From Nighthawk to Spitfire : The Aircraft of R.J. Mitchell
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'.
Author: | John K. Shelton |
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Specs: | 208 pages, 23.5 x 15.5 cm / 9.25 x 6.1 in, paperback |
Illustrations: | 90 b&w photographs |
Publisher: | The History Press Ltd (GB, 2015) |
EAN: | 9780750962223 |
![From Nighthawk to Spitfire : The Aircraft of R.J. Mitchell](../afb/GB/9780750962223.jpg)
From Nighthawk to Spitfire : The Aircraft of R.J. Mitchell
Language: English
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