Will Hilton

Will developed a passion for flying through his father, who taught him to glide at a young age.

He went on to solo on his 16th birthday, and completed his Private Pilot Licence at 17. Then, he built his flying hours towing gliders and flying aerobatics at White Waltham, where he cleaned aircraft to fund his passion.

Throughout this time, Will was hugely interested in vintage aircraft. And he was fortunate to have flown a number of hours in a DHC Chipmunk that his father had a share in. His ultimate dream was to one day fly the iconic Spitfire.

Through engineering work experience in 2012, Will was incredibly fortunate to meet G-ILDA and her pilots for the first time. He stayed in touch with Spitfires.com (then Boultbee Flight Academy) while completing his Frozen Airline Transport Pilot Licence.

This led to flying the Boeing 737-800 for a major European short haul carrier. In 2019, Will returned to the UK to fly the Boeing 787. At that time, he also started working in the Spitfires.com hangar with the engineering team on his days off.

Over the following seasons, while working with the operations and engineering teams, Will converted to the academy’s T-6 Texan flying alongside the Spitfire. Ultimately, she converted to the Spitfire during the summer of 2022.

Will is incredibly passionate about operating these historic aircraft with the Spitfires.com team. And he feels hugely privileged to be able to share such an experience with our guests.