Spitfire pilot Jeffrey Quill picked by astronaut Tim Peake

"It was brilliant to read some of the old techniques the Spitfire test pilots were using, and in some respects test pilot flying isn't that different today, but we don't have to do everything by notebook and pencil and stopwatch." Tim Peake Jeffrey Quill was born in 1913, and flew the Spitfire prototype in 1936. Tim Peake was born in 1972 and was launched into space exactly ten years ago, on December 15 2015. Joining him in studio is the aviation historian Dr Victoria Taylor. The story of Jeffrey Quill's inspiring life includes archive of Raymond Baxter and Quill himself. This is series 67 of Great Lives and future programmes focus on Joan Rivers, Marcus Agrippa, and Johnny Green, road manager with The Clash. Presented by Matthew Parris and produced in Bristol by Miles Warde

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Spitfire pilot Jeffrey Quill picked by astronaut Tim Peake is an episode from Great Lives by BBC.

This episode is 27:44 long.

This episode was published on Jan 12, 2026.

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