102-Year-Old British Veteran Flies Spitfire on Delightfully Bumpy Ride for Charity

102-year-old Jack Hemmings AFC gestures after flying a Spitfire plane to mark 80th anniversary of the military charity Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) at Heritage Hanger at London Biggin Hill in England on Feb. 5, 2024. Gareth Fuller/PA via AP

LONDON—A former Royal Air Forces pilot has taken to the skies in a Spitfire at 102 years old.

Jack Hemmings, an ex-squadron leader with Britain’s air force, is believed to be the oldest pilot to fly the World War II plane. His 20-minute flight, from an airfield in southern England on Monday, was to raise money for a charity he co-founded nearly 80 years ago.