Royal Australian Air Force certifies two new Spitfire pilots

The RAAF’s heritage squadron still flies the iconic World War II dogfighter.

While much of the aerospace world is focused on the production of advanced sixth-generation fighters like the US Navy’s F/A-XX and deliveries of Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth jets, Australia is minting new pilots for fighters of the past.

The Royal Australian Air Force has certified two pilots on the iconic World War II-era Supermarine Spitfire, eight decades after the aircraft rolled off an assembly line in the UK.

Flight Lieutenants Luke Kempton and Lars Larson completed conversion training to fly the Spitfire at the Temora Aviation Museum in New South Wales, the RAAF said on 29 September. The RAAF says there are only three airworthy Spitfires remaining in the country, two of which are assigned to Temora.

Canberra’s Air Force Heritage Squadron, also known as 100SQN, operates a fleet of historic aircraft from Temora and RAAF Base Point Cook outside of Melbourne. The latter facility is home to the RAAF Museum and is considered the birthplace of the Australian Flying Corps and its successor service.

Both Kempton and Larson are military reservists who fly as commercial airline pilots.

“The Spitfire is cables, it’s rudders, it’s fabric, it’s timber, it’s metal. It’s a little bit of everything tied in together, with engines that produce an incredible amount of power,” says Larson, whose day job is captaining Boeing 787 Dreamliners for Qantas.

Royal Australian Air Force Flight Lieutenant Lars Larson takes off in a Spitfire Mk VIII from the Temora Aviation Museum in New South Wales. Source: Royal Australian Air Force

Flight Lieutenant Stephen Death oversaw the conversion training. He has been flying Spitfires for more than 20 years, according to the RAAF.

“We need to keep training people,” Death says. “You have to have an ongoing cycle where you’ve got mentors that can help people, so they become the mentors of the next generation.”

The two Spitfires based at Temora are owned by the RAAF but maintained by museum staff and flown by reserve officers.

100SQN maintains a number of other historic aircraft, including the twin-boom de Havilland Vampire, Cessna A-37B Dragonfly attack jet, English Electric Canberra jet bomber and the Gloster Meteor F.8.

“The squadron maintains priceless artefacts of Australia’s national heritage in airworthy condition and conduct flying displays in order to commemorate those who have fallen in service of the country, to promote the Royal Australian Air Force and inspire future generations,” the RAAF says.

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