Download or read book From Biplane to Spitfire written by Anne Baker and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2004-02-19 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Air Marshal Sir Geoffrey Salmond and his brother Jack joined the Royal Flying Corps during the Great War and both were to have a major influence on the development of the Royal Air Force in the 1920s and 1930s. After a most distinguished war service, Geoffrey, the older of the two, became one of the original pioneers of long range flight and rose steadily through the ranks. He was one of the first to recognize the importance of 'high speed flight' and the development of the Supermarine S6 (the forerunner of the Spitfire). As such he was closely involved with the Schneider Trophy races of the early 1930s. His successful career also encompassed flights of long range endurance.Extraordinarily, both Jack and Geoffrey rose to become Chiefs of the Air Staff in the mid-1930s. Geoffrey succeeded his brother at the top of his profession only to die in post before he could see the fruits of his labors come to fruition in the Battle of Britain; without his vision the RAF might very well not have had the Spitfire and the result would surely have been very different.

Download or read book Spitfire Wingman from Tennessee written by James Haun and published by Col. James R. Haun. This book was released on 2011-03-16 with total page 647 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: E-Book Edition of SPITFIRE WINGMAN FROM TENNESSEE, which is the autobiography of a self-taught aviator who flew virtually every military aircraft (except jets) during the years 1939 to 1960. Col. Jim Haun, 1911-2001, with unusual honesty and wit, allows a "back door glimpse" into the USAF at the highest levels of command, including the Presidential Air Fleet in Washington, D.C. He flew fighters in WWII, transports in India, the Berlin Airlift, Japan and the Far East - eventually becoming Chief Pilot of the Military Air Transport Service. After retirement he built a stunt biplance in his garage and wowed audiences with "death-defying" performances. Col. Haun concurrently taught hundreds to fly, many later becoming airline captains and one, even became an instructor in the supersonic Blackbird.

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.

Download or read book From Nighthawk to Spitfire written by John K. Shelton and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2015-07-06 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: R.J. Mitchell was virtually self-taught and almost all his aircraft were slow-flying seaplanes. The story of how this man from the land-locked Midlands, apprenticed to a locomotive works, became responsible for the Spitfire is a great tale in itself. This detailed book tells us how Mitchell learned his trade – contributing to the production of the cumbersome Nighthawk (designed to combat the German Zeppelin threat) and gradually coming to produce record-breaking racing floatplanes that won outright the prestigious international Schneider Trophy. Mitchell was thus well placed to design a high-speed aircraft when war was imminent; however, as John K. Shelton reveals, the production of the famous fighter was by no means a certainty and its vital contribution to winning the Battle of Britain was 'a very close run thing'.

Download or read book Spitfire vs Bf 109 written by Tony Holmes and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2020-05-28 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Churchill's words, 'never was so much owed by so many to so few', came to encapsulate how, in a few critical months, the entire fate of the British Empire, if not the war, hung in the balance, to be determined by a handful of pilots fighting tirelessly in the skies over Britain. Tony Holmes describes the Battle of Britain, the clash between the Spitfire I/II and the Bf 109E - detailing not only the key elements of both aircraft types - the airframe, engine, armament and flying characteristics, but also the pilots' training and tactics accompanied by diagrams of actual flight formations. The growing influence of radar and the efforts of British air defences are also examined, as are real-life engagements - from both German and British perspectives. With a wealth of first-hand accounts from the veterans who strapped themselves into these legendary machines as well as illustrations and cockpit-view artwork, this book puts the reader in the midst of a dogfight, providing a unique insight into one of the greatest duels of history in the world's first major aerial battle.

Download or read book On Silver Wings written by Alec Lumsden and published by Osprey Publishing Company. This book was released on 1993 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Golden Age of the RAF, the period between the wars, produced a series of elegant and highly nimble biplane fighter aircraft that laid down the foundation for the world famous Spitfire and Hurricane fighters of World War II. This reference source uses a series of articles run over the previous two years in Aeroplane Monthly as a base to describe the British fighter aircraft of this highly colourful period. It profiles all ten fighter types that entered service in Britain in the 20 years between the wars, detailing both the types' service history and full technical development and specification.

Download or read book Catapult Aircraft written by Leo Marriott and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2006-09-21 with total page 315 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A concise history of this specialty aircraft used during World Wars I and II. During World War I, the navies of the opposing forces discovered the value of aerial reconnaissance, and many experiments were made to allow larger warships to carry one or sometimes two aircraft aboard. In the early days these were float planes that were lowered by crane into the sea and then lifted back aboard upon their return. This was a lengthy affair and when a speedy departure was necessary, time was of the essence. A new system was devised so that a powerful catapult system and a short ramp could, with the added speed of the ship, get an aircraft airborne in a fraction of the time previously required. Thus was born a highly specialised type of aircraft. This book includes all the major designs that went to war in the First and Second World Wars and includes aircraft used by all the combatants. It looks at how the aircraft evolved and how the warships were modified to accommodate the aircraft and the catapult system. The use of these fixed-wing aircraft was abandoned when the invention of the helicopter was made in the early post-WWII years.

Download or read book How the Spitfire Won the Battle of Britain written by Dilip Sarkar and published by Amberley Publishing Limited. This book was released on 2010-10-15 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Finally lays to rest the myth that the Hurricane won the Battle of Britain rather than the numerically inferior, yet more glamorous, Spitfire.

Download or read book Secrets of the Spitfire written by Lance Cole and published by Casemate Publishers. This book was released on 2012-08-19 with total page 538 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. Mitchells chief aerodynamicist, it was Shenstone who designed the Spitfires 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. Shenstones knife-edge shape reached far back into early aeronautics for its inspiration. This book also names the other forgotten Spitfire design contributors who were Mitchells 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 Spitfires 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.

Download or read book History and Evolution of Aircraft written by Ahmed F. El-Sayed and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2024-07-31 with total page 687 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: History and Evolution of Aircraft reviews the history of aviation from early history to the present day, including the evolution milestones of military aircraft, civil aircraft, helicopters, drones, balloons, airships, and their engines. It also provides the background and development of different types of aircraft, including manned and unmanned vehicles, aircraft carriers, fixed or rotary wings, air, sea, and amphibian flight vehicles. Covering current and developing applications of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the book highlights the prospects of future flying vehicles including automotives and jetpacks. It follows the transition from piston to jet engines that include shaft-based engines (turboprop, turboshaft, and propfan), turbine-based engines (turbojet and turbofan), and athodyd engines (ramjet, turbo-ramjet, and scramjet). The book explores flight vehicles’ technological advancements and evolution, including their geometrical features and performance parameters. It will also include nine appendices resembling databases for all types of aircraft. The book will be a useful reference for academic researchers and aviation, aerospace, and mechanical engineering students taking aerodynamics, aircraft structures, aircraft engines, and propulsion courses. Aviation history enthusiasts will be interested in the scope of the content as well. Instructors can utilize a Solutions Manual for their course.

Download or read book A Salute to One Of the Few written by Simon St John Beer and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2009-02-19 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a quiet churchyard in Amersham is the grave of an airman who lost his life fighting in the skies over southern England in October 1940. The author happened to come across this grave in 1998 and after some initial enquiries discovered that nobody in the town was aware that 'One of the Few' Battle of Britain pilots lay at rest in their parish. He determined to discover more about the short life of this hero and undertook several years of research to piece together this biography. Peter joined the RAF in November 1937 on a four-year short service commission at the age of twenty. In July 1938 he was posted to No. 87 Squadron being equipped with the then new Hawker Hurricane fighter. After war had been declared the Squadron was posted to Boos in France in support of the British Expeditionary Force, becoming operational on 10 September 1939. In March 1940 he was transferred to 501 Squadron in Tangmere and then again in April to 74 Squadron as an operational pilot at Hornchurch, equipped with Spitfires. It was from here that he fought his part in the Battle of Britain. For those who may have forgotten 'The Few', this stirring and yet sad story tells of the all-too-short life of one of the 544 young men who gave everything to defend Great Britain from Nazi aggression.

Download or read book The Royal Air Force Re Armament 1930 to 1939 written by Ian M. Philpott and published by Pen and Sword. This book was released on 2006-07-20 with total page 1206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Volume II of this mammoth reference work covers the years in which the League of Nations failed because of the emerging dictatorships in Germany and Italy and the expansionist policies adopted by Japan. Britain was still reeling from the consequences of World War I and the RAF was sadly far behind the other major world powers in aircraft design, still relying on bi-planes that were direct descendants of World War I thinking. It gradually became apparent that, despite UK government dithering, the RAF needed to develop new aircraft, engines and increase production to confront the bully-boy tactics of the Axis powers. As the turn of the decade approached extraordinary measures were taken to enable RAF to defend Britain's skies and this her freedom. As with Volume 1, this book covers every conceivable part of the RAF's history through these pre-War days. It looks at the development and invention of new equipment such as radar, monoplane fighters, metal construction and the heavy bomber. This was an era when science in aviation was rushing ahead and fortunately for Britain's freedom, it laid the foundations of victory in 1.943

Download or read book Canadian Warbirds of the Second World War Fighters Bombers and Patrol Aircraft written by Harold Skaarup and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2001-05-29 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This aviation handbook is intended to provide the reader with a quick reference to identify the military aircraft flown by the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Army during the Second World War. The handbooks in this series include a general description and a photograph from the Canadian Forces Archives of at least one of the key variants or marks of each aircraft that has been in Canadian service or used by Canadian servicemen overseas. Each aircraft is listed alphabetically by manufacturer, number and type. General details describing the aircrafts engines, service ceiling, speed, armament or weapons load are included, along with a brief description of the Canadian or allied squadron in which Canadian aircrews used the aircraft operationally. This is the third volume in the series. It describes fighters, bombers and patrol aircraft flown by Canadians during the war. A list of museums, private aircraft collections and other locations where survivors preserved and displayed is also included. The handbook is not a definitive list of all Canadian-manufactured or operated aircraft, but it should serve as a quick reminder of the major examples flown on duty for anyone with an interest in Canadian military aviation.

Download or read book Spitfire s Forgotten Designer written by Mike Roussel and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2013-03-01 with total page 539 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Supermarine Spitfire was a classic design, well known for its efforts in defending British shores during the Second World War. However, while Reginald Mitchell is rightly celebrated for his original design of the Spitfire, the role of Joe Smith in the development of the Spitfire is often overlooked. Smith was an integral member of the design team from the earliest days, and on Mitchell's death in 1937 he was appointed design office manager before becoming chief designer. Smith's dedicated leadership in the development of the Spitfire during the war, as well as his efforts on post-war jet aircraft, deserve their place in history. Charting the fascinating history of Supermarine from 1913 to 1958, when the company ceased its operations in Southampton, shortly after Joe Smith's death in 1956, this book tells its story through the eyes of apprentices and many other members of Smith's team. Marvellous photographs add to the sense of what it was like to work under Joe Smith at the drawing boards of one of Britain's most famous wartime aviation manufacturers.

Download or read book Air Combat Legends Supermarine Spitfire Messerschmitt Bf109 written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book British Aircraft Manufacturers Since 1909 written by Peter G. Dancey and published by Fonthill Media. This book was released on 2017-01-24 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: British Aircraft Manufacturers since 1909 traces one hundred years of the British aviation industry, its history, origins, mergers and takeovers. It details the evolution of the British aviation industry and is an epitaph to household famous names such as Armstrong-Whitworth, de Havilland, Chadwick, Claude-Graham White, Sopwith, A. V. Roe, Mitchell, Hawker, Handley Page, Petter and Fairey to name but a few. Of more recent times, the likes of Sidney Camm, Hooker and Hooper, all of whom, made VTOL more than just a dream, are also covered in astonishing and exhausting detail. Of the major firms, most at some time or other have been absorbed, merged or reorganised to form a single conglomerate, BAe Systems and Rolls-Royce are chronicled from the outset to the mighty companies they are today. Only PBN-Britten Norman - who on several occasions escaped extinction due to financial difficulties - and Westland, now part of AgustaWestland, and Short Bros of Northern Ireland remain independent, although even the latter, are part of Canadian, Bombardier Co. British Aircraft Manufacturers since 1909 tells the complete and enthralling story of how Britain ruled the world in terms of manufacturing and aircraft design from nimble but fragile biplanes and majestic airliners that united the world to the advanced bombers and fighters of today.

Download or read book Spitfire written by Leo McKinstry and published by John Murray. This book was released on 2010-10-14 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In June 1940, the German Army had brought the rest of Europe to its knees. 'Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world will move forward into broad, sunlit uplands,' said Churchill. The future of Europe depended on Britain. A self-confident Herman Goring thought that it would be only a matter of weeks before his planes had forced Britain to surrender. The courage, resourcefulness and brilliant organisation of the RAF were to prove him wrong. By late September 1940, the RAF had proved invincible, thanks to the Vickers Supermarine Spitfire. It exceeded anything that any other air force possessed. RJ Mitchell, a shy and almost painfully modest engineer, was the genius behind the Spitfire. On the 5th March 1936, following its successful maiden flight, a legend was born. Prize-winning historian Leo McKinstry's vivid history of the Spitfire brings together a rich cast of characters and first hand testimonies. It is a tale full of drama and heroism, of glory and tragedy, with the main protagonist the remarkable plane that played a crucial role in saving Britain.