Absolutely made up to have my Ray Hanna, Goodwood 98 Spitfire included in MotorSport Magazine’s Christmas Gift Guide

A huge thanks to MotorSport Magazine for including it.

Ray Hanna famously flew a low pass down Goodwood’s pit straight below the height of the grandstands when motor racing returned to Goodwood in 1998 in Spitfire MH434. This painting (now Sold) was an homage to that event, although there are still limited edition A2 prints available from an edition of 100 here. Spitfire MH434 is now more than 70 years old and had a prolific wartime record, as well an unbroken post-war history.

Ray Hanna

having previously been in the RAF in 1981 with his son Mark (then still a serving RAF fighter pilot) established The Old Flying Machine Company, based at Duxford Aerodrome, to commercially operate and display fly a number of vintage military aircraft. In 1983 Adrian Swire put Spitfire MH434 up for commercial auction, and it was purchased by Hanna and his commercial partners for The Old Flying Machine Company’s flying stock. In 1988 Mark resigned from the RAF to join the company full-time. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s the company’s aeroplanes performed at flying shows around the world, and opened up a spin-off service providing its aircraft for the filming of cinema and television productions, including Piece of Cake (1988), Empire of the Sun (1987), Memphis Belle (1990), Saving Private Ryan (1998) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). Hanna also flew his Spitfire under the bridge at Winston, near Barnard Castle, for a scene in Piece of Cake.