Air Pilots Cobham lecture
23rd April 2025RAF Club
Despite invitations to other events on the same evening, I stuck to my view that I would prefer to go to the Honourable Company of Air Pilots annual Cobham Lecture at the RAF Club. Given my interest in military history, engineering and with members of my family being involved with the RAF, I was not disappointed!
Given by Tony Edwards, who has been involved in the Aerospace and Defence Industries all his life, (including holding such positions as President of the Society of British Aerospace Companies and and President of the Royal Aeronautical Society), it was a very interesting exploration of the life and work of R J Mitchell, the designer of the celebrated Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft.
With material collected over more than 20 years, including interviews with co-workers of R J Mitchell and pilots of the Spitfire, it explored how the Spitfire evolved from RJ Mitchell's designs for very fast seaplanes. Designed to win the Schneider Trophy, these aircraft provided the basis for the revolutionary design of the Spitfire, which despite lack of interest from the Air Ministry, Mitchell managed to ensure arrived in RAF service in time for the critical battles of the Second World War.
Sadly RJ Mitchell died of cancer in 1937 before the Spitfire was fully operational in RAF service, but his colleagues managed to ensure the development of the Spitfire was an outstanding success. Who knows what he would have gone to design if he had survived!