The Rolls-Royce flyer living out a boyhood dream
TEST PILOT BASED AT EAST MIDLANDS
IF you have seen a Second World War fighter aircraft cruising the skies over East Midlands Airport, you may have wondered who is at the controls.
There is a good chance it is 51-yearold Rolls-Royce test pilot Alistair Williams.
Tucked away behind the scenes at East Midlands Airport is a hangar owned by Rolls-Royce housing a Supermarine Spitfire and North American P-51 Mustang, used for displays around the country in normal times.
Alistair’s aircraft is the P-51, a longrange fighter which proved invaluable in the Allied victory.
“I’m a lifetime aviator,” he said. “I left school at the normal age of 18 and I went into the military.
“I did not follow a normal path into the RAF – I joined the Army and flew helicopters. I flew the Lynx for about 10 years.
“I left in my late 20s and I joined Thomas Cook to fly a Boeing aircraft. I flew with them for about 10 years.
“I made the move into corporate aviation and worked for an engineering business, JCB, in the Midlands, fixing aircraft for about 10 years.
“When I was in the Army I had a very fortunate career. I led the Blue Eagles Display Team for two seasons and at that point I met a guy called Ray Hanna [a founding member of the Red Arrows] and that really sparked my interest in flying these kinds of aircraft.”
In 2015, Alistair started work for Rolls-Royce as a contractor and eventually joined its Heritage Flight.
There are now plans to create a heritage centre at the airport for schools, colleges and Rolls-Royce apprentices, to help them understand the workings of the old technology and inspire future generations.
He said flying the P-51, which can reach speeds of more than 400mph, is “nothing short of remarkable”. “The difference between a Boeing and Mustang or Spitfire is that you are most certainly the pilot. It is exhilarating. In a modern jet, you are just a systems and energy manager. “I used to fly the plane for 10 minutes in a passenger flight, but in a Mustang it is a different job. It is as close to [true] flying as you can get,” said Alistair.
“It is a privilege because we all recognise the history of what was behind these machines and what they participated in. “There are five pilots. We are all exArmy, so we recognise the sacrifice before us. I’m 51, but when I get in the Mustang I feel about 28!”
We all recognise the history of what was behind these machines and what they participated in. Alistair Williams