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Spitfire: A Very British Love Story

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The stories that are pulled together throughout various fronts and places (England, France, Italy, Africa, and the Far East are some of those places) during World War II feature a wide array of pilots and all of them had their stories to tell involving the Spitfire. Supermarine Spitfire ML407,affectionately known as'The Grace Spitfire',was originally built at Castle Bromwich in early 1944 as a Mark IX single seat fighter and served in the front line of battle throughout the last twelve months of World War II with six different allied Squadrons of the RAF’s 2nd Tactical Air Force. Thanks to The Blades Aerobatic Display Team, we can now offer a friend or family member the opportunity to fly alongside as you take your Spitfire Flight. The author could have focused just on the pilot's stories, or how the Spitfire handled itself in battle, however, by choosing to add in some historical facts about WW2 at the same time, I feel as though I have travelled through time, learning more about those 6 years we were at war in a way I wasn’t taught or have read about previously. The way he covers people on the ground too really adds to the depth of what you are reading.

The Aerodynamics of the Spitfire - Royal Aeronautical Society The Aerodynamics of the Spitfire - Royal Aeronautical Society

Twenty-three thousand Spitfires were built between 1936-1946. It was flown in all theatres of war, Britain, NW Europe, North Africa, Malta. Italy, USSR, and SE Asia. It rarely disappointed and almost always impressed. Today only 240 are know to exist and of these 60 are airworthy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superma... 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 Pilots, in spite of fear and sometimes mortal terror, took to the skies, knowing any flight could be their last but they did it anyway in an aeroplane that became as much of a hero as the pilots (male and female) who flew them. A brilliantly written and well researched book on this, the most iconic of aircraft, and it will find an eager readership amongst a world wide group of aviation enthusiasts in general, and Spitfire enthusiasts in particular. 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.'

Witnesses tell the story of this amazing achievement

Ultimate Warbird Flights are delighted to offer you the chance to experience what it was like for those pilots and take the controls of this legendary fighter for yourself with an unforgettable flight in our very own Supermarine Spitfire. With 35 years of continued flight operations, we are the longest standing provider of Spitfire Flight Experiences and are passionate about providing you with the finest Spitfire Flight Experience available anywhere in the UK. This is quite a special book because so many, if not all, of those pilots interviewed for it have all passed away, many of tbem in the time it took to write and edit it. Partly I think the answer lies in its name. The plane’s lead designer, R.J.Mitchell, wanted to call it the Shrew, thereby demonstrating that, however brilliant he was as a designer and engineer, he would never have made it as a marketing man. The name Spitfire was chosen by the Chairman of the Supermarine company. The striking design of the aircraft is also part of the reason, the elliptical wings and tailfins giving it an unmistakeable profile. From start to finish our focus is on making sure you feel safe, welcome and involved and we encourage our passengers to bring family and friends along to share in your day.

Spitfire!: The Experiences of a Battle of Britain Fighter Pilot

The testaments of these nineteen to twenty-few-year-olds takes us to a time it is hard to put ourselves into; it is hard to imagine how our own youths would take up this mantle if they had to. 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’ Ideally situated for easy access from London and the surrounding area, London Oxford Airport offers a fantastic departure point for your Spitfire experience.A good balance of the historical and “human story” elements, so that you won’t find yourself missing details of the planes many variants, nor frustrated by a dry recounting of specifications and events.

Spitfire Flights | Sywell | Ultimate Warbird Flights Spitfire Flights | Sywell | Ultimate Warbird Flights

This account of World War Two weaves it's way through the war years, without too much detail. It covers the events as seen and witnessed through the first hand accounts of those who were part of the contribution the Spitfires made to winning the war. I must confess that I found the first half of the book repetative in recounting the individual stories each of those very brave people told. There is a limit to how many times you can be told what a wonderful plane the Spitfire was. This is no ordinary history book. This is no run-of-the-mill, over done book on a very famous plane. This is a book which shines a light into the soul of the Spitfire: it tells the story of the people. Nichol doesn’t spend much time pondering his own question. Instead the book provides a history of the Spitfire, primarily through first-hand accounts from those who flew it during WW2. In Britain today the Spitfire is very much associated with the Battle of Britain, but Nichol’s book takes us through the subsequent campaigns in Malta, North Africa, Italy, France etc. There’s also a short section about the use of Spitfires in the Burma campaign, and another interesting one about the work of the mainly female pilots of the Air Transport Auxiliary, who flew planes from the factories where they were manufactured to their operational airfields. Ultimate Warbird Flights are delighted to offer this new location for our Spitfire flights from 2022. I have wanted to Fly a Spitfire For as long as I can remember and it most certainly lived up to my expectations but 100% more."The author follows the careers of a group (fewer than 25?) Spitfire pilots AND mechanics, men AND women, Americans, Aussies, Kiwis, Canadians,; Polish and Indian pilots have brief parts, as does one bomber pilot from Jamaica. In the telling he covers the entire war in which Spits saw action, including Malta, Africa, Italy, Burma and the Soviet Union, and the stories include training, scrambles and dog fights, bail outs, captures, the sudden death of comrades, romances, escapes with the French resistance, and, in one unforgettable tale, an RAF mechanic stealing(!) a Spit to make his first flight ever which is purposely INTO(!) a battle zone. As I approached the end of the book I thought this was a solid treatment of the view of the war from the pilots, and was prepared to be let down by the winding down of the war. But the ending was surprising and not what I expected. Instead of heroic welcomes or happy ever afters, the epilogue describes PSTD, divorces, depression and accidental deaths, but it is surprisingly uplifting rather than melancholic.

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