This is the personal account of an exceptional Spitfire test pilot and RAF and Fleet Air Arm fighter pilot. Starting with lively descriptions of the pre-war Airforce in the mid-1930s, Jeffrey Quill moves on to cover his fascination test flying experiences. He took charge of some of the most important military aircraft of the time and, in particular, the immortal Spitfire, from its experimental, prototype stage in 1936 when he worked with its chief designer, R.J. Mitchell, to the end of its production in 1948.

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Content
• Foreword by Sir George Edwards OM CBE FRS FE ng
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• 1 Fledgling
• 2 Royal Air Force
• 3 Met Flight
• 4 Change of Direction
• 5 Birth of ‘the Fighter’
• 6 K5054
• 7 RJM – and more about K5054
• 8 Taking Silk
• 9 Venom
• 10 Delays and Recriminations
• 11 Last Days of Peace
• 12 Production Testing
• 13 Eastleigh and Sea-Spitfires
• 14 The Battle of Britain
• 15 Aileron Problems
• 16 The Tide of Development
• 17 Quantum Jump: Spitfire Mks IX and VIII
• 18 Pinckney’s Plan
• 19 Griffon Spitfires: Mks IV and XII
• 20 Second Quantum Jump: Spitfire Mk XIV
• 21 Longitudinal Stability and Increased Range
• 22 Test Pilots
• 23 Seafires and the Fleet Air Arm
• 24 Variations on a Central Theme
• 25 Spitfire 21, 22 and 24
• 26 Spiteful, Seafang and E.10/44 Jet Spiteful
• Epilogue
• 1 Vickers-Supermarine Organisation,1940-5
  • (A) Commercial Department
  • (B) Works Department
  • (C) Design Department
• 2 Supermarine Southern Region Dispersal Scheme, 1940-5
• 3 Map of Supermarine Southern Region Dispersal Scheme
• 4 Spitfire and Seafire Operational Marks
• 5 Spitfire Level Speed Performance
• 6 Spitfire F Mk VII Speed Performance
• 7 Spitfire PR Mk XI Speed Performance
• 8 Height Attained 10 min from Take-Off
• 9 Weight Growth
• 10 Spitfire Mk 1/Seafire 47 Comparison
• 11 Test Pilots at Supermarine, 1936-46