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First presentation
The story of the creator of Britain’s iconic aircraft and the men who flew her in the Battle of Britain. The Spitfire, an evolution from the Schneider Trophy Races, first flew in 1936, remained in production throughout the 1940s and in service throughout the 1950s. Meet some of the men who fought in the Battle of Britain including a distinguished Luftwaffe ace.
Second presentation
Alex Henshaw was the youngest winner of the Kings Cup Air Race. He holds the record for a solo flight from London to Cape Town and back in four and a half days with just a compass, a chronometer and a set of maps from the AA. He became the Chief Test Pilot for Vickers Supermarine at Castle Bromwich, personally testing more than 2,000 Spitfires plus an occasional Lancaster.
Presentations by Tony Edwards BSc MBA CEng FRAeS, Master Coachmaker
Tony Edwards will present his illustrated history of RJ Mitchell and his recordings of many meetings with Alex Henshaw and airmen of the Battle of Britain. Tony is a Rolls-Royce apprenticed engineer who has led a number of engineering-based companies in the US, Denmark, Canada and the UK. He is a graduate and former lecturer of Harvard Business School and was a Visiting Professor at the UK Defence Academy. He has served as a trustee for several charities connected with military aviation. Uniquely, Tony has been President of the Society of British Aerospace Companies, President of the Royal Aeronautical Society and Chairman of the Air League.