Pilot reveals emotions ahead of VE Day 80 Buckingham Palace flypast

A senior pilot has described Monday’s VE Day celebratory flypast as a “museum without walls”.

Squadron Leader Paul Wise will be in the Lancaster Bomber leading more than 20 military aeroplanes over Buckingham Palace as the nation remembers 80 years since the end of World War Two in Europe.

Sqn Ldr Wise, of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) based at RAF Coningsby, said piloting the 80-year-old plane would be “non-stop on the senses”.

“The vibrations, smell of the aircraft, you can’t help but get the heartbeat going,” he added.

The event, which begins at midday in central London, marks the start of four days of celebration.

The procession will begin with actor Timothy Spall reading an excerpt from Winston Churchill’s VE Day speech in Parliament Square, followed by more than 1,300 members of the armed forces marching to Buckingham Palace.

The ceremony will finish with the flypast featuring the Red Arrows and 23 current and historic military aircraft.

Sqn Ldr Wise said the Lancaster would be the “jewel in the crown” during the flypast, as “only two in the world remain airworthy today, one is ours and the other is across in Canada”.

“The best place to place these beautiful aeroplanes is in the sky for everybody to see, smell and hear.

“We don’t want these events to be restricted to textbooks,” he added.

Spectators are expected to line The Mall to watch the televised event.

Sqn Ldr Wise said when flying towards central London at 1,000ft (305m), Buckingham Palace was difficult to spot, but the people along The Mall would catch his eye.

“The Mall is moving and it’s purely through the amount of people that are on The Mall. It’s almost like a caterpillar that moves,” he said.

The flypast is due to take place at 13:45 BST.