But who flew these legendary planes? Tales of heroics by fighter pilots have become the subject of countless films, but spare a thought for the test pilots who were guinea pigs trying out planes fresh from the factory and ironing out faults before they were handed over to the elite of the RAF.

One of the earliest Spitfire airmen was Joseph "Mutt" Summers, who flew the first prototypes in 1936, and later Jeffrey Quill, who tested the plane's top performance later that year. (Read more about Jeffrey Quill here.)


There were dozens more who tested these agile aircraft, but one man has become synonymous with the Spitfire fighter plane. Alex Henshaw had already made his name in aviation history in 1939 when he broke the time record for his solo return flight to Cape Town (he beat the existing record by 39 hours and three minutes, a record that stands to this day.)

But despite his aviation achievements, Henshaw never became a fighter pilot. Instead, he joined Southampton-based aircraft manufacturer Supermarine as a test pilot.

In 1940, 27-year-old Henshaw moved to Castle Bromwich as the aerodrome's chief test pilot not just flying Spitfires, but also Hurricanes, Wellingtons and Lancasters.

Henshaw earned a reputation for being a maverick and is the only person known to have barrel-rolled a Lancaster with crew on board to verify this daring and dangerous feat. He mentions two occasions in his autobiography both at Castle Bromwich. The first occasion was an "act of devilment", showing off to a visiting test pilot. He also mentions a time when his co-pilot (a test pilot from Czechoslovakia called Venda Jicha) was on board.

He also caused uproar on September 18, 1940, by flying a Spitfire the length of Broad Street the mile-long stretch of road in the centre of Birmingham turning the plane upside down and banking away over Centenary Square, leaving terrified shoppers in his wake. The Lord Mayor of Birmingham was making an appeal on the steps of the Civic Centre and Henshaw had been asked to perform a demonstration of the Spitfire over the city.

The request irked him for a number of reasons, not least of which was the safety aspect of performing tricks over a crowded city centre with nowhere to put down if something went wrong. The prank landed him in hot water with the police, who arrived almost as soon as he landed back at the aerodrome. His skin was saved only by his friend Lord Dudley, who had a word with the officers.

Henshaw spent six years at Castle Bromwich aerodrome, flying more than 3,000 planes. He oversaw more than two dozen pilots who flew in excess of 35,000 test flights. Nowadays he lives in Newmarket in Suffolk and has received numerous accolades and honours for his services to the aviation industry.

A seemingly fearless pilot, he has recounted countless stories of engine faults, gear failures, forced landings and the occasional tragedy, but the heroism of the test pilots undoubtedly saved countless more lives of the elite who fought in the skies throughout the Battle of Britain.

Read Alex Henshaw's interview with ICONS here.