Outgoing prime minister David Cameron has revealed a secret passion for old aircraft - and a lifelong ambition to fly in a Spitfire plane.
Mr Cameron said he would “love to have had the chance” to fly in one of the Second World War aircraft, during an interview with BBC History Magazine.
The former PM added that he would not have been a good fighter pilot had he been faced with the Battle of Britain, saying: “They were called ‘the few’ for a reason. This was a special breed of men, whose dedication and daring saved our country."
When asked to select a ‘history hero’ for the piece, Mr Cameron chose fighter pilot and war hero Sir Douglas Bader, who became a double amputee after a plane crash in 1931 but went on to fly in the RAF eight years later, taking part in the Battle of Britain.
Sir Douglas was, in Mr Cameron’s words, “competitive, unruly, foolhardy – but also brilliant, brave and hugely talented”, a man who lived a life “packed with courage and fortitude”.
His widow, Joan, met Mr Cameron’s father, Ian, who was born with deformed legs, after he had one of them amputated.
“I think he was probably better off in the cockpit than at the dispatch box,” Mr Cameron said of Bader, when asked whether the latter could have made the cut as a politician at the highest level of power.
Mr Cameron will have more time to pursue extracurricular interests, after Theresa May succeeded him as prime minister on Wednesday following six years in power.
