PROFESSION WATCH


❱❱ Members of the IMechE and RAF Museum Cosford celebrate the UK aviation engineering heritage represented by the Supermarine Spitfire ICONIC WAR PLANE LANDS ENGINEERING AWARD


Pioneering engineering played a significant part in the Supermarine Spitfire gaining an Engineering Heritage Award from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). The institution initiated the award


scheme 36 years ago and has used it since that time to highlight landmarks in the country’s engineering heritage. This time it was the turn of the Mk1 Spitfire number K9942, which is on display at the Royal Air Force museum in Cosford, Shropshire. The Spitfire was


‘


Appleton by John Wood of the IMechE. Built in Woolston, Southampton in


1939, this early Mark 1 is the world’s oldest surviving Spitfire. Designed by R J Mitchell, the Spitfire combined strength, lightness and streamlining with the powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. From the beginning, pilots recognised it as a thoroughbred combining


history and won immortal fame during the summer months of 1940 by helping to defeat the German air attacks during the Battle of Britain. “Although Hurricanes outnumbered


The UK’s large aerospace industry is built on the


rich heritage of engineering innovation which is a legacy of aircraft such as the Spitfire


recognised for the contribution and vital role it played both in terms of protecting the country and its pioneering engineering. The award was presented to RAF Museum CEO Maggie


38 /// Testing & Test Houses /// February 2020


perfection of design with superb handling characteristics. According to RAF Museum Cosford


Curator Tom Hopkins, the Spitfire is the most famous British fighter aircraft in


’


Spitfires throughout the Battle of Britain, it was the Spitfire that captured the imagination of the British public and enemy alike,” says Hopkins. John Wood, chairman of the IMechE’s Engineering Heritage Committee, made reference to the aircraft’s huge contribution in the Battle of Britain as well as in Britain’s engineering heritage.


“The UK’s large aerospace industry is


built on the rich heritage of engineering innovation which is a legacy of aircraft such as the Spitfire,” he concluded.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52