Samoloty Supermarine: książki - historia i modele

Supermarine 1913-63

It may be hard to imagine in 2012, but Great Britain was once filled with a plethora of aircraft manufacturers. One hundred years ago, the seeds of many of them were being sown, as the demand for aircraft gained pace following the outbreak of the First World War. Not all survived following the armistice and the subject of this book, Supermarine, only kept going by the skin of its teeth and certainly did not settle into a profitable aircraft manufacturing business until the mid to late 1920s.
However, with the genius mind of Reginald Joseph Mitchell on board, the company could do no wrong and without doubt, the company's most famous and well-known product was the Spitfire.

The colossal orders received for the fighter set the company on a steady post-war course which, once again, was a period that saw other companies fall by the wayside. Following Mitchell's demise, we must not forget the man who carried the baton, Joe Smith, who developed the Spitfire and Seafire into a machine that remained in production for ten years, ultimately ending its service career in Korea. Smith did not just ride on that back of Mitchell's designs and was responsible for the Spiteful, Seafang and the Attacker to name but a few.

This book gives readers an insight into the aircraft produced by Supermarine, and those that did not quite make it, as well as a history of the aircraft company itself.

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Fleet Air Arm Legends: Supermarine Seafire

Renowned naval aviation author Matthew Willis tells the story of the Supermarine Seafire - a navalised version of the famous Spitfire adapted for use on aircraft carriers.
Some 2646 examples were built and saw action with the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm from November 1942 until after the Korean War in the early 1950s. It was involved in combat during the Allied landings in North Africa (Operation Torch), the Allied invasions of Sicily and Italy, the D-Day landings, and Operation Dragoon in southern France.
With the Pacific fleet, the Seafire proved capable of intercepting and destroying the feared Japanese kamikaze attack aircraft.

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Supermarine Southampton - The Flying Boat that Made R.J. Mitchell

The Supermarine Southampton was the first in a series of successful flying boats designed by Supermarine's R.J. Mitchell and was the first one to be designed for the RAF after the First World War. Produced between 1924 and 1934 it entered into RAF service in 1925 and became the second longest serving (behind the Short Sunderland) and one of the most successful of the inter-war flying boats.

In an unusual move for the times, the Air Ministry ordered six Southamptons straight from the drawing board as the design had been based on the success of the experimental Supermarine Swan amphibious aircraft. So successful was the aircraft that a further twelve were ordered in July 1925.

The Southampton was a hugely successful aircraft for the RAF, the aircraft's main sponsor, and was used for reconnaissance duties and as a patrol aircraft. It became best known for a series of publicly lauded long-distance flights, the intention of which was partly 'flag waving' and partly for gaining valuable experience of flying boats in remote waters. The 1927 Far East Flight became known for the Southampton's display of its prodigious range and reliability.

The Southampton was a very successful series of flying boats with sales also being made to Argentina, Turkey and Japan almost doubling Supermarine's business in just a few years. A total of eighty-three of all types were built, all of which are revealed in this unrivalled collection of archive images, the majority of which, having been drawn from private collections, have not been published before.

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Supermarine Rolls-Royce S6B Manual (1931) - Record-breaking racing seaplane, winner of the Schneider Trophy (Haynes Aircraft Manual)

13 wrzesnia 1931 roku Puchar Schneidera zdobył Brytyjczykom na Southampton Water porucznik John Boothman, lecąc na samolocie Supermarine S6B, S1595, ze średnią prędkością 379.08 mil na godzinę, ustanawiając tym samym rekord.

Strony książki "Supermarine Rolls-Royce S6B Manual (1931) - Record-breaking racing seaplane, winner of the Schneider Trophy"

Ralph Pegram opowiada historię zawodów Schneider Trophy i opisuje rozwój projektów brytyjskich szybkich wodnosamolotów.
Analizuje anatomię samolotu S6B (w tym silnik Rolls-Royce R), a także dzieli się rzadkimi spostrzeżeniami na temat jego właściwości lotnych oraz tego, w jaki sposób był konserwowany, obsługiwany i - oczywiście - brał udział w wyścigu finałowym.

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Beyond the Spitfire : The Unseen Designs of R.J. Mitchell

Historia popularna ma tendencję do upraszczania, a relacje z życia i kariery inżyniera lotniczego R.J. Mitchella nie są wyjątkiem. Najmilej wspominany za swój epokowy projekt Spitfire'a, pozostałe jego projekty - wiele z nich zakończonych porażkami i rozczarowaniami - zostały w dużej mierze zignorowane.

Jako projektant w Supermarine, Mitchell stworzył ogromną liczbę koncepcji, projektów i pomysłów, które nigdy nie opuściły deski kreślarskiej. W książce "Beyond the Spitfire Ralph Pegram" Mitchell prezentuje niepublikowane dotąd prace, próbując ocenić całe portfolio jednego z najzdolniejszych brytyjskich projektantów lotniczych.

Książka ta, zilustrowana rysunkami układu i imponującymi wizualizacjami CGI projektów Mitchella, stanowi cenne i niezastąpione uzupełnienie naszej wiedzy na temat pracy człowieka często nazywanego geniuszem.

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Supermarine - An Illustrated History

W 1904 roku ekscentryczny wynalazca, Noel Pemberton-Billing, zainteresował się maszynami latającymi. W duchu pionierów sprzed czasów braci Wright, wystrzelił z dachu swojego domu, kończąc lot 9 metrów pod nim.
Z tych skromnych początków narodziła się firma, która zaczęła produkować najsłynniejszy i najbardziej rozpoznawalny samolot bojowy na świecie: Supermarine Spitfire.

Geniusz inżynierii Supermarine, RJ Mitchell, zaprojektował zdumiewające dwadzieścia cztery różne samoloty w ciągu dwudziestu lat pracy w Supermarine. Spitfire, jego największe dzieło, zyskał status legendy, rzadko spotykany w przypadku zwykłych maszyn.
Po przedwczesnej śmierci Mitchella i zniszczeniu fabryki przez Luftwaffe, Supermarine rozpoczęło prace nad radykalnymi, nowymi projektami samolotów odrzutowych.

Droga do Spitfire'a i jego odrzutowych następców to jedna z najbardziej niezwykłych podróży w historii lotnictwa. Od założenia pierwszego lotniska, przez bijące rekordy wyścigi wodnosamolotów, po całoroczne wyprawy łodziami latającymi poza granice cywilizacji, historia Supermarine wpłynęła na bieg historii świata.

Książka ta dokumentuje historię kultowych fotografii, które uchwyciły ducha złotej ery eksperymentów i szybko zmieniających się granic technologii oraz osiągnięć ludzkości.

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From Nighthawk to Spitfire : The Aircraft of R.J. Mitchell

RJ Mitchell był praktycznie samoukiem, a prawie wszystkie jego samoloty to wolno latające wodnosamoloty. Historia o tym, jak ten człowiek z pozbawionego dostępu do morza regionu Midlands, praktykant w warsztacie lokomotyw, stał się odpowiedzialny za Spitfire'a, to wspaniała opowieść sama w sobie.

Ta szczegółowa książka opowiada, jak Mitchell uczył się swojego fachu - przyczyniając się do produkcji nieporęcznego Nighthawka (zaprojektowanego w celu zwalczania zagrożenia ze strony niemieckich sterowców) i stopniowo przechodząc do produkcji bijących rekordy wodnosamolotów wyścigowych, które zdobyły prestiżowe międzynarodowe trofeum Schneidera.
Mitchell był więc w doskonałej sytuacji, aby zaprojektować szybki samolot, gdy wojna była nieunikniona. Jednak, jak ujawnia John K. Shelton, wyprodukowanie słynnego myśliwca nie było wcale pewne, a jego kluczowy wkład w zwycięstwo w bitwie o Anglię był "bardzo trudny".

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Spitfire People - The Men and Women Who Made the Spitfire the Aviation Icon

Published to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, this book presents a fresh angle on the Spitfire by examining the contribution to its development and achievements by over 65 people, some famous, others not. Without the courage and tenacity of some leading political and military figures and the hard work of lesser-known mortals, there would have been no Spitfire, no Battle of Britain and no ultimate victory in 1945.

Many people in positions of power played their part in the ultimate success of the Spitfire, but a few staked their reputations on a radical design that brought together the best in British design, technology and ingenuity.

This book tells many significant individual stories.

Political people: Sir Winston Churchill (voice in the wilderness and wartime leader), Air Marshal Sir Wilfred Freeman (senior champion of the Spitfire in the Air Ministry), Lord Beaverbrook (Minister for Aircraft Production);

Design and development people: Reginald Mitchell (chief designer 1934a 36), Joe Smith (chief designer 1936a 47), Jeffrey Quill (test pilot), Ernest Hives (Rolls-Royce experimental head and key player in the design of the Merlin engine), Sir Stanley Hooker (mathematician and Merlin engine developer), the ladies of Vickers Supermarine at Trowbridge (factory workers);

Operational people: James 'Johnny' Johnson (highest-scoring Spitfire ace), Henry Cozens (first squadron commander), Geoffrey Wellum (youngest Battle of Britain pilot), Douglas Bader (Spitfire wing leader and inspirational disabled pilot).

Experimental people: Tony Martindale (RAE Farnborough test pilot), Eric 'Winkle' Brown (chief naval test pilot and the first man to land a Seafire on an aircraft carrier);

Heritage people: Ray Hanna (Old Flying Machine company), Carolyn Grace (the only female owner/pilot in the world), Phill O'Dell (chief test pilot at Rolls-Royce and Spitfire display pilot).

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Spitfire's Forgotten Designer - The Career of Supermarine's Joe Smith

Whenever the Spitfire is mentioned the name of its famous designer R.J. Mitchell comes to mind. However, Mitchell died in June 1937 and never saw his prototype design progress into becoming one of the most famous fighter aircraft of the Second World War.

Working under Mitchell as chief draughtsman was Joe Smith who was greatly involved with the early design of the Spitfire. After Mitchell's death, Smith first became manager of the design department, and then chief designer.

This illustrated book celebrates the inspirational and innovative work of Mitchell, Smith and their successful design team. Including first-hand accounts of members of the design team and apprentices, it reveals a little-known but pivotal figure. Smith's dedication, leadership and the part he played in the development of the Spitfire and post-war jet aircraft have largely been forgotten.

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Scimitar - Supermarine's Last Fighter

Renowned aviation author Richard A. Franks presents a detailed and fully illustrated account of the Supermarine Scimitar in service, from the precursors and prototypes to the three surviving examples.
It includes 40 specially commissioned and highly accurate colour illustrations, as well as more than 120 black and white and colour photographs. A listing of airframes and histories is also included.

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Seafire F III vs A6M Zero - Pacific Theatre (Osprey)

Products of vastly different design philosophies, the Seafire F III and the A6M Zero were never intended to meet in combat, and never should have.
The Zero, extremely nimble at low speeds was purpose-built as a shipboard fighter. In contrast, the Spitfire was intended to operate from established airfields, and needed to be adapted as a carrier fighter.

The book examines these two iconic fighters and their two very different histories, using fantastic artwork and first hand accounts to illustrate the last aerial duel of World War II, as the British Seafire overcame its critics to emerge victorious over the Japanese Zero.

Contents: Introduction - Chronology - Design and Development - The Strategic Situation - Technical Specifications - The Combatants - Combat - Statistics and analysis - Aftermath - conclusion - Bibliography - Further Reading - Glossary.

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