Spitfire: A Very British Love Story

Product Information

Boasting fantastic Art Deco styled facilities for you and your guests, Sywell is an excellent venue for your unforgettable Spitfire experience. What is it about the Spitfire? …Why, over eighty years after she first flew, is the Spitfire regarded as the very symbol of Britishness; … Why is this particular aircraft loved so much? Ideally situated for easy access from London and the surrounding area, London Oxford Airport offers a fantastic departure point for your Spitfire experience. I would have given, wanted to give, 5 stars, however, the inclusion of the sentence regarding the stray dog stopped me. Whilst pertinent to the character of the individual, I felt it could have been omitted hence why not the full 5.

Spitfire Mk.IX (Building the Airfix 1/24 Superkit) — Key Spitfire Mk.IX (Building the Airfix 1/24 Superkit) — Key

All passengers receive a thorough and comprehensive safety briefing with their pilot, and we welcome relatives and friends to join you at the aircraft both before and after your flight, take photos and watch you take off and land. 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.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. 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. We are introduced to the Spitfire, of course as a fighter, but also in ground support, as a fighter bomber, as a reconnaissance aircraft, and even, in a lighter moment towards the end of the war, as a beer tanker, with barrels fitted to the bomb carriers beneath its wings.

Spitfire Books | Imperial War Museums Spitfire Books | Imperial War Museums

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. The Spitfire has a devout following of all who flew her, specially on combat. It was an extension of the pilot who has only positive accolades. Coupled with the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, it was a perfect flying machine, saving many a pilot out of difficult situations, earning the grudging respect of the enemy. Like the time when an RAF pilot ran out of ammunition as two German Me109 fighters found him. A tough dog fight ensued where he continued to evade the two German fighters, who did not manage to hit him once. At the end, the two fighters flew on either side of him, waggled their wings in a sign of respect, and banked away.

Table of Contents

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. 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 607 This book was so well written that it was the first time I really understood the various movements of the war. Perhaps I needed a bird’s-eye view to see it all more clearly; although maybe I should say a Spitfire’s view.