Spitfire - Buch

Starting with the Air Force in the 1930s amid the gathering clouds of war, Jeffrey Quill became a test pilot at Vickers and Supermarine in charge of some important military aircraft, including the immortal Spitfire from its experimental stage in 1936.

He describes the early history of that remarkable aeroplane and of turning a beautiful and elegant flying machine into a highly aggressive and deadly fighting aircraft. He tells of the early problems of mass production, and of further developing its capabilities to the point where it became the only fighter on the Allied side to be in full production and front-line service from the first to the last day of the Second World War.

Citing its defects as well as its truly great qualities, he shows this unique aeroplane to be probably the greatest fighter of all time.

To gain full experience of combat conditions, the author fought with 65 Squadron at the height of the battle of Britain. His dramatic experiences, and those of many other test and fighter pilots, are here told from invaluable first-hand knowledge.