Happy Spitfire Day

On this day in 1936 the prototype Spitfire (K5054) took off from Eastleigh Aerodrome (now Southampton Airport)
We might argue about the relative merit of the Hurricane and the Spitfire in the Battle of Britain but their is no arguing about the sheer iconic nature of the Spitfire.
So much has been written about the Spitfire it is impossible to add anything original, so instead, have a read of these great sites.
Let me close with two videos and an image that demonstrate
1. the incredible sound of the Rolls Royce Merlin, without which the Spitfire story might have been very different

2. Some information about Reginald Joseph Mitchell, the designer

3. What the Spitfire evolved to, the Mk24





H/T Best of British Twitter

On This Day in 1936 the Supermarine Spitfire made it's first flight from Eastleigh airfield in Hampshire. pic.twitter.com/3DxMksAt5g
— Best of British (@bestofbritishuk) March 5, 2014

The post Happy Spitfire Day appeared first on Think Defence.