QUILL, JEFFREY — Birth of a Legend the Spitfire

UK, Quiller Press. 1986, 2nd Impression. Hardcover with dust jacket, 25.5cm. Book, ex-lib & some nitwit has removed the 1st page, so low price for this iconoic Quill book. In the pre-war years aerial races were a hit with the famous Schneider Trophy; enter R. J. Mitchell who designed the Supermarine S 4 and anyone with an interest in aircraft design will instantly recognise this as a very early Spitfire with floats instead of wheels. The trophies were won and the development continued right up until the outbreak of World War Two when suddenly the requirements of a nation at war became very different from winning silver cups. Europe had entered into a fight for its own existence and the Supermarine - so far ahead of its time when it first appeared, coupled with a 12 cylinder Merlin engine had become the Spitfire. about the author >>> Jeffrey Quill was the second man to fly the aircraft after Vickers' chief test pilot, "Mutt" Summers, at school constant aerial activity overhead quickened the already air-minded Quill's resolve to take a career in the Royal Air Force, on joining his flying ability was assessed as "exceptional". In September 1932 he joined No 17 Squadron RAF at Upavon, where he began flying Bristol Bulldog fighters, technical development was his forte & right up to 1940 Quill was in charge of development and production flying but gained short release to get combat experience. After the war & by the time he retired to fly a desk Quill had flown more than 50 variants of this magical aircraft. This is Quill's second book & a gem. Good/Very Good.