- Pilots Notes & Aircraft Type-Specific Material
- >
- Fighters, Fighter-Bombers & Ground-Attack Aircraft
- >
- PILOT'S NOTES: SUPERMARINE SWIFT F.1 & F.2/ 1950's SINGLE SEAT JET FIGHTER with ADDED VALUE INFORMATION PACK (WOS)
PILOT'S NOTES: SUPERMARINE SWIFT F.1 & F.2/ 1950's SINGLE SEAT JET FIGHTER with ADDED VALUE INFORMATION PACK (WOS)
The Supermarine Swift was a British single-seat jet-propelled fighter aircraft that was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was developed and manufactured by Supermarine during the 1940s and 1950s. The Swift featured many of the new jet age innovations, such as a swept wing. On 26 September 1953, a Swift F.4 piloted by Commander Mike Lithgow broke the world absolute speed record, reaching a speed of 737.7 mph (1,187 km/h); thus, the Swift was the world's fastest aircraft.
After a protracted development period, the Swift entered service as an interceptor aircraft with the RAF in 1954. However, due to a spate of accidents incurred by the type, the Swift was grounded for a time, and experienced a relatively brief service life. These issues with the Swift led to a public scandal surrounding the aircraft, harming the reputations of the British government, the RAF, and the aircraft industry.