How To Fly A Spitfire – Hattie Hearn

This will allow you to improve and update planning for future missions. First off, compare the route you planned with the actual flight path, so that you can refine dead reckoning and wind-correction techniques for future flights. Then review landmarks and checkpoints, to identify where you may have deviated from your flight plan. This will allow you to improve your own situational awareness and visual navigation skill. Flying a Spitfire for the first time is exhilarating – and terrifying.

It’s easy to be daunted by the prospect of controlling such a powerful yet sensitive aircraft. While these attributes make it highly manoeuvrable, they also require impeccable coordination on the part of the pilot, not only of the hands and eyes, but also of the feet. To combat the temptation to overthink, view the aircraft as an extension of your body, rather than a machine to be forcibly controlled.

To hone this symbiotic relationship, practise manoeuvres until every movement is second nature. Start by reminding yourself of the main flight controls. The primary interface for controlling pitch (up/down movement) and roll (side-to-side banking). To alter the pitch, pull the stick back to raise the elevator and enter a climb; push it forwards to lower the elevator and descend. To bank, move the ailerons by pushing the spade grip to the side you want to turn towards. This will cause the aileron on that side to go up, while the opposite aileron goes down.

The rudder balances turns and counteracts the effects of torque from the engine. Controlled by foot pedals, it is used to yaw the aircraft (move the nose left or right) and maintain coordinated flight. Press the left rudder pedal to yaw left and the right rudder pedal to yaw right. The throttle lever controls the engine power, affecting airspeed and manoeuvrability.

The Beginnings of the Spitfire Concept and Initial Designs First Flight and Testing Overcoming Production Challenges Mission Types The Battle of Britain Packing your Footlocker Know your Spitfire Markings Spitfire Variants 2 GETTING AIRBORNE Becoming a Spitfire Pilot The Four Forces of Flight Learning the Controls The Magic Merlin The Merlin in Detail Spitfire Engine Milestones Differences between Merlin and Griffon Engines Delivering your Spitfire 3 FLYING THE SPITFIRE Pre-Flight Checks Taxiing Take-off Landing Finding your Way Basic Navigation Navigating in Combat Advanced Navigation Navigational Debrief Pilot’s Notes The Seafire Communicating from a Mk I Spitfire Radio Troubleshooting 4 AERIAL COMBAT Early Combat Forming Up for Battle Weaponry Aerobatic Manoeuvres Dogfighting Douglas Bader: A Dogfighting Specialist Know your Enemy Getting Out in an Emergency .

. . . . . And What to Do Next 5 BACK ON THE GROUND Keeping a Spitfire Flying Captain Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown: Test Pilot Maintenance Basics: Regular Jobs Heavy Maintenance Fuel Under the Skin 6 GLOBAL USE AND LEGACY Spitfires around the World Post-war Use James Hyde and the ‘Silver Spitfire’ Retirement CONCLUSION SPITFIRE STATISTICS GLOSSARY FURTHER READING INDEX ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ABOUT THE AUTHOR ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR OceanofPDF.com C INTRODUCTION ombining a deep rumble with a high-pitched whine, the melodic roar of the Spitfire’s engine is instantly recognizable even before the aircraft comes into view.

Who could forget that iconic sight? Slicing through the air on its elliptical wings, the Spitfire has the most distinctive silhouette of any aircraft; it is a symbol of design innovation, resilience and sacrifice for the cause of freedom. There are few aircraft that can match the Spitfire’s majesty, and fewer still that can claim such an illustrious combat career. From defending the skies over Britain and protecting besieged strategic strongpoints to escorting bombers over occupied Europe, the aircraft saw service in every theatre of the Second World War.

Powered by the legendary Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, this feisty fighter was a formidable opponent in dogfights, capable of outflying and outfighting most of its contemporaries. In the right hands, it could make legends out of the men and women who flew it, from aces Douglas Bader and Johnnie Johnson, to ferry pilot Mary Ellis.

But for every famous flier, there were many more who were thrown into the cockpit with little more than the training offered in this book. During the Battle of Britain, freshly minted pilots had only a few weeks behind the controls before being put on operational status. From schoolchildren gazing to the skies in awe during the Battle of Britain, to adoring crowds at summer air shows, the Spitfire has captured the imagination of generations of enthusiasts for nine decades.

The appetite for the aircraft has prompted the publication of a library’s worth of books on its history and technical attributes over the years, but none has come close to explaining – in layperson’s terms – how to get a Spitfire off the ground.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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• Title: –
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