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The Spitfire Series

The Spitfire Series

Hosted by John Hudson, the UK military's chief survival instructor, The Spitfire Podcast explores one of the most iconic planes of all time - the Spitfire. Featuring interviews with Spitfire pilots, engineers and historians, this series accompanies a spectacular, world record breaking expedition - The Longest Flight. This will see two intrepid aviators attempt to fly a Silver Spitfire around the world, taking in some of the most famous landmarks on the planet and taking the Spitfire to countries that haven't seen it since the 40s, and some that have never seen it before.

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  • 6. Chocks Away, with Pilot Matt Jones

    44:03
    In the final episode of the Spitfire Series, our host John Hudson - once again - sits down with Matt Jones, lead pilot of the “Silver Spitfire - The Longest Flight” expedition. Ahead of take-off, the pilot is back to give us some more insight into the potential challenges that he will face flying the spitfire around the world - from well-known destinations to countries it has never flown in before. In addition, Matt reveals the inspiration and driving force behind "The Longest Flight" and reflects on how it all began.
  • The Longest Flight, with Lachlan Monro

    47:04
    On this week's episode, our host John Hudson sits down with Lachlan Monro, Project Director of the Silver Spitfire expedition. Lachlan is in charge of the organisation, logistics and planning of the Longest Flight. In addition, he's not just responsible for the crew's movement, but also airspace access, clearance from international bodies to fly near monuments, and getting the Silver Spitfire into some countries it has never flown in before. They talk about how the last two years of planning, restoration and organisation have been and the work that goes into pulling off a feat of this magnitude.
  • 4. Restoring a Spitfire, with Martin Overall

    40:02
    On this week's episode, our host John Hudson speaks with Martin Overall, Chief Engineer at the Aircraft Restoration Company, who has been working on preparing the Silver Spitfire for the Longest Flight. They discuss the importance of restoring these iconic machines, the intricacies and details that are vital to a successful restoration and the challenges and hurdles they overcame to bring the Silver Spitfire back to life. 
  • 3. Craft and Design, with David Seyffer

    35:52
    On this week's episode, our host John Hudson speaks with IWC Schaffhausen's resident historian, David Seyffer. They discuss the history of the Spitfire and IWC's Pilot Watches, and the intricate craft and design that goes into creating both iconic works.
  • 2. Sounds of the Spitfire, with Gerry Jones and Tim Granshaw

    52:02
    As the Silver Spitfire continues on its epic round-the-world journey, our host John Hudson takes a look under the hood with Chief Engineer Gerry Jones and Boultbee Head of Operations Tim Granshaw. They talk about how the iconic sound of a Spitfire is created and how the crew prepared for the engineering challenges during the Longest Flight.
  • 1. Passion for Flight, with Pilot Matt Jones

    48:48
    In the first episode of The Spitfire Series our host John Hudson sits down with Matt Jones, Co-Founder of Boultbee Academy and the lead Pilot on the Longest Flight expedition, to talk about how he came to pilot the iconic Spitfire and what it's like to actually fly one as well as revealing more about the Longest Flight.