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R J Mitchell To The Spitfire
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Book Synopsis R.J. Mitchell: Schooldays to Spitfire by : Gordon Mitchell
Download or read book R.J. Mitchell: Schooldays to Spitfire written by Gordon Mitchell and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2011-10-24 with total page 466 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Spitfire began as a near disaster. The developments of this famous aircraft took it from uncompromising beginnings to become the legendary last memorial to a great man - an elegant and, with its pilots, a highly effective, weapon of war. The Spitfire would not have happened at all, however, without Mitchell's indomitable courage and determination in the face of severe physical and psychological adversity resulting from cancer. His contribution to the Battle of Britain, and thereafter to the achievement of final victory in 1945, was so great that our debt to him can never be repaid. This poignant story is written from a uniquely personal viewpoint by his son, Gordon Mitchell.
Book Synopsis Schneider Trophy to Spitfire by : John Shelton
Download or read book Schneider Trophy to Spitfire written by John Shelton and published by Haynes Publishing UK. This book was released on 2009-02-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first book to give a comprehensive account of the entire design career of legendary aircraft designer Reginald J. Mitchell. Renowned as the creator of the iconic Supermarine Spitfire fighter, Mitchell was also responsible for the sleek record-breaking seaplane aircraft that won outright the Schneider Trophy in 1931, and other classic designs such as the Stranraer and Southampton flying boats. John Shelton examines Mitchell’s 28 designs and recounts how each of his aircraft emerged in response to contemporary requirements and to prevailing design philosophies.
Book Synopsis R. J. Mitchell: To the Spitfire by : John Shelton
Download or read book R. J. Mitchell: To the Spitfire written by John Shelton and published by Fonthill Media. This book was released on 2023-04-16 with total page 809 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: R. J. Mitchell at Supermarine is the definitive account of the life of Britain’s best-known aeronautical engineer. Shelton calls upon unpublished letters, extensive press accounts, and updated material from his previous publications, concentrating particularly on the harsh conditions of Mitchell’s apprentice years, the precarious state of the aircraft firm he joined, and moments of good fortune of which he took advantage. He was a ‘chancer’ as well as a methodical developer of, mainly, slow flying seaplanes. Mitchell’s progress from draughtsman, with no formal training in aeronautical design, to internationally known chief designer is charted through a chronological study of his designs, revealing a formidable work ethic with a complex personality that combined ‘dreams and common sense’. It will also be shown how the success of his high-speed Schneider Trophy designs propelled him reluctantly into public attention and how his anxiety for his pilots’ safety matched an equal concern that his designs should not let down an expectant nation. Later expectations on him to produce a ‘killer fighter’ were equally daunting, and the outcome was often uncertain, but details of colleagues’ accounts highlight the essential and unique contribution of R.J.’s experience and drive to the eventual appearance of the iconic Spitfire.
Book Synopsis R.J. Mitchell, Schooldays to Spitfire by : Gordon Mitchell
Download or read book R.J. Mitchell, Schooldays to Spitfire written by Gordon Mitchell and published by Tempus Publishing, Limited. This book was released on 2002 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Biografi over den enkelske flykonstruktør, der skabte det fra 2. verdenskrig kendte jagerfly Supermarine Spitfire skrevet af hans søn.
Book Synopsis The Four Geniuses of the Battle of Britain by : David Coles
Download or read book The Four Geniuses of the Battle of Britain written by David Coles and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2012-10-24 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Had it not been for the vital contributions of the four men and their inventions described in this book the Battle of Britain could not have been won by the Royal Air Force. Each of these brilliant men contributed enormously to the aircraft and equipment upon which the gallant RAF fighter pilots depended to take on and defeat the hitherto overpowering Luftwaffe during Hitlers European onslaught. Watson Watt was the moving force behind Britains vital early warning radar network that allowed Allied fighter aircraft to intercept the incoming German bomber raids. Henry Royce was the driving force throughout the development of the Merlin engine that powered both the Hurricane and Spitfire.Sydney Camm persevered with the design of the Hawker Hurricane which was to destroy more Luftwaffe bombers in the Battle than any other type. It was amazingly resilient and provided an extremely stable gun platform. Never living long enough to see the success of his beautiful Spitfire, RJ Mitchell was the designer of the only British aircraft that could outperform the Nazi Bf 109s fighters and which allowed the attacking Hurricanes a little more safety while doing their job below. This is the story of those men behind the scene of the greatest air battle in history. "
Book Synopsis Beyond the Spitfire by : Ralph Pegram
Download or read book Beyond the Spitfire written by Ralph Pegram and published by History Press. This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Was R.J. Mitchell truly a genius? Delving into the projects that remained stuck on the drawing board. Reginald Mitchell's death at just 42, soon followed by the defence of Britain by pilots flying his finest creation, the Spitfire, elevated him to legendary status. He spent his whole career as a designer with Supermarine, whose products came from his pen or those that worked under him. Histories focus on the successful aircraft; those that failed to make the grade tend to be glossed over. But beyond this is a large body of concepts, early designs and projects that have never seen the light of day, the ideas generated by Mitchell and his team that never left the drawing board ; stepping- stones on the way to later aircraft, sketched out concepts that withered on the vine, and projects that failed to attract orders. This book attempts to look at the entirety of Mitchell's portfolio in perspective. Was Mitchell truly a genius? Hopefully this book will allow the reader to draw their own conclusions.
Book Synopsis The Spitfire Kids by : Alasdair Cross
Download or read book The Spitfire Kids written by Alasdair Cross and published by Headline. This book was released on 2022-05-26 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'An inspirational read celebrating the incredible young people who gave so much for this iconic British aircraft'. John Nichol, bestselling author of Spitfire: A Very British Love Story Despite the many films and television programmes over the decades since the end of the Second World War that portrays our allied heroes as grown-up men and women, the Battle of Britain was in the main actually fought and won by teenagers. The average age of an RAF fighter pilot was just twenty years old. Many of the men and women who designed and built their planes were even younger. Based on the hit BBC World Service podcast Spitfire: The People's Story, we use contemporary diaries and memoirs, many of them previously unpublished, to tell the story of the Spitfire through the voices of the teenagers who risked everything to design, build and fly her. This isn't a story of stiff-upper lips, stoical moustaches and aerial heroics; it's a story of love and loss, a story of young people tested to the very limits of their endurance. Young people who won a battle that turned a war.
Download or read book Dogfight written by David Owen and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2015-06-20 with total page 421 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Innumerable books have been published on the two most famous fighter aircraft of all time, the Supermarine Spitfire and the Messerschmitt Bf109. But books setting out to tell the story of both aircraft are very much rarer - probably fewer than the fingers of one hand. Yet their joint story is one which bears retelling since both were essential to the air campaigns of World War Two.Incredibly, the men who designed them lacked any experience of designing a modern fighter. R J Mitchell had begun his career working on industrial steam locomotives, Willy Messerschmitt had cut his aeronautical teeth on light and fragile gliders and sporting planes. Yet both men not only managed to devise aircraft which could hold their own in a world where other designs went from state-of-the-art to obsolete in a staggeringly short time, but their fighters remained competitive over six years of front-line combat. Despite the different ways their creators approached their daunting tasks and the obstacles each faced in acceptance by the services for which they were designed, they proved to be so closely matched that neither side gained a decisive advantage in a titanic struggle. Had either of them not matched up to its opponent so well, then the air war would have been a one-sided catastrophe ending in a quick defeat for the Allies or the Axis powers, and the course of twentieth century history would have been changed beyond recognition.
Download or read book Spitfire People written by Paul Beaver and published by Evro Publishing Limited. This book was released on 2016-02-15 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents a fresh angle on the Spitfire by examining the contribution to its development and achievements by over 65 people - some famous, others not - ranging from politicians to pilots. Published to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, this book presents a fresh angle on the Spitfire by examining the contribution to its development and achievements by over 65 people, some famous, others not. Without the courage and tenacity of some leading political and military figures and the hard work of lesser-known mortals, there would have been no Spitfire, no Battle of Britain and no ultimate victory in 1945. Many people in positions of power played their part in the ultimate success of the Spitfire, but a few staked their reputations on a radical design that brought together the best in British design, technology and ingenuity. This book tells many significant individual stories. - Political people: Sir Winston Churchill (voice in the wilderness and wartime leader), Air Marshal Sir Wilfred Freeman (senior champion of the Spitfire in the Air Ministry), Lord Beaverbrook (Minister for Aircraft Production). - Design and development people: Reginald Mitchell (chief designer 1934–36), Joe Smith (chief designer 1936–47), Jeffrey Quill (test pilot), Ernest Hives (Rolls-Royce experimental head and key player in the design of the Merlin engine), Sir Stanley Hooker (mathematician and Merlin engine developer), the ladies of Vickers Supermarine at Trowbridge (factory workers). - Operational people: James ‘Johnny' Johnson (highest-scoring Spitfire ace), Henry Cozens (first squadron commander), Geoffrey Wellum (youngest Battle of Britain pilot), Douglas Bader (Spitfire wing leader and inspirational disabled pilot). - Experimental people: Tony Martindale (RAE Farnborough test pilot), Eric ‘Winkle' Brown (chief naval test pilot and the first man to land a Seafire on an aircraft carrier). - Heritage people: Ray Hanna (Old Flying Machine company), Carolyn Grace (the only female owner/pilot in the world), Phill O'Dell (chief test pilot at Rolls-Royce and Spitfire display pilot). - Published to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
Book Synopsis The Schneider Trophy Air Races by : Jerry Murland
Download or read book The Schneider Trophy Air Races written by Jerry Murland and published by Pen and Sword Aviation. This book was released on 2021-09-15 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The history of the Schneider Trophy is the history of aircraft development. When Jacques Schneider devised and inaugurated the Coupe d’Aviation Maritime race for seaplanes in 1913, no-one could have predicted the profound effect the Series would have on aircraft design and aeronautical development, not to mention world history. Howard Pixton’s 1914 victory in a Sopwith Tabloid biplane surprisingly surpassed the performance of monoplanes and other manufacturers turned back to biplanes. During The Great War aerial combat was almost entirely conducted by biplanes, with their low landing speeds, rapid climb rates and maneuverability. Post-war the Races resumed in 1920. The American Curtiss racing aircraft set the pattern for the 1920s, making way for Harold Mitchell’s Supermarines in the 1930’s. Having won the 1927 race at Venice Mitchell developed his ground-breaking aircraft into the iconic Spitfire powered by the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. This new generation of British fighter aircraft were to play a decisive role in defeating the Luftwaffe and thwarting the Nazis’ invasion plans. This is a fascinating account of the air race series that had a huge influence on the development of flight.
Download or read book Spitfire written by JOHN. NICHOL and published by . This book was released on 2018-05-17 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'The best book you will ever read about Britain's greatest warplane.' Patrick Bishop, bestselling author of Fighter Boys. 'A rich and heartfelt tribute to this most iconic British machine. By focussing on the men (and women) who flew the Spitfire, John Nichol has brought a fresh and powerful perspective to the story. And by recording their bravery, humility, camaraderie, tragedy and sheer joy in flying their beloved Spits he has done them - and us - a valuable service' Rowland White, bestselling author of Vulcan 606 'A superb and compelling book. Brilliantly written with some incredible and astonishing stories; it is gripping, moving, emotional and sometimes humorous - just perfect' Squadron Leader (Ret) Clive Rowley, former Officer Commanding RAF Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight 'A superb journey through the remarkable tale of that British icon, the Spitfire. Brilliantly and engagingly written, this is the most readable story of the aircraft and her pilots that I have ever had the pleasure to read in a period spanning some forty-odd years of personal study and research. Truly stunning.' Andy Saunders, Editor, Britain at War Magazine. 'This is not just a tale of heroism in the skies . . . This is a tale of victory . . . Magnificently told in lip-biting detail' - Daily Mail (The Red Line) The perfect complementary narrative to the bestselling memoir by Geoffrey Wellum - First Light. Achtung, Spitfire! The iconic Spitfire found fame during the darkest early days of World War II. But what happened to the redoubtable fighter and its crews beyond the Battle of Britain, and why is it still so loved today? In late spring 1940, Nazi Germany's domination of Europe had looked unstoppable. With the British Isles in easy reach since the fall of France, Adolf Hitler was convinced that Great Britain would be defeated in the skies over her southern coast, confident his Messerschmitts and Heinkels would outclass anything the Royal Air Force threw at them. What Hitler hadn't planned for was the agility and resilience of a marvel of British engineering that would quickly pass into legend - the Spitfire. Bestselling author John Nichol's passionate portrait of this magnificent fighter aircraft, its many innovations and updates, and the people who flew and loved them, carries the reader beyond the dogfights over Kent and Sussex. Spanning the full global reach of the Spitfire's deployment during WWII, from Malta to North Africa and the Far East, then over the D-Day beaches, it is always accessible, effortlessly entertaining and full of extraordinary spirit. Here are edge-of-the-seat stories and heart-stopping first-hand accounts of battling pilots forced to bail out over occupied territory; of sacrifice and wartime love; of aristocratic female flyers, and of the mechanics who braved the Nazi onslaught to keep the aircraft in battle-ready condition. Nichol takes the reader on a hair-raising, nail-biting and moving wartime history of the iconic Spitfire populated by a cast of redoubtable, heroic characters that make you want to stand up and cheer. 'A rich and heartfelt tribute to this most iconic British machine. By focussing on the men (and women) who flew the Spitfire, John Nichol has brought a fresh and powerful perspective to the story.' - Rowland White - author of Vulcan 607
Book Synopsis Secrets of the Spitfire by : Lance Cole
Download or read book Secrets of the Spitfire written by Lance Cole and published by Pen and Sword Aviation. This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book tells the tale of the brilliant aerodynamicist Beverley Shenstone MASc, HonFRAes, FAIAA,AFIAS, FCASI, HonOSTIV. As R.J. Mitchell's chief aerodynamicist, it was Shenstone who designed the Spitfire's wing - the wing that gave the Spitfire it crucial advantage in the Battle of Britain and beyond. A quiet man, Shenstone never sought glory for his work, yet in recent years he has been credited as the man who persuaded Mitchell to adopt the ellipse - a modified ellipse that was unique in its shape and its combined use of two integrated aerofoil sections. Shenstone's knife-edge shape reached far back into early aeronautics for its inspiration. This book also names the other forgotten Spitfire design contributors who were Mitchell's men - Mr Faddy, Mr Fear, Mr Fenner, Mr Shirvall, a Prof Howland and others. Intriguingly, Shenstone had left his native Canada and early training as an RCAF pilot, to study at Junkers and then under the father of the delta wing - Alexander Lippisch in Germany in the early 1930s. There, he became immersed in delta wings and flying wings. He also became a glider pilot. The story of how Beverley came to be in the right place at the right time is revealed for the first time. So too are the enigmatic tales of his involvement with the military, the intelligence world, Lord Beaverbrook , the USAF, and Canadian aviation. During the war Shenstone worked at the top secret Wright Patterson air force base and was involved with the Air Ministry and the pro-British movement in America when Shenstone worked for Air Chief Marshal Sir Wilfrid Freeman, the unsung hero behind British defence procurement. Shenstone achieved high office - a President of the Royal Aeronautical Society, technical director at BOAC, chief engineer at BEA and a consultant to several aircraft makers. He was courted by Avro, de Havilland and Vickers, and was the force behind the renaissance of human-powered flight. Using exclusive access to his family documents, his unpublished autobiography and many notes and stories, as well as forensic research, this book details for the first time, a new twist to the Spitfire's story and the secrets of its advanced science. A tale of design and military intelligence reveals a story of a man whose name should be more widely known in the UK, Canada and the aviation world. SELLING POINTS: * Illustrated throughout * Evokes a golden age of aviation design and development * Relay's the story of one of History's most overlooked heroes of aviation design ILLUSTRATIONS: 20 mono photos
Download or read book Spitfire written by Jonathan Glancey and published by Atlantic Books Ltd. This book was released on 2014-08-07 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Updated edition to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. It is difficult to overestimate the excitement that accompanied the birth of the Spitfire. An aircraft imbued with balletic grace and extraordinary versatility, it was powered by a piston engine and a propeller, yet came tantalisingly close to breaking the sound barrier. First flown in 1936, the Spitfire soon came to symbolize Britain's defiance of Nazi Germany in the summer of 1940. Spitfire: The Biography is a celebration of a great British invention, of the men and women who flew it and supported its development, and of the industry that manufactured both the aircraft and the Rolls-Royce engines that powered it. It is also about the ways in which the sight, sound and fury of this lithe and legendary fighter continue to stir the public imagination worldwide more than eighty years on.
Download or read book Spitfire written by Robert Jackson and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Charts the evolution of the Supermarine Spitfire, from its early forebears and the Schneider Trophy racers to the last of the breed. Features include unpublished photos, first-person accounts, unique memorabilia, and special "up-close" images of key marks.
Book Synopsis Empire of the Clouds by : James Hamilton-Paterson
Download or read book Empire of the Clouds written by James Hamilton-Paterson and published by Faber & Faber. This book was released on 2010-10-07 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1945 Britain was the world's leading designer and builder of aircraft - a world-class achievement that was not mere rhetoric. And what aircraft they were. The sleek Comet, the first jet airliner. The awesome delta-winged Vulcan, an intercontinental bomber that could be thrown about the sky like a fighter. The Hawker Hunter, the most beautiful fighter-jet ever built and the Lightning, which could zoom ten miles above the clouds in a couple of minutes and whose pilots rated flying it as better than sex. How did Britain so lose the plot that today there is not a single aircraft manufacturer of any significance in the country? What became of the great industry of de Havilland or Handley Page? And what was it like to be alive in that marvellous post-war moment when innovative new British aircraft made their debut, and pilots were the rock stars of the age? James Hamilton-Paterson captures that season of glory in a compelling book that fuses his own memories of being a schoolboy plane spotter with a ruefully realistic history of British decline - its loss of self confidence and power. It is the story of great and charismatic machines and the men who flew them: heroes such as Bill Waterton, Neville Duke, John Derry and Bill Beaumont who took inconceivable risks, so that we could fly without a second thought.
Book Synopsis Fight for the Sky by : Douglas Bader
Download or read book Fight for the Sky written by Douglas Bader and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2006-05-01 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The only book written by the legendary “legless” ace, the double amputee World War II fighter pilot immortalized by the film Reach for the Sky. In Fight for the Sky, Douglas Bader tells the inspiring story of the Battle of Britain from the viewpoint of “The Few.” Using superb illustrations he traces the development of the Spitfire and Hurricane and describes the nail-biting actions of those who flew them against far superior numbers of enemy aircraft. As an added bonus, other well-known fighter aces including Johnnie Johnson, “Laddie” Lucas and Max Aikten contribute to Douglas’s book, no doubt out of affection and respect. This a really important contribution to RAF history by one of the greatest—and certainly the most famous—pilot of the Second World War.
Book Synopsis A From Spitfire to Focke Wulf by : H. Leonard Thorne
Download or read book A From Spitfire to Focke Wulf written by H. Leonard Thorne and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2013-09-02 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ‘I hold the greatest respect for Len for what he achieved in the RAF’. – Gordon Mitchell, son of Spitfire designer R.J. Mitchell In May 1940, 20-year-old Len Thorne joined the RAF, as did many young men during the Second World War. After two hectic tours of operational duty as a fighter pilot, including some desperately dangerous low-level flying at Dunkirk, he was posted to AFDU (Air Fighting Development Unit) and remained there as a test pilot for the rest of the war. Fortunately for us, Len kept a detailed diary, which, set alongside his log book, tells the unique story of a test pilot tasked with developing operational tactics and testing captured enemy aircraft, such as the feared Fw 190. During Len’s career, he worked alongside some of the most famous fighter aces and his records cast light on some of the most famous flyers of the RAF, including Wing Commander Al Deere and Spitfire aces Squadron Leader ‘Paddy’ Finucane, Ernie Ryder and many others. A unique record of military aviation history, From Spitfire to Focke Wulf offers a window to this era of rapid and high-stakes aircraft development.
