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Supermarine Spitfire Mark Ia

Aircraft & Exhibits, SEP 1940-FEB 1944, London, Hangar Three/Four, 78/A/872

More than any other aircraft, the Spitfire has become a much-loved symbol of winning against the odds. Designed by RJ Mitchell, its speed, agility and firepower made it one of the RAF's leading fighter aircraft of the Second World War.

Single engine aircraft with propeller and camouflage pattern, © RAF Museum

Gloster Meteor F.8

Aircraft & Exhibits, NOV 1951-FEB 1967, London, Hangar Three/Four, 67/A/208

The Gloster Meteor was the only allied jet to see combat in the Second World War and in its various marks served in day, night and training operations. Its sturdy construction also made it an ideal test bed for a variety of products which followed it. Between 1950 and 1955 the Meteor F8 provided the backbone of Britain’s air defence capability. By the end of the 1947 the British Meteor fighter had fallen behind its contemporaries in efficiency and performance. In an effort to redress the balance the Gloster design office produced a re-design which was a marked improvement while retaining as much of the structure of the earlier aircraft as possible for production purposes.

Silver-coloured aircraft with twin jet engines embedded in wings, (C) RAF Museum/Iain Duncan / (c) RAF Museum/ Iain Duncan