Birth of a Legend: Spitfire: Amazon.co.uk: Jeffrey Quill, Sebastian Cox: Books

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The men, the machines and how it all came about., 6 Aug 2009

By	Ned Middleton (British professional underwater photo-journalist & author) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

As strange as it may seem, the Spitfire has it's origins in an idea whereby one man wanted to make boats that could fly - hence the name "Flying Boats." This was very different from any concept of aircraft simply being able to land on water. Many notable designs were tried and tested. Then along came aerial races and the famous Schneider Trophy. Step forward one R. J. Mitchell who designed the Supermarine S 4 and anyone with an interest in aircraft design will instantly recognise this as a very early Spitfire with floats instead of wheels.

The trophies were won and the development continued right up until the outbreak of World War Two when suddenly the requirements of a nation at war became very different from winning silver cups. Europe had entered into a fight for it's own existence and the Supermarine - so far ahead of it's time when it first appeared, coupled with a 12 cylinder Merlin engine had become the Spitfire.

Only last week I was able to closely examine four of these aircraft in a museum store. The previous week many people watched in awe as several flew low over London as part of an aerial display from the Battle of Britain Flight. Later this month that same flight will be flying over my village in Norfolk, England.

In the meantime, aircraft design and technology may have moved into the jet age, but the magic of the Spitfire remains. For those who are not able to see these incredible aircraft at close quarters, this is the book which reveals everything there is to know regarding how they came about.

It is a fascinating read.

NM

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The men, the machines and how it all came about., 21 Jul 2007

By	Ned Middleton (British professional underwater photo-journalist & author) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

As strange as it may seem, the Spitfire has it's origins in an idea whereby one man wanted to make boats that could fly - hence the name "Flying Boats." This was very different from any concept of aircraft simply being able to land on water. Many notable designs were tried and tested. Then along came aerial races and the famous Schneider Trophy. Step forward one R. J. Mitchell who designed the Supermarine S 4 and anyone with an interest in aircraft design will instantly recognise this as a very early Spitfire with floats instead of wheels.

The trophies were won and the development continued right up until the outbreak of World War Two when suddenly the requirements of a nation at war became very different from winning silver cups. Europe had entered into a fight for it's own existence and the Supermarine - so far ahead of it's time when it first appeared, coupled with a 12 cylinder Merlin engine had become the Spitfire.

Only last week I was able to closely examine four of these aircraft in a museum store. The previous week many people watched in awe as several flew low over London as part of an aerial display from the Battle of Britain Flight. Later this month that same flight will be flying over my village in Norfolk, England.

In the meantime, aircraft design and technology may have moved into the jet age, but the magic of the Spitfire remains. For those who are not able to see these incredible aircraft at close quarters, this is the book which reveals everything there is to know regarding how they came about.

It is a fascinating read.

NM

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

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Birth of a Legend: Spitfire (Paperback)

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