The Supermarine Spitfire has become a symbol of the struggle for the skies over Britain during the Second World War. Its elegant lines and revolutionary design has made it one of the worlds most famous and beloved aircraft. More Spitfires were built than any other aircraft, over 20,000 until production ended in 1948.

Reginald J Mitchell became the chief designer at Supermarine at the age of 24. He began work on the aircraft which was to evolve into the Spitfire in 1934, as a private venture, with the aim of designing a modern monoplane fighter that broke away from the biplane tradition. The forerunner of the Spitfire was the Supermarine Type 224, a gull winged monoplane powered by a 600 hp Rolls Royce engine. Mitchell then revised this design, replacing the earlier engine with a Rolls Royce PV 12 (Merlin) which was housed in the characteristic long nose of the aircraft.

Mitchell wanted the plane to have advanced aerodynamics, and so designed the now famous elliptical wing. The landing gear was retractable; to reduce drag once in the air and the cockpit was low and enclosed. Some of the taller pilots found the original cockpit design restrictive and this was later changed from a flat layout to a domed version. The wings were originally fitted with four Browning machine guns which were then increased to eight. The first 77 Mark Is had a two blade, fixed position airscrew. Subsequent aircraft were fitted with a three blade, two position airscrew for improved performance and the original planes were modified. The Mark II was also fitted with a more powerful 1175 hp Merlin engine.

The Supermarine Type 300 was almost named the Shrew, but Mitchell vetoed this because he didn't like it. But neither did he like the eventual name, which came from the daughter of Sir Robert McLean, chairman of Vickers at the time. He called her a 'little spitfire'.

Test flight
It was flown for the first time at Southampton on 5 March 1936. The test pilot, 'Mutt' Summers, is reported to have said "Don't change anything". Production began a few months later and No.19 Squadron at Duxford was the first to use them in 1938. By September 1939 a total of nine squadrons were equipped with Spitfires.

The innovative design features that made the Spitfire revolutionary also made production of the aircraft more difficult. Its elliptical wings and aerodynamic design made production slow and the Air Ministry had to be convinced that targets could be met. Some believed that it would be more proficient to pour money and manpower into the production of other designs that were quicker and easier to assemble.

Hugh Dowding, head of Fighter Command, and Lord Beaverbrook knew that revolutionary new designs like Mitchell's would be essential in war time. When Lord Beaverbrook was appointed Minister of Air Production in 1940 he employed the expertise of the car manufacturing industry and brought in modern production methods to speed up the number of Spitfires produced. Campaigns urged the public to 'Buy a Spitfire', and donations helped to build 1,000 aircraft and make people feel that they were part of the war effort. Delivery of the Mark II began in June 1940, but wasn't widespread until the winter of 1941.

High spec
The Spitfire could fly at 350mph, could turn on a sixpence and climb to an altitude of 25,000 in seconds. Its .303 Browning machine guns were capable of firing 3,000 rounds of ammunition in 14 seconds. There wasn't much difference in performance to the Spitfire's rival in the Luftwaffe, the Messerschmitt Bf 109. Its big advantage was its fuel injection engine which made it better at high altitudes. It could fly upside down and go straight into a dive, which Spitfires couldn't do. It was slightly faster but the Spitfires elliptical wing meant it could out turn the 109, making it more manoeuvrable.

Sadly RJ Mitchell never lived to see his aircraft live up to it's full potential during the Battle of Britain as he died from cancer, aged just 42, in 1937. After his death Mitchell's work was continued by a team of designers at Supermarine. In all, 22 versions were produced with adaptations such as increases in engine capacity, armour plated windscreens and 6mm armour plated panels on the rear bulkhead and behind the pilot's seat for added protection.

It was the Spitfire's groundbreaking design, graceful lines, speed and outstanding handling that made it a magical aircraft, a dream machine second to none.