Dr Hilary takes to the sky in a Spitfire to say thank you to the NHS
Dr Hilary kicks off our month celebrating our frontline workers by taking to the sky in a Spitfire formation with 'Thank You NHS' written underneath the aircraft.
Dr Hilary said "I have always dreamt of flying in a Spitfire as long as I can remember. The beauty of it the sound of it and its iconic status as a symbol of freedom and liberty has always meant a lot to me. There are huge parallels too between this machine and the NHS as both have come to the rescue to save the nation in its time of need."
The Thank You NHS Spitfire flybys were the idea of pilot John Romain. He was mid way through renovating the vintage aircraft when the pandemic hit. When the public starting clapping for carers and celebrating the NHS during lockdown, his son suggested that they should write 'Thank you NHS' underneath the aircraft and fly it over hospitals to boost morale.
Since the lockdown lifted John has undertaken over 270 flybys. For a donation to charity, people are also able to have their name etched onto the side of the Spitfire. Now covering over a third of the aircraft, Dr Hilary Jones' name is now proudly amongst them.
Remembering the flight Dr Hilary said: "My favourite part of the experience was looping the loop and doing barrel rolls . These manoeuvres just showcase what this brilliant aeroplane can do. Flying over the beautiful countryside of Cambridgeshire on a fine day in this machine was a dream come true. I even had a little go flying it myself which was incredible."
People can still nominate a name to be etched onto this special Spitfire via Just Giving to raise funds for NHS Charities Together.