Like Father, Like Son

A Tribute to Ray and Mark Hanna

Photograph of Mark and Ray Hanna reproduced with permission of OFMC

Earlier this month I asked if anyone knew of pilots who had flown Spitfires and Me-109s (see Who Made A Mess O' Schmidt?). The question was prompted by the fact that the RAF flew and assessed captured 109s and Fw-190s during World War II, just as the Luftwaffe did with Spitfires and Hurricanes. There has been a significant discussion thread on this subject on the Axis History Forum and I have received valuable feedback from around the world.
Before I post the details kindly sent to me by Mike Kemble and Ville Pitkänen, I just want to cite the example of the late Ray and Mark Hanna (pictured above), who both had an international reputation not just on the basis of their Old Flying Machine Company, but also by virtue of their accomplishments in the cockpit.
I recalled, from my research on my forthcoming novel, `The Jadu Master', that Mark had flown not just the Spitfire but the 109 as well. I immediately emailed his sister Sarah, who replied promptly, ending her email with the sentence: ``By the by, my father flew both aircraft as well, but it was Mark who really loved the 109.'' This rare distinction probably makes them the only father-son combination to have flown Spits and 109s - but if you know of any others, please let me know.
Interestingly enough, there are some very dramatic shots of Mark flying the 109 in New Zealand, taken by Richard Seaman and displayed on his site, Richard-Seaman.com. There's also a great story I'd heard about Mark, so I checked its authenticity with Sarah, who confirmed it did indeed happen ....
Mark and another OFMC pilot were flying a 109 and a Mustang (as you know, deadly adversaries in World War II) to an air show in Europe, when one of the planes developed a problem, which meant both pilots had to ask for permission to land at a US Air Force base. They were immediately met by a very perturbed officer who asked in an agitated tone: ``Are these planes armed?''
The punchline certainly belonged to Mark, who replied with dry humour: ``Not since 1945.''

Watch this space for more details on men who flew Spitfires and 109s.