This book tells the tale of the brilliant aerodynamicist Beverley Shenstone MASc Hon FRAes FAIAA AFIAS FCASI Hon OSTIV. As R.J. Mitchell's chief aerodynamicist it was Shenstone who designed the Spitfire's wing
- the wing that gave the Spitfire it crucial advantage in the Battle of Britain & beyond. A quiet man Shenstone never sought glory for his work yet in recent years he has been credited as the man who persuaded Mitchell to adopt the ellipse
- a modified ellipse that was unique in its shape & its combined use of two integrated aerofoil sections. Shenstone's knife-edge shape reached far back into early aeronautics for its inspiration. This book also names the other forgotten Spitfire design contributors who were Mitchell's men
- Mr Faddy Mr Fear Mr Fenner Mr Shirvall a Prof Howland & others. Intriguingly Shenstone had left his native Canada & early training as an RCAF pilot to study at Junkers & then under the father of the delta wing
- Alexander Lippisch in Germany in the early 1930s. There he became immersed in delta wings & flying wings. He also became a glider pilot. The story of how Beverley came to be in the right place at the right time is revealed for the first time. So too are the enigmatic tales of his involvement with the military the intelligence world Lord Beaverbrook the USAF & Canadian aviation. During the war Shenstone worked at the top secret Wright Patterson air force base & was involved with the Air Ministry & the pro-British movement in America when Shenstone worked for Air Chief Marshal Sir Wilfrid Freeman the unsung hero behind British defence procurement. Shenstone achieved high office
- a President of the Royal Aeronautical Society technical director at BOAC chief engineer at BEA & a consultant to several aircraft makers. He was courted by Avro de Havilland & Vickers & was the force behind the renaissance of human-powered flight. Using exclusive access to his family documents his unpublished autobiography & many notes & stories as well as forensic research this book details for the first time a new twist to the Spitfire's story & the secrets of its advanced science. A tale of design & military intelligence reveals a story of a man whose name should be more widely known in the UK Canada & the aviation world.