The days when a 'regular' guy could do this are long gone. These enthusiasts are the unsung hero's of the warbird community and we owe them a great debt. Respect.
Dear Peter, thank you for sharing your magnificent obsession with us...and for being such a wonderful friend to my dad, Gordon. Much love + respect from California!
"So I said, 'I'll just ring the BBC...'" "Then I rang up Rolls Royce. And they said, well bring it in. We can't get it running but we can rebuild it...." "I then spoke to British Aerospace..." What a truly remarkable man and story!
Fascinating story, what a wonderful life. I saw B of B in London in 1971 in a partially restored theater when on holiday during college. The audience was so caught up in the movie, cheering and booing and crying as applicable; emotions ran high. A truly memorable experience that I'll never forget, 79 y/o now. Tip o' the hat to Mr. Arnold..
An absolute wonderful film about a remarkable man. Peter is truly 'Mr Spitfire' and has helped myself and countless other people with our queries over the years. Was a joy to watch from start to finish.
23.26...Peter with the late warbird pioneer in Australia...Col Pay. That Spitfire was restored by Col and now flies with Temora Aviation Museum. It is one of Australia's oldest restorations still flying, it was also the very last RAAF Spitfire. A58-758. There are 4 airworthy Spitfires in Australia currently (2023).
A BBC Archives video from 1973 (put online today) brought me here. (See 16:33) Thanks for "filling in" the rest of the story on this remarkable gentleman.
What an incredible life this guy has experienced! I spent my years tinkering around in the garage with cars and I remember taking a Cooper S cylinder head to a local engineers machine shop to get skimmed. When I went in I was confronted by a huge hulk of a Rolls Royce engine from a Spitfire.....the closest i've ever been to one. It was having a complete rebuild so God knows what the owners bill would be!
My youth was very similar to Peters.. Being a Spitfire nut from an early age, I would ride my bike to RAF Uxbridge and RAF Northolt in the mid 80s to look at and photograph their Spitfire gate guardians. 51 now, and I recently ticked a couple of bucket list boxes by sitting in the cockpits of Spitfire Mk1 N3200 and Hurricane MkIIb BE505, the 2 seater Hurri at Duxford a few weeks ago. Incredible experience. The experience was only meant to be sitting in the Spit.. but the guys at Duxford recognised I was a full on Spitfire nut, so they offered to open the Hurricane for me too! 🤓 Six years ago I also had a cockpit taxy ride in Lancaster NX611/Just Jane..
Amazing , what a life he has led . If anyone ( probably quite a few ) has been to RAF Duxford you will know the sound of the Spitfire ,, theres just no sound like it ,, it always makes me hold my breath when they fly past.
Its amazing how history is intertwined. Like Mr. Arnold and Don Plumb with TR 9 Spitfire TE308. In the summer of 1974 I was rushing around to go to an airshow at Brampton Ontario. I received a phone call saying my ride to the airshow was here. I rushed to our airport and recognized he was not my ride but I remember him from a 'Sport Flying' magazine article. I had two qestions on my mind "Are you Mr. Don Plumb?" "Yes I am." Would you like to demonstrate your Spitfire at our airshow next June?" He studied our grass runway, handed me his card and said "Call me this winter". I have never been so thrilled in my life. Mr. Plumb was killed in his P-51 Mustang CF-USA that October in Texas. His card is a cherished momento and Spitfire CF-RAF eventually went back to the UK and was restored to high standards.
In my late teens I saw a Fairey Firefly, complete with RR Griffon engine, in Australian Navy markings in a junkyard in suburban Melbourne. It was the 1970s and I asked the guy how much they wanted for it. He said if you organise transport for it you can have it for A$400. I agonised over it. I had $400 in savings, but thought my parents wouldn't quite understand, quite apart from the hire of a crane, transport/storage and so on. In the end I spent my 400 on a Volkswagen Beetle. I've always wondered what happened to the Firefly.
One of my foundist memories is going to see the BoB movie, dad was veteran of the BoB himself serving with 238 Sqdn flying Hurry birds. He made it to age 93 before passing away
You must be so proud having a dad who fought with 'The Few'. Did he fly out of Tangmere? I imagine he had some awesome stories to tell. Absolute respect to him.
Great video and what an incredible life he has had!! Fantastic to see Peter reunited with TE308 ! I just I’d had time to talk with him at Biggin ! But unfortunately I was busy doing the tours !
During the 1970s there was a spitfire sitting atop a 20’ pole beside the Island highway on Vancouver Island just past Duncan, and then one day it was removed and sold I suspect
That was brilliant, always loved this type of aircraft hanging round at Eastleigh airport as a kid, just dreaming and seeing what used to be down there. His dreams were a bit further that was absolutely brilliant. Absolutely enjoyed it. Michael
My dad and his cousin were mad on aeroplanes in the 1930s. My dad lived in Southampton and his cousin in Ireland, so when the relatives came over to Southampton for a holiday, they stayed with my dads family in Swathling, as young boys they used to make their own sandwiches and spend all day at Eastleigh aerodrome watching planes take off and land. My dads cousin joined the RAF and was told at first by his instructors that he would never make a ‘Pilot’, he eventually became a fighter ace and flew in Spitfires, but sadly was shot down and lost in 1942. My dad being slightly younger joined the RAF towards the end of the war and ended up in Coastal Command in Lancasters.
Just found your channel, absolutely fantastic, saw your 1st one back in 1973, you have changed a bit😂 I was 13yrs old then now 63yrs old, brilliant work my friend😊🇬🇧🇬🇧
Great story.. Makes me want to see some spitfires here in Australia and New Zealand 🇳🇿. Think I have seen one in Christchurch as a kid . 😀 oh that last spitfire in Burma/ Myanmar 🇲🇲 Always want what you can't get lol
Have 5 spitfire pictures from Peter as my dad used to take me round airfields that had spitfires as gate guardians. I asked if anyone had pictures and where are they now and he furnished all the information. My local one was at Worcester, LA198, a Mk21, it is now hanging from the ceiling in Glasgow.
01:00 - Приятно послушать как звучит "сердце" Мистера Спитфайра, которое было создано фирмой "Ролс-Ройс". (И фанфары тут даже и ни к чему: изделие фирмы "Полс-Ройс" - "споёт" за себя само.)
Expensive, yes but it is well worth it. It costs money to keep those old crates flying. You might call it a "once in a life time experience." The memories are yours alone.
My lovely wife arranged for me to fly in the Grace MK IV Spitfire from Sywell aerodrome . To actually take control of a Spitfire was a once in a lifetime dream for me . We are normal people with not a great deal of money , my wife said it was either new guttering or my Spitfire flight . Enjoy your flight Mark ,it’s worth every penny .
I remember the Battle of Britain filming for some of the crews would fly by Tibenham Gliding Club but use the chimney stack of a local farm as an ID mark. Wonderful we would all wave and be greeted with a waggle of wings. What more could you ask for!
There was a cigarette ashtray at my uncle's farm that was made with a piston from a Spitfire that flew in the BoB. He was a Batchelor and passed away about 25 years ago. I don't know whatever became of that ashtray, but l do wish l had it today.
The T9 seen at the start of this video (painted as an Australian Mk.VIII) is the former Don Plumb aircraft, TE308, with which Peter was involved decades earlier.
I have seen 3 Spits. Number 1 1959 Calgary a Seafire gate guardian. 1968 West Australia in front of the RAAF Club in down town Perth. Number 3 was at Paine Field Washington State. The Silver Spitfire stopped by on the circumnavigation of the world. That was "Special" - - -. To talk with one of the pilots and get my camera inches from the wing tip. ( Note the darned digital autofocus did not focus on the tiny brass screws on the wing tip but INSTEAD on the wall of the hangar reflected on the mirror polished Aluminium!!!
Nice video. Peter Arnold has been into Spits for as long as I remember 🙂 If that's a Mark 8 ...1:15 to 1:35 why didn't they fit the retractable tail wheel? lack of parts? p.s. wind down the music!
Мистер Спитфайр - это серьезный мистер: не надо думать, что кому-то удасться остаться в небе, если этот "мистер" явится для того, чтобы дать понять незваному гостю, что это - Его Небо (а не того, кому что-то там показалось).
The kid on a bike who followed his dream & became a legend for saving Spitfires, it doesn't get much better than that.👍
This guys helped lots of people achieve their dream without asking for money ...Hes a 'real' enthusiast. Quite a chap!
Cheers 🍻
The days when a 'regular' guy could do this are long gone. These enthusiasts are the unsung hero's of the warbird community and we owe them a great debt. Respect.
Dear Peter, thank you for sharing your magnificent obsession with us...and for being such a wonderful friend to my dad, Gordon. Much love + respect from California!
what a thoroughly nice guy
Great story!
Nice shot of AR213, my fav Spit. My father's, for a few flights anyways.
"So I said, 'I'll just ring the BBC...'"
"Then I rang up Rolls Royce. And they said, well bring it in. We can't get it running but we can rebuild it...."
"I then spoke to British Aerospace..."
What a truly remarkable man and story!
Fascinating story, what a wonderful life. I saw B of B in London in 1971 in a partially restored theater when on holiday during college. The audience was so caught up in the movie, cheering and booing and crying as applicable; emotions ran high. A truly memorable experience that I'll never forget, 79 y/o now. Tip o' the hat to Mr. Arnold..
What an amazing story, and what a lovely understated gent Peter is.
An absolute wonderful film about a remarkable man. Peter is truly 'Mr Spitfire' and has helped myself and countless other people with our queries over the years. Was a joy to watch from start to finish.
Good onya mate. It's blokes like you that make it possible for restorations of these warbirds to original condition possible.
What an incredible journey, we will be forever grateful to Peter.
Fantastic story and fantastic dedication with of course a very understanding wife. Loved the story, well done Peter !!!
Well done Peter, what an achievement. We really enjoyed the film, thank you so much for sharing . Peter Corbett
What a delightful story.
23.26...Peter with the late warbird pioneer in Australia...Col Pay. That Spitfire was restored by Col and now flies with Temora Aviation Museum. It is one of Australia's oldest restorations still flying, it was also the very last RAAF Spitfire. A58-758. There are 4 airworthy Spitfires in Australia currently (2023).
Hoping to get a good look at this aircraft next month.
A BBC Archives video from 1973 (put online today) brought me here.
(See 16:33)
Thanks for "filling in" the rest of the story on this remarkable gentleman.
mee too!
Same!
Here's another.
What a great story of a life well lived.
What a legend and what a story
What an incredible life this guy has experienced! I spent my years tinkering around in the garage with cars and I remember taking a Cooper S cylinder head to a local engineers machine shop to get skimmed. When I went in I was confronted by a huge hulk of a Rolls Royce engine from a Spitfire.....the closest i've ever been to one. It was having a complete rebuild so God knows what the owners bill would be!
My youth was very similar to Peters.. Being a Spitfire nut from an early age, I would ride my bike to RAF Uxbridge and RAF Northolt in the mid 80s to look at and photograph their Spitfire gate guardians.
51 now, and I recently ticked a couple of bucket list boxes by sitting in the cockpits of Spitfire Mk1 N3200 and Hurricane MkIIb BE505, the 2 seater Hurri at Duxford a few weeks ago. Incredible experience. The experience was only meant to be sitting in the Spit.. but the guys at Duxford recognised I was a full on Spitfire nut, so they offered to open the Hurricane for me too! 🤓
Six years ago I also had a cockpit taxy ride in Lancaster NX611/Just Jane..
Amazing , what a life he has led .
If anyone ( probably quite a few ) has been to RAF Duxford you will know the sound of the Spitfire ,, theres just no sound like it ,, it always makes me hold my breath when they fly past.
peter, inspirational, living your dream. big heart
Well done Peter! Thank goodness we have enthusiasts like you!
What a wonderful story, well done Peter.
Fantastic, humble bloke.
Forget the plane im glad the man is still around after 50yrs..still has that wonderful smile!
Its amazing how history is intertwined. Like Mr. Arnold and Don Plumb with TR 9 Spitfire TE308.
In the summer of 1974 I was rushing around to go to an airshow at Brampton Ontario. I received a phone call saying my ride to the airshow was here. I rushed to our airport and recognized he was not my ride but I remember him from a 'Sport Flying' magazine article.
I had two qestions on my mind "Are you Mr. Don Plumb?" "Yes I am."
Would you like to demonstrate your Spitfire at our airshow next June?"
He studied our grass runway, handed me his card and said "Call me this winter".
I have never been so thrilled in my life.
Mr. Plumb was killed in his P-51 Mustang CF-USA that October in Texas. His card is a cherished momento and Spitfire CF-RAF eventually went back to the UK and was restored to high standards.
wonderful to see a decent account of his passion, thanks.
What a great little film and a fascinating story of one man's Spitfire life!
In my late teens I saw a Fairey Firefly, complete with RR Griffon engine, in Australian Navy markings in a junkyard in suburban Melbourne. It was the 1970s and I asked the guy how much they wanted for it. He said if you organise transport for it you can have it for A$400. I agonised over it. I had $400 in savings, but thought my parents wouldn't quite understand, quite apart from the hire of a crane, transport/storage and so on. In the end I spent my 400 on a Volkswagen Beetle. I've always wondered what happened to the Firefly.
Fabulous - a worthy Mr Spitfire indeed!!!
Well done Peter a fantastic story!!! And a fantastic person.
One of my foundist memories is going to see the BoB movie, dad was veteran of the BoB himself serving with 238 Sqdn flying Hurry birds. He made it to age 93 before passing away
You must be so proud having a dad who fought with 'The Few'. Did he fly out of Tangmere? I imagine he had some awesome stories to tell. Absolute respect to him.
What a guy. Absolutely brilliant
What a fantastic story good on yer mate 👏 👍 🇬🇧🇬🇧
What a brilliant film & a great chap. I got goosebumps watching it. All the best
Fantastic Man for sure! Saving Spits, one bolt at a time!
Peter well done passing your passion on so others may enjoy and learn as well Thanks your Sir!!
Surely deserves more viewership.I can’t imagine today the kids flying around going up against another superpower.Truly fascinating story,thanks!!
That's what people our age said about kids in the 1930s...
What a guy he is.....Thanks so much.....
Old Navy flying Shoe🇺🇸
What a great story, I enjoyed that!
Brilliant, well done.
Great video and what an incredible life he has had!! Fantastic to see Peter reunited with TE308 ! I just I’d had time to talk with him at Biggin ! But unfortunately I was busy doing the tours !
During the 1970s there was a spitfire sitting atop a 20’ pole beside the Island highway on Vancouver Island just past Duncan, and then one day it was removed and sold I suspect
Some were sold off by museums later replaced with a cheaper replica
That was brilliant, always loved this type of aircraft hanging round at Eastleigh airport as a kid, just dreaming and seeing what used to be down there. His dreams were a bit further that was absolutely brilliant. Absolutely enjoyed it. Michael
My dad and his cousin were mad on aeroplanes in the 1930s. My dad lived in Southampton and his cousin in Ireland, so when the relatives came over to Southampton for a holiday, they stayed with my dads family in Swathling, as young boys they used to make their own sandwiches and spend all day at Eastleigh aerodrome watching planes take off and land.
My dads cousin joined the RAF and was told at first by his instructors that he would never make a ‘Pilot’, he eventually became a fighter ace and flew in Spitfires, but sadly was shot down and lost in 1942.
My dad being slightly younger joined the RAF towards the end of the war and ended up in Coastal Command in Lancasters.
Just found your channel, absolutely fantastic, saw your 1st one back in 1973, you have changed a bit😂 I was 13yrs old then now 63yrs old, brilliant work my friend😊🇬🇧🇬🇧
Thank you Peter You've definitly got the Right Stuff
Great story.. Makes me want to see some spitfires here in Australia and New Zealand 🇳🇿. Think I have seen one in Christchurch as a kid . 😀 oh that last spitfire in Burma/ Myanmar 🇲🇲 Always want what you can't get lol
My grandfather worked on the Seafires as he was based in Lee on Solent as a Aircraft fitter engineer for the Fleet Air arms from 1942 onwards
What a Fantastic and interesting Story! Excellent 👌🏽
Hi Peter I come across film with Sue interview n now watching this spitfire was awesome plane must be really awesome Too work on restoring them
What a fantastic story and a great life achievement.
Lovely man
Have 5 spitfire pictures from Peter as my dad used to take me round airfields that had spitfires as gate guardians. I asked if anyone had pictures and where are they now and he furnished all the information. My local one was at Worcester, LA198, a Mk21, it is now hanging from the ceiling in Glasgow.
Amazing. I'd be struggling to build a legal eagle, lol. We owe a lot to men like this who have devoted their lives to preserving our aviation history!
01:00 - Приятно послушать как звучит "сердце" Мистера Спитфайра, которое было создано фирмой "Ролс-Ройс". (И фанфары тут даже и ни к чему: изделие фирмы "Полс-Ройс" - "споёт" за себя само.)
Bless him.. what an amazing life achievement
A true ‘Wallace and Gromit’ type unsung hero!
Thank you.
This bloke helped bring IRS to the mighty AU falcon..! What a legend
So who's going to help Peter before he passes away ? I'd imagine he'd love to see it complete, even in taxable condition.
That was fun to watch!!
great guy and wonderful love story also
Que bela história . Top .
Lucky man. Hoping to go up in one this coming June, at the Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar, when I go back to the UK. Bit pricey, but it's got to be done.
Expensive, yes but it is well worth it. It costs money to keep those old crates flying. You might call it a "once in a life time experience." The memories are yours alone.
@@raybame5816 ….. how much does it cost and where do you apply ?
@@radiogramgramophonetoons5802 ruclips.net/channel/UCkQmNsIueky5ViIXMO2H7Fw
Try this...
My lovely wife arranged for me to fly in the Grace MK IV Spitfire from Sywell aerodrome . To actually take control of a Spitfire was a once in a lifetime dream for me . We are normal people with not a great deal of money , my wife said it was either new guttering or my Spitfire flight . Enjoy your flight Mark ,it’s worth every penny .
I remember the Battle of Britain filming for some of the crews would fly by Tibenham Gliding Club but use the chimney stack of a local farm as an ID mark. Wonderful we would all wave and be greeted with a waggle of wings. What more could you ask for!
What a great adventure thank you Peter.
Such a lovley story
EXCELLENT.....
I could spend hours chatting with Peter
There was a cigarette ashtray at my uncle's farm that was made with a piston from a Spitfire that flew in the BoB. He was a Batchelor and passed away about 25 years ago. I don't know whatever became of that ashtray, but l do wish l had it today.
I hope they give this man some kind of honour for his endeavours.
I was lucky enough to fly in TE308 last year at Kemble.
Awesome!
If we could turn back time 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢
The T9 seen at the start of this video (painted as an Australian Mk.VIII) is the former Don Plumb aircraft, TE308, with which Peter was involved decades earlier.
this is a wonderful video. subscribed.
I have seen 3 Spits. Number 1 1959 Calgary a Seafire gate guardian. 1968 West Australia in front of the RAAF Club in down town Perth. Number 3 was at Paine Field Washington State. The Silver Spitfire stopped by on the circumnavigation of the world. That was "Special" - - -. To talk with one of the pilots and get my camera inches from the wing tip. ( Note the darned digital autofocus did not focus on the tiny brass screws on the wing tip but INSTEAD on the wall of the hangar reflected on the mirror polished Aluminium!!!
the bloody Music is very distracting to the Video and while he is Talking
Now that's cool.
What a guy.
Brillint, what a guy. would love to see in real life.. i can only afford airfix models
Who would’ve thought Saruman would be into Spitfires?
You Never know what you might find in somebody's Garage Hoard 👍
The background music made this unwatchable
Nice video. Peter Arnold has been into Spits for as long as I remember 🙂
If that's a Mark 8 ...1:15 to 1:35 why didn't they fit the retractable tail wheel? lack of parts?
p.s. wind down the music!
No, it's a T9 Spitfire painted as a MkVIII.
Мистер Спитфайр - это серьезный мистер: не надо думать, что кому-то удасться остаться в небе, если этот "мистер" явится для того, чтобы дать понять незваному гостю, что это - Его Небо (а не того, кому что-то там показалось).
Was that Col Paye you visited in Australia?
Indeed yes
At 19 mins in - do I spy the great SUE LAWLEY - in her early career??
EXCELLENT JOB WELL DONE DEAR SIR 👏 👍 MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALWAYS 🙏 ... IN EVERYTHING YOU DO OR PERFORM IN YOUR LIFE TO COME ... AMEN 🙏
actually my real name is peter arnold, and i do not have a spitfire 😞
Wow
❤❤❤
How much does it cost to get a flight in a spitfire like Peter Arnold did ?
I think it's about 3K from Duxford.
Not sure the Luftwaffe March was the best choice of music as Peter hauls out Spitfire parts from his garage!
Ironic humour.😋
👍👍👍!!!
Thank you for this!!!! Fantastic //Lars
👍👍👍👍👍