Meet the GAC Member - Mark Hillier

11th February 2025

Head of Operations at The Spitfire Academy based at Goodwood, Mark shares his long-held passion for flying and aviation history with us.

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Tell us a bit about you?  

I have always been mad keen on aviation since I was first allowed to help my dad to build his 1:24 scale P51 Mustang, at the age of 5. My Sunday School teacher eventually asked my parents that I refrain from drawing Lancaster bombers instead of religious events – apparently, I was not entering into the spirit of the class! My school art report says, “can draw very well as long as it has wings and is camouflaged”!

I wanted to be an RAF pilot but after several attempts at selection at RAF Biggin Hill, I decided to have a break and get a job after A levels. I did a gliding scholarship with the ATC and became a Gliding Instructor whilst training to become a Chartered Surveyor. After a few years, I re-applied for the RAF as aircrew and was accepted as a Flight Engineer. Sadly, before I could get to flying training, I suffered a knee injury and was forced to leave. Back to construction: I spent the next 30 years working in construction as a Building Regulation and Fire Safety Specialist and spent much of my time travelling round the UK, training surveyors. It wasn’t really what I wanted to do, however, and aviation was always calling me!  Fortunately, 3 years ago, I was asked if I wanted to become the Head of Operations for Spitfires.com which I readily accepted! My first full time job in aviation at the age of 49! Working with Spitfires and getting to share my passion for history, aviation and warbirds is my dream job.

Have you always been interested in aviation?

At 7, I joined my local aviation museum and had access to aircraft cockpits, gun turrets, engines, medals, and logbooks as well as WW2 RAF veterans! I was very lucky to be able to spend my weekends immersed in history and I loved every minute of it. I joined the ATC aged 13 and flew in Chipmunks and anything else I could, from Chinooks to VC10s. My ATC Squadron had an Ex-Hunter pilot and a WW2 Mosquito navigator who had won the Distinguished Flying Cross, both flying privately at Headcorn, so I had plenty of air experience flights with them in a Cessna 172. I was smitten with flying and was desperate to get a job in aviation. Sadly, that didn’t work out, but I became a gliding instructor on winch-launched gliders and then motor gliders, flying at RAF Halton as an RAF VR officer, for 14 years of fun teaching 16-year-old cadets.  I joined the RAF flying club and learned to fly the club’s Chipmunk, gaining my PPL. I ventured into aircraft ownership with a share in a Victa Air tourer, but I had developed a love of tailwheel flying so I sold my share. Since then, I have continued to fly, as and when finances allowed. I have also been writing books, doing TV programmes on aviation history, advising museums and collectors on aviation memorabilia, and playing Spitfires! I have been very lucky.

 

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What has your involvement at Goodwood been over the years?

After flying at RAF Halton and then Dunsfold, work moved me further south, and I had my first flight at Goodwood with Graham Turner in a Robin 2120 at Vectair back in 2004. I joined the Goodwood Aeroclub 20 years ago and flew the Super Decathlon and had the opportunity to check out the Goodwood Harvard. I was lucky to be involved in a MA5 Charger home-built, Bi-plane group and continued my tailwheel journey. I progressed through to Super Cub, Cap 10b and then to the beautiful Stearman, whilst also completing my CRI rating with Goodwood Flying School. I have always been fascinated by the history of the Airfield and when I first came to Goodwood it seemed that not much was really known about the squadrons that flew here. Many of the books written about the airfield seemed to be very light on content, so I set out to investigate a bit more! That started a 20-year quest, leading to meeting many of the veterans who flew at RAF Westhampnett in the 1940s. Over the years I have supported the Aeroclub with history talks, tours, and information about the airfield’s history, which I continue to do whilst working for Spitfires.com. What a great Airfield we have, and I look forward to many more years of flying from this historic airfield.  

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Tell us about some of the books you’ve written. Do you have a favourite?...

My first book was ‘RAF Westhampnett at War’ written with Dieter Sinanan and Greg Percival, who both flew at Goodwood. It was a self-published book of 1000 copies with all proceeds to the Royal Air Force Association. It was a fabulous journey of discovery about the airfield and its personalities and what a privilege it was to be able to tell their stories! This kickstarted my writing career, and I was asked to write articles for Britain at War Magazine as well as books for the publisher Pen and Sword. 15 further books followed about various topics from WW1 Royal Flying Corps pilots to the flying equipment worn by Battle of Britain pilots and anything in between. My favourite book will always be ‘A fighter command station at war’, the story of RAF Westhampnett. It is the latest edition of the airfield history and the most complete and it reflects many years of digging around for facts and photos.

What is your favourite RAF Westhampnett Fact?

Oohhh! So many! Probably that both of the RAF’s double amputee pilots of WW2 both flew operationally at Goodwood on Spitfires during WW2: not only Douglas Bader but also Colin Hodgkinson, who served here with 610 (County of Chester) Squadron.

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