The second prototype DH-108 Swallow, in the hands of John Derry, breaks the sound barrier on 9 September, 1948 to become the first British aircraft to exceed Mach 1. The type was plagued by problems and all three airframes were lost, with Geoffery DeHavilland being the first pilot to die, while testing the first prototype.
This painting is stylized to show the shockwave as the aircraft pushes through the transonic zone to achieve super-sonic flight.
Oil on board.
Chuck Yeager releases from the B-29 mother ship to become the first man to break the sound barrier.
25 September, 1953. Over the Libyan desert near Tripoli, Supermarine test pilot Mike Lithgow pushes the Swift F.4 prototype WK 198 to 735.7 MPH to set a new world speed record.
Oil on Canvas, 30" x 40". Original in Tangmere Military Aircraft History Museum, West Sussex, UK
R.J. Mitchell, designer of the Supermarine S6 Schneider trophy winner of 1929 watches from the sidelines as the aircraft is prepared for what would be the race that retired the Trophy to Britain for all time. White Charcoal on black paper, A4 size.
The Supermarine S6 racer retired the Schneider Trophy for Britain in 1929. Designed by the legendary R.J. Mitchell, whose subsequent aircraft, the Spitfire, the Racers were crucial in the development of the subsequent fighter aircraft.