Alan Eardley
One Too Many
- Messages
- 1,500
- Location
- Midlands, UK
It was great to be at Eastleigh in Hampshire yesterday to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the first flight of Supermarine 'Spitfire' (called 'Shrew' at that time) Prototype K5054 at the same field (now Southampton International Airport) from which the first 8 minute flight took place with 'Mutt' Summers at the controls.
A display and flypast (flyby) of five Spitfires of various marks showed the development of the 'plane from 1936 to 1946, and it was great to see them sweeping down Southampton Water as many Spitfire patrols did to protect the Supermarine factories from daylight bombing in the early years of the war.
Taking the lead was Carolyn Grace's T9 trainer with 93 year old Supermarine test pilot Alex Henshaw in the rear seat. He took the controls of the 'Spit' for a time - almost 70 years after first doing so! Back at the airfield he gave a fascinating interview for local radio in which he described his experiences as a test pilot on the Spitfire development programme. Interestingly, a he was wearing what appeared to be an original Irvin jacket - possibly his WW2 issue?
There was also a moving tribute to Reginald 'RJ' Mitchell, who led the Supermarine development team but who died of canser before the outbreak of war in 1939. I grew up in the same town as RJ, went to the same school etc. and worked for his nephew. There are many interesting stories about RJ. He hated the name Spitfire and used it reluctantly at first, and while his attention to detail was meticulous, his approach to historical records and archives tended to be of the Henry Ford school. Until recent research uncovered a missing file there was some doubt as to when the Spitfire first flew!
A display and flypast (flyby) of five Spitfires of various marks showed the development of the 'plane from 1936 to 1946, and it was great to see them sweeping down Southampton Water as many Spitfire patrols did to protect the Supermarine factories from daylight bombing in the early years of the war.
Taking the lead was Carolyn Grace's T9 trainer with 93 year old Supermarine test pilot Alex Henshaw in the rear seat. He took the controls of the 'Spit' for a time - almost 70 years after first doing so! Back at the airfield he gave a fascinating interview for local radio in which he described his experiences as a test pilot on the Spitfire development programme. Interestingly, a he was wearing what appeared to be an original Irvin jacket - possibly his WW2 issue?
There was also a moving tribute to Reginald 'RJ' Mitchell, who led the Supermarine development team but who died of canser before the outbreak of war in 1939. I grew up in the same town as RJ, went to the same school etc. and worked for his nephew. There are many interesting stories about RJ. He hated the name Spitfire and used it reluctantly at first, and while his attention to detail was meticulous, his approach to historical records and archives tended to be of the Henry Ford school. Until recent research uncovered a missing file there was some doubt as to when the Spitfire first flew!
