The Spitfire Manual

by Dilip Sarkar

How to fly the legendary fighter plane in combat using the manuals and instructions supplied by the RAF during the Second World War. An amazing array of leaflets, books and manuals were issued by the War Office during the Second World War to aid pilots in flying the Supermarine Spitfire, here for the first time they are collated into a single book. An introduction is supplied by expert aviation historian Dilip Sarkar. Other sections include aircraft recognition, how to act as an RAF officer, bailing out etc.

REVIEWS
"The year this book is published, 2010, is the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain...recaps key aspects of it and the planning and execution of the air war in general as they relate to the Spitfire..."Speedreaders, 10/21/2010

Genres: Reference, History, Nonfiction, Aircraft

274 pages, Paperback

First published May 19, 2010

Reviews

[Lysergius · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume is in fact a compilation of official Air Ministry documents, together with extracts from log books, combat reports a lectures given by Spitfire pilots. It is in short a fascinating collection of authentic material which gives a very good feeling for the time at which it was prepared, even down to the spelling mistakes in the original typescripts. There is a lot of technical detail of the aircraft and a history of its evolution from Mark I to Mark XXX or whatever. It was such a good airframe it lent itself to continuous upgrade.

As for flying the beast, I suspect it was a joy to fly once you got it off the ground, the torque of the single propeller and the 2000 hp from the Merlin engine must have made keeping it in straight line during take-off a nightmare, the nose had to be kept up, to avoid digging the prop into the ground, and the narrow under-carriage must have made landings quite difficult. That being said, once in the air the aircraft was very manoeuvrable and fast. More than a match for the ME109E.

Very much an iconic aircraft ,as evidenced by the examples to be found in air museums all over the world.

[Luke Ridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to my father and his father, I’ve had a fascination with the machines of the Second World War since I was small. Especially the aircraft. When I spotted this book I knew I had to give it a go.

Spitfire manual 1940 is exactly what it says on the cover. A wonderful, condensed overview of the Aircraft’s original manual, training documents, logbooks and diagrams that the pilots would have had in their hands back in the 1940s. The book brings you right into the thick of it as if you were sitting in a pilots briefing learning how to fly the world’s most iconic fighter aircraft.

Broken apart with history about the aircraft and its design process, the book is super engrossing and incredibly detailed. From how to aim down sight and follow a target to how to fly in formation and understand the cockpit controls. Every page is dripping with info. Later in the book comes wonderful first hand accounts of dogfights and sorties to huge aerial battles and wild, unbelievable happens. And as it’s taken directly from the source, what you’re reading is exactly how it was written. Nothing is sugar coated. This makes for a effecting reading experience

My one issue is that the text is mighty small, which will be tricky for anyone with less than perfect vision. All in all this book is a wonderful, unique insight into the life of a WW2 Spitfire pilot.

[Jan Peter van Kempen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The chances of me ever flying a Spitfire are quite slim. The next best thing is a flight simulator on a home computer. This book gives nice tips on how to fly this beautiful machine. A very nice book alltogether, maybe just a little bit short.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Spitfire Manual 1940” Edited by Dilip Sarker. 2010. This book is comprised of numerous facsimiles of leaflets that were disseminated by the Air Ministry during WWII as well as, as the title suggests, a manual for the Supermarine Spitfire MK IIA. Most of the articles are authored by experienced squadron leaders who share their battle proven techniques in aerial combat. Although a large portion of the book is devoted to the subject of deflection shooting, nearly every aspect of flying the Spitfire is touched upon.

[Rob Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

just would love to fly one, brilliant book and ticked all my boxes..............tally ho ginger!!!!