Reginald Joseph Mitchell CBE (20 May 1895-11 June 1937) was an aeronautical engineer, most notable for his design of the Supermarine Spitfire. May 20 is the 140th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (141st in leap years). ... 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... June 11 is the 162nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (163rd in leap years), with 203 days remaining. ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Aerospace engineering is the branch of engineering concerning aircraft, spacecraft and related topics. ... The Supermarine Spitfire was an iconic British single-seat fighter used by the RAF and many Allied countries in the Second World War. ...

R. J. Mitchell, aeronautical engineer

R. J. Mitchell was born in the village of Talke, Newcastle-under-Lyme, in England. And was the COOLEST DUDE EVER. After leaving Hanley High School at the age of 16 he gained an apprenticeship at Kerr Stuart & Co. of Fenton, a locomotive engineering works. At the end of his apprenticeship he worked in the drawing office at Kerr Stewart and studied engineering and mathematics at Night School. In 1917 he joined the Supermarine Aviation Works at Southampton and in 1918 was appointed Chief Designer at Supermarine. He was made Chief Engineer in 1920 and Technical Director in 1927. He was so highly regarded that when Vickers took over Supermarine in 1928, one of the conditions was that Mitchell stay as a designer for the next five years. R. J. Mitchell (1895-1937). ... R. J. Mitchell (1895-1937). ... Talke is a village in the English county of Staffordshire. ... Newcastle-under-Lyme, known simply as castle to many local people, is a busy market town/small city in Staffordshire, England, not to be confused with the larger city of Newcastle upon Tyne. ... Kerr Stuart Tatoo-type locomotive. ... Fenton is one of the eponymous Six Towns of Stoke-on-Trent, situated in the south-east of the city. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... Supermarine was a British aircraft manufacturer. ... Southampton is a city and major port situated on the south coast of England. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 3 - Babe Ruth is traded by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees for $125,000, the largest sum ever paid for a player at that time. ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Vickers Armstrong (Aircraft) company logo Vickers, founded as the Vickers Company in 1828, was a British manufacturer, primarily of military equipment, traditionally based in Barrow-in-Furness. ... 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Between 1920 and 1936, Mitchell designed 24 aircraft including light aircraft, fighters, bombers, several sea-planes, and flying boats such as the Supermarine Walrus. However, he is best remembered for the Supermarine S.6B and the Spitfire. The Supermarine Walrus was a reconnaissance amphibian designed by R. J. Mitchell and operated by the Fleet Air Arm. ... The Supermarine S.6B was a racing seaplane developed by Reginald Mitchell for the Supermarine company in order to win the Schneider Trophy in 1931. ...

The S6B won the Schneider Trophy in 1931 and later broke the world air speed record. Mitchell was awarded the CBE in 1932 for his contribution to high-speed flight. Mitchell's experience with high speed aircraft such as the S6B prompted the Air Ministry to issue specification F7/30 to Supermarine, primarily a sea-plane manufacturer, for the design of a new fighter aircraft. On 20 February 1932, Mitchell submitted his Type 224 design. Mitchell referred to the Type 224 as "The Shrew". It first flew on 19 February 1934, but was eventually rejected by the RAF because of its unsatisfactory performance. While the 224 was being built, Mitchell was authorised by Supermarine in 1933 to proceed with a new design, Type 300, an all-metal monoplane that would become the Supermarine Spitfire. This was originally a private venture by Supermarine, but the RAF quickly became interested and the Air Ministry financed a prototype. This article or section is missing references or citation of sources. ... Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are... The Air Ministry was formerly a department of the United Kingdom Government, established in 1918 with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the (then newly formed) Royal Air Force. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Supermarine Spitfire was an iconic British single-seat fighter used by the RAF and many Allied countries in the Second World War. ...

Many of the technical advances in the Spitfire had been made by others: the thin ellipical wings by Beverley Shenstone, the under-wing radiators at RAE, while the monocoque construction had been first developed in the United States. Mitchell's genius was bringing it all together with his experience of high speed flight and the Type 224. This article needs cleanup. ... Monocoque (French for single shell) is a construction technique that uses the external skin of an object to support some or most of the load on the structure. ...

Late in 1933, Mitchell underwent a colostomy to treat rectal cancer. Despite this, he continued to work, not only on the Spitfire, but also on a four-engined bomber, the Type 317. Unusually for an aircraft designer in those days, he took flying lessons and got his pilot's licence in July 1934. A colostomy is a surgical procedure that involves connecting a part of the colon onto the anterior abdominal wall, leaving the patient with an opening on the abdomen called a stoma. ...

The still unpainted Spitfire protoype, K5054, shortly before its first flight

The first prototype Spitfire, K5054, (left) flew for the first time on 5 March 1936 at Eastleigh. In later tests, it reached 349 mph and so, before the prototype had completed its official trials, the RAF ordered 310 production Spitfires. Mitchell said that "Spitfire" was a "Bloody silly sort of a name". Image File history File linksMetadata Supermarine_Spitfire_Protoype_K5054_Unpainted. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Supermarine_Spitfire_Protoype_K5054_Unpainted. ... March 5 is the 64th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (65th in leap years). ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Location within the British Isles Arms of Eastleigh Borough Council Eastleigh is a railway town in Hampshire, UK; and the main town in the Eastleigh borough. ...

In 1936, he was diagnosed with cancer again. Mitchell gave up work in early 1937, though he was often seen watching the Spitfire being tested. He went to the American Foundation in Vienna for a month, but died in June 1937. His life and the sacrifices he made to keep going despite pain and impending death were the subject of the 1942 Leslie Howard film The First of the Few. The film created some myths. In particular, Mitchell did not work himself to death; he led a full life, and was working mainly on the bomber project in his final years. Inhabitants according to official census figures: 1800 to 2005 Vienna in 1858 Vienna (German: Wien ) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Leslie Howard (April 3, 1893 - June 1, 1943) was an English stage and film actor. ... The First of the Few, (known as Spitfire in the United States), is a 1942 British film, starring and directed by Leslie Howard, and co-starring David Niven. ...

Mitchell was succeeded as Chief Designer at Supermarine by Joseph Smith, who was responsible for the further development of the Spitfire. Nevertheless, Mitchell's design was so sound that the Spitfire could be continually improved throughout the Second World War, whereas its contemporary, the Hawker Hurricane, quickly became obsolete. Over 22,000 Spitfires and derivatives were built. Joseph Smith was a British aircraft designer who took over as Chief Designer for Supermarines upon the death of R. J. Mitchell and led the team responsible for the subsequent development of the Supermarine Spitfire. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... The Hawker Hurricane is a fighter design from the 1930s which was used extensively by the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain. ...

In 1918, Mitchell married Florence Dayson. They had a son, Gordon.

External links

• BBC Local Heroes
• Stoke-on-Trent's Spitfire
• Biography
• Biography of RJ Mitchell
• Mitchells Spitfire prototype and earlier works
• Supermarine Spitfire website