The UK's Zenith Aviation played a key part in the Biggin 100 centenary celebrations for London Biggin Hill airport by flying one of its Learjet 75s in formation with a heritage Spitfire. Captained by Zenith pilot Damon Pelling, the flight treated two local centenarians to views of the Spitfire out of the windows of the business jet and passed over the QEII bridge which crosses the river Thames at Dartford, a fiercely contested zone during the Battle of Britain in 1940.

It was on 13 February 1917 that the War Office first established a military camp on the site at Biggin Hill in south London, the origin for today's airport. The Zenith Aviation Learjet flight marked Biggin's current role as a dedicated international gateway airport for the city of London.

Pelling tells EBAN: “The flight went very well. It was a privilege to be involved in such an historic event. For Zenith to represent the modern age in that respect with its brand new Learjet 75 was a true honour, especially with the distinguished senior guests on board. The experiences and adventures that they have had throughout their long lives, especially during the war period, are things that we can't really fully understand. They lived it, and we will thankfully never have to go through something as dramatic as that. “The Spitfire formation was fantastic; Peter Kynsey was the Spitfire pilot and did a terrific job. We led the formation and he formed up on the left hand side.”

Pelling says that the company's two LR75 are having a great impact on Zenith's operations: “The 45 was always a good aircraft for executive charter in Europe. You could get to the extremities of Europe quickly. Added to that, it flies high and looks good. It has got all the qualities that a great classic aircraft should have. The LR75 has added to that with slightly better engines. It has better performance at high altitudes, and from a passenger point of view the cabin design is improved; it feels more spacious and has got more facilities onboard.

“We can offer wi-fi and other much-needed business tools, not just for business passengers, but also for families. Each seat has its own DVD unit, screen and controller. Passen-gers love it, and being a more up-to-date version of what is a very good business aircraft has gone down very well. It is proving to be extremely popular in the charter market.”

Pelling has been flying business jets from Biggin Hill for almost 17 years, and before that flew there as an instructor. “Because of its location and facilities, it is an airport that is able to expand,” he continues. “It has full instrument approach procedures and is adding to the options we have for instrument approaches, including for runway 03, the opposite end to the ILS system that we currently have. Biggin is also expanding its facilities and opening hours, and as a charter operator we can capitalise on those opportunities.”

Other businesses are opening their doors on the airfield too, including Bombardier, which has recently established a maintenance facility next door to the Zenith hangar. “We have a great relationship with Bombardier as we operate its aircraft; we think this move is going to help our business and all of the businesses here move forward,” he concludes.