Sigh for a Merlin: Testing the Spitfire

Alex Henshaw was awarded his private pilot's in 1932 and made a name for himself during the 1930s competing in the air races which were to popular at the time. At the start of World War II he became a test pilot first for Vickers Armstrong but was then invited by Jeffrey Quill to test Spitfires at Eastleigh. In June 1940, Henshaw moved to the Castle Bromwich factory in Birmingham shortly afterwards becoming Chief Test Pilot there. In the years that followed, he flew thousands of the Spitfires and Seafires which were built at the plant, sometimes test flying as many as 20 different aircraft in a single day. By the end of the war, 37,000 test flights had been made with Henshaw flying an estimated ten percent of all Spitfires ever built. It could be hazardous work and two test pilots working from Castle Bromwich were killed in crashes. Often flying in poor conditions and landing without aids of any kind, Henshaw's breathtaking acrobatic style and complete mastery of the aircraft were to save his life on several occasions. This is a new impression of a classic book about a truly classic aircraft. Much has been written about the Spitfire but as the reviewer of Sigh for a Merlinin Pilot Magazineput it, 'If you only buy one Spitfire book, make this it.'

Sigh For A Merlin: Testing The Spitfire

History

Henshaw, Alex

Military

Crecy Classic

Shady Lady: 1,500 Hours Flying the U-2 Spy Plane

At the very edge of the atmosphere, invisible against the deep indigo sky, lurks a spy plane so sophisticated that it replaced the SR-71 Blackbird some 30 years ago. Its flat black shark-like skin deflects and absorbs all but the most advanced radars, leaving it to roam undetected while silently gathering detailed intelligence. Considered a 'National Asset' the U-2 Dragon Lady, in its various forms, has been in continuous military service for over six decades. Indeed she is deemed so important that she has enjoyed three separate production runs at the super-secret Lockheed 'Skunk Works', each time emerging with new and highly classified intelligence gathering capabilities.\nRick Bishop, a former U-2 pilot, takes the reader deep into the Black World of 'air-breathing' (non-satellite) reconnaissance, with a revealing and detailed account of the trials and challenges of flying a machine widely acknowledged as 'the most dangerous aircraft in the world', as well as revealing the personalities and adventures of some of the elite cadre of hand-selected pilots who have the right stuff to tame the Dragon Lady. From the gruelling two-week interview process, through early training flights to many exploits flying top-secret missions around the world, and his eventual rise to Commander, the author sheds new light on a world that is largely unknown outside the tight-knit fraternity of U-2 pilots and support personnel.

Shady Lady: 1,500 Hours Flying The U-2 Spy Plane

Bishop, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Rick

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