Sigh for a Merlin - Testing the Spitfire

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During the 1930s Alex Henshaw was a renowned amateur sporting aviator, who had set a record for flying solo from England to Capetown and back.

As as result, when war broke out, Jeffrey Quill, Chief Test Pilot for Supermarine, recruited him as a test pilot, and he ended up as Chief Test Pilot at Supermarine’s new factory in Castle Bromwich, where thousands of Spitfires were manufactured and tested. It is estimated that the author flew around 10% of all Spitfires ever built, as well as other aircraft.

In this lively and very readable book, Henshaw describes this period, and its highs and lows, and his experiences with many Spitfires.

First published in 1979, this is the seventh reprint of the expanded 1996 edition. 240 page paperback, with a reasonable number of B&W photographs and illustrations, this is a book to be read and enjoyed - a true aviation classic.