In early 1944, in the skies over southern England, an RAF Reserve pilot is hurtling towards the ground. This was not an accident. It was an intentional but very dangerous investigation into the characteristics of high-speed flight and the forces exerted on an aeroplane as it approaches the speed of sound.

The aeroplane in this case is a Supermarine Spitfire.

Ever since the first manned powered flight in 1903 by the Wright Brothers, aviators have been trying to fly ever higher and faster.

World War 1 would see a step change in aircraft technology and the inter war years would see aircraft fly beyond 400 mph.

During World War 2, the RAF wanted to see what would happen to an aircraft as it get ever closer to the sound barrier and so they took a Supermarine Spitfire PR Mk XI and sent it to find out....

It almost went supersonic,

These high speed flight tests would allow designers to evolve their aerodynamics and eventually, break the sound barrier in 1947.

These early tests were vital in the development of the supersonic aircraft of today.



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Spitfire MK XI air display
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