Reginald J. Mitchell of Supermarines—a North Staffordshireman, like myself, and, in the words of Joe Smith, “ a practical engineer possessed of an abundance of plain, straightforward common sense; a man of drive and genius”—will go down to history as among the most inspired of those who had the good fortune to live and work in Aviation's pioneering days. During the short span of his active designing and engineering life—for the 16 years between 1920 and 1936—he produced 24 different aircraft types, so brilliantly and affectionately discussed by the great Joe Smith in his foundation Mitchell Memorial Lecture in January 1954. Mitchell's aircraft included, in the civil transport field, the “ Sea Eagle ” of 1923, which opened air services to the Channel Islands, the unique “Air Yacht” of 1929 and the very advanced 75,000 lb., 174 ft. span, six-engined, 40-passenger commercial flying boat of 1930 (Fig. 1), the contract for which was unfortunately cancelled as an economy measure in January 1932 after work was well advanced.