70 FLYPAST August 2018
MH434
THE HELM
Sarah Hanna of OFMC relates a tale of two control columns. “The
stick was known to have been replaced circa 1968 so that it could
do cockpit scenes for the Battle of Britain fi lm. Much later, we were
offered the original back, but on condition of swapping it with ours. I
tried to persuade them just to sell it to us so we could hang it on the
wall, but to no avail – the terrifying logic of the purist.
“The stick we have now has been used by my father, brother, Adrian
Swire, and all our wonderful OFMC guys. Pierre Clostermann and
Adolf Galland, among others, have sat in the cockpit and handled
that stick. As such it is as crucial to the provenance of the aeroplane
as it was possible to be.”
Above right
The fi ghter fl ies in the
colours of 222 Squadron,
as it did in World War Two.Right
Spitfi re Mk.IX MH434 at
Old Warden aerodrome in
Bedfordshire.Along with Ray, his daughter Sarah
and Mark were the co-founders of
OFMC in 1981. Father and son
both had outstanding RAF careers
and went on to become legends of
airshow and film flying. Mark died
from his injuries when the Hispano
Buchón he was piloting crashed in
Spain on September 25, 1999 – he
was 40.
The two men were passionate
about flying and shared a deep
regard for MH434. In conversation
with the author, Ray explained
MH434’s allure: “It stands for much
more than its looks; it represents so
many things to so many people.”
Mark said: “There are no Spitfire
owners; only custodians, looking
after a living piece of history for
future generations.”TIGER SQUADRON
FlyPast’s Steve Beebee remembers
working as a volunteer for OFMC:
“We knew what was coming. I was
standing alongside Sqn Ldr Tom
Cooper, who had flown Spitfires
with 222 Squadron in World War
Two, and Bruce Dickinson, the
legendary lead singer from Iron
Maiden, as Ray Hanna flew MH434
in – fast and low – at Duxford.
“A topside pass – the sun glanced
off the wings; the mighty Merlin
sang. All heads turned to follow
it, as Ray centred the stick and
then pulled back, the Spitfire
reaching for heaven.“It was just one moment among
so many – but it provides a big clue
as to why MH434 is, arguably, the
best-loved Spitfire in the world.
It’s not just because it’s a storied
machine, or because it has appeared
in so many films. More than that,
it is what we might refer to as ‘the
Hanna effect’.
“Collectively, the Hannas
epitomised all that was professional
and poignant in showcasing
warbirds to an appreciative public.
It certainly helped to seal the
deal for me and I doubt
I’d be working for
FlyPast now were it
not for them.
“The
occasion of
my standing
beside a war veteran and
a rock star was the
OFMC Tiger Squadron
convention on October 13,- I was part of the team that
ran the enthusiast society that
enabled members to get a bit
closer to the incredible pilots and
machines.
“My role was to put together
the quarterly magazine Tiger Tales
and to help organise the annual
get-together. I was a small and
relatively clueless cog in the much
bigger machine, but volunteering
for the job was one of the best
decisions that I ever made.
“Ray spoke to us whenever he
could. He was a dignified
and humane man with
keen, twinkly eyes and
a self-effacing sense of
humour.
At the same time we
recognised his untouchable
leadership qualities.
“I remember Mark too –
passionate and ambitious,
but keen to share. It’s hard
to overestimate what Mark
could have achieved had his