak to years later.”A drive for
fidelity
“I’m passionate about my aircraft
and go to great lengths to preserve
them,” Peter states. “There is a
big difference between authenticity
and originality, but few planes
have the combination. My Spitfire
[PL965] for example, has both in
abundance and during
my ownership she has been
returned as much as possible to
‘stock’ condition.
“One panel still displays wartime
bullet scars – she’d been chased
by a Messerschmitt Bf- She’s also the
only Spitfire on
the planet flying
with her original
wartime engine,
a Rolls-
Royce Merlin
70, which saw her
through 24 missions.
“My Mustang has
also received limited
preservation back to ‘stock’
over the years. When we dug
more closely into her wartime
history, it was clear that she
was an original Tuskegee Fighter
[operated by the African-American
Tuskegee Airmen – ED], based in
Italy during the war. That discovery
led to us repainting the machine
in its original wartime colour
scheme – that of Tall In The Saddle,belonging to the
99th Fighter
Squadron,
332nd FG.”
The Mustang
was unveiled in its
new ‘red tail’ scheme
in June 2016. Research
revealed this aircraft had
flown in combat with the
Fifteenth Air Force in early
1945, based at Ramitelli in
Italy. Its pilot, then just 19, was
George Hardy who became one
of the USAF’s most experienced
fighter pilots, serving with
distinction in both Korea
and Vietnam.
“George is now in his 90s and
living in the US,” says Peter. “In
the autumn of 2016 I arranged for
him to come to the UK and see the
P-51, now painted in his colours.
It was a wonderful and moving
experience that no one at Hangar
11 will ever forget. George saw me
display the fighter at Old Warden
and then I actually flew him in the
rear seat to Lakenheath in Suffolk,
where he was the honoured guest of
the base commander.”Time to step down
“It’s been a fantastic journey, but
all good things come to an end,”Left
Having worn the 3rd
Fighter Group colours
as ‘Jumpin’ Jacques’ for
many years, the Hangar
11 P-51 is well known for
delivering spell-binding
displays with Peter at
the controls.