Conclusion
15
De Spitfire met de oude 322 Squadron
registratie 3W-17 in de landing.
ze that the Dutch Spitfire flies only about 20 hours
per year and that when l commenced training there
were no other pilots in The Netherlands current on
type; there was only a limited amount of corporate
knowledge available locally.
When the Commander of the Netherlands' Air
Force offered me the chance to fly the Spitfire
(although the aircraft is civil registered, she is Air
Force property and operated by the (civil) NL Air
Force Historical Flight Foundation (SKHV)), his
first instruction was to evaluate the Spitfire part of
the SKHV operation. l made 11 recommendations
for improvements which were all supported and
implemented. In this way initial training, currency
and experience-building on this unique aircraft
have been improved and 'future proofed'. Training
included a tailwheel re-familiarization on the
Piper Super Cub, a step up in class to the Harvard
and (courtesy of the BBMF) some Chipmunk flying.
Additionally the Air Force allowed me to fly its
Pilatus PC-7 two-seat turboprop trainer, with as
justification that this was the closest aircraft to the
Spitfire the Air Force had to offer. By flying around
100 hours in the PC-7 and in many simulator trips l
was fully current in forced landing practice, both at
Woensdrecht and away from an airfield.
Finally we were able to set up cooperation with the
benchmark organization for Spitfire and Merlin
operations; The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight
(BBMF). Consequently l was able to complete a part
of my training at the BBMF and to conduct regular
liaison visits to gain knowledge and exchange in
formation. Just 4 months before the engine failure
l attended a 'Warbird Symposium', organized by
the BBMF. This consisted of both civil and military
operators and engineers and enabled extensive ex
change of opinions, experiences and best practices.
Are these 'lessons learned' surprising? No, of course
not. They do however illustrate that the basis of
flight safety in a historic aircraft setting is identi
cal to a that in a larger, professional organization
such as the Air Force.
Think - in advance - about risks, decide how the
identified risks can be reduced to a minimum.
Next, execute those decisions, even when that
proves to be difficult. Be prepared for emergencies,
think - preferably on the ground, practice (both
standard and non-standard) forced landings and
procedures in the air and if possible in a simulator.
Oh, and yes, have some luck at the appropriate
moment. My successful forced landing was made
possible partly by the timing of the engine failure.
A minute earlier and l would have had to land in
open countryside. After all, l have never claimed
that Jack Nicklaus didn't ever have any luck!
