Description
Book SynopsisR. J. Mitchell at Supermarine is the definitive account of the life of Britain’s best-known aeronautical engineer. Shelton calls upon unpublished letters, extensive press accounts, and updated material from his previous publications, concentrating particularly on the harsh conditions of Mitchell’s apprentice years, the precarious state of the aircraft firm he joined, and moments of good fortune of which he took advantage. He was a ‘chancer’ as well as a methodical developer of, mainly, slow flying seaplanes. Mitchell’s progress from draughtsman, with no formal training in aeronautical design, to internationally known chief designer is charted through a chronological study of his designs, revealing a formidable work ethic with a complex personality that combined ‘dreams and common sense’. It will also be shown how the success of his high-speed Schneider Trophy designs propelled him reluctantly into public attention and how his anxiety for his pilots’ safety matched an equal concern that his designs should not let down an expectant nation. Later expectations on him to produce a ‘killer fighter’ were equally daunting, and the outcome was often uncertain, but details of colleagues’ accounts highlight the essential and unique contribution of R.J.’s experience and drive to the eventual appearance of the iconic Spitfire.
Table of ContentsIntroduction – No Ordinary Engineer; Normacot to Woolston; Establishing Himself; Early Designs and the Schneider Trophy; Early Military Designs and a Racer; Mixed Fortunes; Large, Medium, and Small Designs; A Turning Point; Becoming ‘R.J.’; Consolidation and International Success; Schneider Trophy Domination; A Gamble with Rolls-Royce; The Air Yacht and the Giant; Winning the Schneider Trophy Outright; His Last Flying Boats; His First Spitfire; The Real Spitfire Emerges; K5054; ‘It’s All Over’; After Mitchell.
