This site has set lofty goals to document all spitfire pilots and even match the aircraft they flew. The site's premise is that users add pilot pages, and, then other users come along later with other information to add, like images, links, and comments / questions. They can also identify a Spitfire by serial number or marking if they have that information, and, link that to the pilot page. This site is launched as BETA in September 2015 so it took some time for users to add pilots, but we want to honour each and every one and today in 2019, there are thousands added by many users, many of which are relatives.
When a user adds a pilot, this pilot is listed in their profile, and, the pilot page links to them as the author. Please read our section on volunteering to find out more.
The Spitfire was chosen because it is one of the iconic aircraft of WWII. It's a key draw at airshows today, and still captures the imagination of would be pilots, enthusiasts, and history buffs. A starting point was also a complete database of Spitfire serials, which made the focus an obvious one. We have incorporated Andrew Pentland's fantastic Spitfire database (with permission), so that linkages can be made between pilot and aircraft along with sortie notes.
We'd like to add the Hurricane and other fighters (you may see Hurricane pilots in the mix already) in time, as WWII pilots moved between these aircraft. But as an all volunteer effort, we've got enough work to do with the Spitfire, and it served continuously in air campaigns all over the globe throughout the war.
Anyone can add information to the pilot database at any time, that's how a WIKI works. Only for this site, the aircraft and pilot sections cross reference each other, also allowing squadron histories to be shown (all pilots in a squadron) as more and more pilots are added. It's all custom software, built specifically for this purpose and is of interest to enthusiasts, modelers, historians, and, relatives.
The main functionality provided is the ability for users to socially add information, maintain a profile, and engage others. New features will roll out regularly. We look forward to feedback and comments from users.
My father grew up in a small Ontario (Canada) town where a nearby EFTS flying school operated, near Dunneville Ontario. He remembers Harvard aircraft racing along the shore towards his town of Port Colborne performing acrobatic turns around Port Colborne's Inco smokestack on the shore of Lake Eerie.
In this lake port town during WWII as a young boy he collected aviation postcards, mementos, and all sorts of WWII crests and badges. For myself, memories of lazy summer visits and the beaches nearby Port Colborne with cousins, take me back to a boyhood age when one dreamed of flight, and relished at the discovery of old aviation momentos from WWII tucked away in my grandmother's basement. My father's brother Martin was in the RCAF and served overseas, and, nearby memebers of the Slovak Canadian community included pilots and other service personel. This site is dedicated to all those who served, as pilots, aircrew and others. Kurt.