RAF Veteran and aerobatics pilot honoured at Eastbourne by Red 10 to mark his 102nd birthday

RAF Veteran Jack Hemmings, who flew Lockheed Hudson aircraft with 353 Squadron during WWII and received the Air Forces Cross, expressed his unwavering enthusiasm for aviation at a special visit to Eastbourne Airbourne on Friday, August 18.

Jack, who has continued flying well into his centenary, performed aerobatics on his 100th birthday and is thought to be the oldest British pilot to perform manoeuvres of its kind.

It was Jack’s first visit to his local airshow, despite being from Sussex – a day which he described as “thoroughly enjoyable.”

Invited to the Flight Deck tent for a special view of the displays, Jack was personally greeted by Red 10 – Red Arrows Squadron Leader Graeme Muscat – shortly before the Red Arrows appeared above Eastbourne at 4.30pm.

During their meeting, Jack shared memories from his extensive flying career, which includes performing the first British humanitarian survey of Central Africa in 1948, where Jack, alongside D-Day landings RAF Engineer Stuart King, flew a wooden Miles Gemini aircraft from Croydon to Nairobi.

The result of the pair’s pioneering sortie was the launch of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), which has grown to become the world’s largest humanitarian air service. Today, the charity operates 118 aircraft in more than 25 low-income countries to deliver aid, medical care and emergency evacuations in some of the world’s most isolated locations.

Due to hazy flying conditions on Friday, spectators at Eastbourne only witnessed a partial display by the Red Arrows, yet Jack was surprised by a special flyover at his Horam home the following day with a smoke salute from one of the Red Arrow pilots at around 7.20pm on Saturday evening.

Jack said: “Watching the Red Arrows is not just a spectacle, but it’s the skill of the pilots that I really admire. It’s just wonderful.

“When I first joined the RAF in 1940, I thought, ‘If I am going to fight in a war, I may as well do it sitting down!’ Getting into an aeroplane gives a sense of pleasant expectation – I’ve never got into one and regretted it. I love flying because it gives a feeling of detachment from all the problems in the world – and there are a lot of problems.

“During wartime, aircraft were used for destruction; but it has always been my desire that they be used for good. That is what MAF does today, it is more than a bright idea that stayed in someone’s head, it has grown exponentially to become the Good Samaritan of the air.

Turning 102 doesn’t quite have the allure of 100, but it’s nice to have it behind me.”

Sqn Leader Graeme Muscat was impressed with Jack’s bravery, tenacity, and aviation history. He told the BBC: “The stories he came out with, they just melted my heart – because its aviation from an era that is just no longer here. When you hear stories like Jack’s you think – ‘how wonderful to fly in that era’. It’s really heartwarming.”