Douglas Bader lost both legs in a 1931 crash at Reading Aerodrome and went on to command a RAF fighter wing in the Battle of Britain.
TaildraggerHow R.J. Mitchell designed the Supermarine Spitfire while dying of cancer - and why his elliptical-winged fighter changed the course of 1940.
TaildraggerThe Supermarine Spitfire's revolutionary elliptical wing design and the tragic story of R.J. Mitchell, who died before his aircraft defined the Battle of Britain.
TaildraggerR.J. Mitchell designed the Spitfire's iconic elliptical wing from a decade of Schneider Trophy racing, completing the prototype while dying of cancer at 42.
TaildraggerDouglas Bader lost both legs in a 1931 aerobatic crash at age 21, fought his way back into the RAF, and led Spitfire wings over occupied Europe during World War II.
TaildraggerHurricane R4118 is the only Battle of Britain combat veteran still airworthy - found in a field in India after decades and restored to flight in 2004.
TaildraggerHurricane R4118 flew approximately 50 Battle of Britain combat sorties, spent 40 years in an Indian shed, and was restored to flight in 2004.
TaildraggerR.J. Mitchell designed the Supermarine Spitfire while dying of cancer at 42 - his elliptical wing kept the aircraft competitive from 1936 to 1954.
TaildraggerThe Hawker Hurricane, not the Spitfire, shot down more than 55% of Luftwaffe aircraft destroyed over Britain in 1940 - and its most effective squadron was Polish.
TaildraggerRAF roundels over Oshkosh represent over a century of Anglo-American aviation history, from Eagle Squadron volunteers to shared fifth-generation fighter technology.
TowerThe Hawker Hurricane destroyed roughly 55% of Luftwaffe aircraft during the Battle of Britain - more than the iconic Spitfire - yet history has largely forgotten it.
TaildraggerOn September 15, 1940, Keith Park committed Fighter Command's last reserve and held the sky over Britain - the day Hitler's invasion plan effectively died.
TaildraggerThe Hawker Hurricane shot down 55% of Luftwaffe losses in the Battle of Britain, outnumbered the Spitfire two to one, and saved England - then history forgot it.
TaildraggerR.J. Mitchell designed the Supermarine Spitfire's revolutionary elliptical wing while dying of cancer at 42 - and the aircraft outlived him to define the Battle of Britain.
TaildraggerThe Hawker Hurricane destroyed 55% of German aircraft in the Battle of Britain - more than the Spitfire - yet history gave the glory to its more glamorous stablemate.
TaildraggerR.J. Mitchell designed the Spitfire's revolutionary elliptical wing before dying of cancer in 1937, never seeing his aircraft save Britain in 1940.
TaildraggerDouglas Bader lost both legs in a 1931 crash, proved he could still fly to operational standards, was discharged on a technicality, then returned in WWII to lead RAF fighter squadrons.
TaildraggerHurricane R4118 flew 49 combat sorties in 1940, vanished to India for decades, and was restored to flight in 2004 as one of warbird aviation's most documented recoveries.
TaildraggerHow R.J. Mitchell's decade of Schneider Trophy racing produced the design language that made the Spitfire Britain's defining fighter of World War II.
TaildraggerHow a single German navigation error on August 24, 1940 triggered the chain of decisions that redirected the Luftwaffe away from the RAF's airfields - and saved Britain.
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