Spitfire 80

On March 5, 1936 test pilot Mutt Summers put the throttle of a sleek prototype fighter forward and it leapt into the air. He came back clearly delighted, telling the crowd of onlookers: I don t want anything touched!

The iconic Supermarine Spitfire was born and ready to face the full might of the Luftwaffe just four years later. More than 22,000 of many variants followed. In this 80th anniversary year, the publishers of FlyPast magazine present a special 100-page tribute to Britain's greatest fighter and possibly the best known combat aircraft in the world.

Using extensive archive images, the best of aviation writers and researchers salute the Spitfire's incredible heritage. Renowned air-to-air photographer John Dibbs presents a stunning portfolio of present-day Spitfires in their element: from the day fighter Mk.I to the high-flying Mk.XIX and the wing-folding Seafires. All of this adds up to a superb souvenir of a world famous fighter.

Features include:

• The steps that led to the Spitfire
• The men crucial to the Spitfire's early development
• First-hand stories from veterans and features written by renowned historians
• A glimpse inside the massive Castle Bromwich Spitfire factory. T
• echnical details, units, weapons and colour schemes and much more!