SPITFIRE : A Test Pilot's Story








Prix régulier 65,00 € TTC 6%
Characteristics
Book cover finish | Canvas finish, BRADEL, Hardcover ( square back binding ) |
Special features | First edition, Dedicated copy, Dust jacket |
Condition | Old, like new |
Number of pages | 332 |
Published date | 1983 |
Languages | English |
Size | 15 x 23 x 3 cm |
Author | Jeffrey Quill |
Editor | John Murray ( Publishers ) Ltd |
Description
This is the long - awaited personal account of an exceptional Spitfire test pilot and Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm fighter pilot.
Starting with lively descriptions of flying and social life in the pre - war Air Force in the 1930's, amid the gathering clouds of war, Jeffrey Quill moves on to cover his experiences in test flying. He took charge of some important military aircraft of the immediate pre - war era and, in particular, the immortal Spitfire from its experimental prototype stage in 1936, when he worked with its great Chief Designer R.J. Mitchell, to the end of its production life in 1948.
He describes the early problems of mass - production and of turning a beautiful and elegant flying machine into a highly aggressive and deadly fighting aeroplane and of further developing its capabilities and operational roles to the point where some fifty - two variants of the design saw front - line service.
He describes, warts and all, this unique aeroplane, dealing with its defects as well as with its truly great qualities and shows it to be probably the greatest fighter aeroplane of all time.
( ... ) The author writes of the personalities involved in the Spitfire story ; of the many other test pilots who worked closely with him ; of some of the great fighter pilots ; of the massive efforts of Vickers Supermarine in developing the aeroplane and producing more than 22,000 of them ; and of Rolls-Royce in providing ever-increasing levels of power from the Merlin and Griffon engines.
The author's life was centred on the Spitfire and Spitfire: A Test Pilot's Story is in many ways the description of a love affair between a pilot and a great aeroplane.