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Sigh for a Merlin: Testing the Spitfire (Paperback)

by Alex Henshaw (Author) "I suppose every man beyond a certain age, when there is time for reflection over the past, is able to say 'That was the happiest..." (more)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
RRP: £10.95
Price: £7.35 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Product details

  • Paperback: 240 pages
  • Publisher: Crecy Publishing; 2nd Revised edition edition (30 Sep 1999)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0947554831
  • ISBN-13: 978-0947554835
  • Product Dimensions: 23 x 15.6 x 2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 14,892 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #4 in  Books > History > World History > World War II 1939-1945 > Weapons > Spitfire
    #11 in  Books > Science & Nature > Engineering & Technology > Military & Naval > Military Aircraft
    #27 in  Books > History > Military History > Armed Forces > Air Forces

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Product Description

Book Description

Alex Henshaw spent the early days of World War II at Eastleigh, England, testing the immortal Spitfire fighter with Jeffrey Quill before being appointed Chief Test Pilot at Supermarine's new factory in Castle Bromwich. Thousands of Spitfires were tested and manufactured at this site throughout the war, by the end of which 37,000 test flights had been made with Alex Henshaw flying an estimated ten per cent of all Spitfires ever built. Often landing without aids of any kind, his breathtaking aerobatic style and complete mastery of the aircraft were to save his life on several occasions.

I scrawled rapidly on my pad, 'Baling out - engine seizure - suspect piston conrod.' I had barely finished my scrawl when the machine shook so much that I tore my safety harness pin, pulled down my goggles to protect my eyes from oil, glycol and debris, snapped back the cockpit hood and with all my strength kicked away from the cockpit

Royalties from the sale of this edition will be donated to the RAF Benevolent Fund

Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
I suppose every man beyond a certain age, when there is time for reflection over the past, is able to say 'That was the happiest or the greatest or the most memorable year of my life.' Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars How much we owe, and to whom., 15 Feb 2000
By A Customer
A candid account of Alex Henshaw's leadership of the Castle Bromwich flight test pilots. Written transparently. The heroism of the test pilots, the remarkable quest for quality in the Spitfire, the aggressive sense of urgency in delivering both Spitfires and Lancasters for the defeat of Hitler and his perverted science, all are the more apparent upon reflection after having read this book. We are left to make our own deductions, and those deductions leave us with an abiding respect.

This account rings true. The lessons learned and the characters met are being learned and met today. A thoroughly enjoyable book to read, and one that will repay study.

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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars With Grace we fly, 6 Jan 2001
By scottdance42@aol.com (Birmingham, England) - See all my reviews
This book should be read by all Spitfire lovers.This book can only be described as an enthralling account not of one test pilot but all.This man made one of the best contributions any single person could have made between the years of 1940-1945 to that of Spitfire Aviation. With a total of 37000 test flights and every one could have so easily have been his last. His product knowledge shines through as the sun shines through the clouds, and his acrobatic style and ease of which he flew these birds of the sky, saved his life on many occasions. Many people have said " The book I am reading at the moment is so good I just don't want to put it down", being a local man not two mile away from the Airfield I must agree. The man's precence can be felt around you as you are reading, you fly as he flies, panic as he does at the thought of a crash landing and share the sheer power of the plane. BUY IT ! You will not put it down.
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