Mary Ellis had her first flying lesson in August 1938 and was later trained to fly fighters and bombers. She served as a First Officer in the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) during the Second World War.
Flying over 400 Spitfires and Seafires, Mary achieved an impressive record of aircraft flown and was also Commandant of Sandown Airport for twenty years from 1950.
In February 2017, Mary celebrated her 100th birthday by going for a ride in a Spitfire (and taking the controls).
January 2018, Mary was awarded the Freedom of the Isle of Wight.
Sadly Mary passed away on 24th July 2018. Below are some of the articles about her.
