Sigh for a Merlin

When war broke out in 1939 Alex Henshaw was determined that his peacetime flying skills should be put to the best possible use. An idyllic period testing Spitfires and Walrus amphibians from Southampton Supermarine works in September 1940. With dispersal of aircraft production Alex was appointed Chief Test Pilot at Castle Bromwich, the giant Spitfire shadow factory on the outskirts of Birmingham. The Midlands produces some of the most appalling conditions for flying imaginable, yet under his leadership the flying programme continued from dawn to dusk in practically all weathers and by the end of the war over 37,000 test flights had been made, and more than 12,000 aircraft delivered.

Alex loved the Spitfire in all its many versions and he was often called upon to demonstrate its flying characteristics. He developed an acrobatic style that was breathtaking ijn its precise inverted flying and rolls at low level. His complete mastery of the aircraft saved his life on several occasions for the production Spitfires went through a period of abrupt ignition and propeller failures that came when totally unexpected. It was a matter of pride to get the Spitfire back on the groundso that a machine would not be lost to the war effort, but sometimes only fragments were left.

Alex's story, long awaited by flying people, is a blend of superb flying descriptions, moments of deep tragedy, a ding - dong battle to overcome inertia and inefficiency, and irrepressible high spirits. (from dustcover notes)

This is the second part of Alex Henshaw's autobiography