Gloster Gladiator pilot
The last biplane fighter to enter service with the RAF in the late 1930s, the Gloster Gladiator was already obsolescent and ordered as a stop gap in case of delays to the much more capable Spitfires and Hurricanes then in development.
The Gladiator had a very sprightly performance for a biplane, and despite being so outdated, many hundreds were built and saw much service during WW2 with a wide variety of Air Forces. They generally acquitted themselves surprisingly well - notably in the defence of Malta, where they attained a legendary status. A myth formed that three Gladiators, respectively named Faith, Hope and Charity, provided the Island's entire air cover during the Siege of Malta in 1940. It's not entirely true, but a good story is better than the reality!
One of only two remaining airworthy, this example is owned by The Shuttleworth Collection and seen here displaying at its home base of Old Warden.
Gloster Gladiator pilot
The last biplane fighter to enter service with the RAF in the late 1930s, the Gloster Gladiator was already obsolescent and ordered as a stop gap in case of delays to the much more capable Spitfires and Hurricanes then in development.
The Gladiator had a very sprightly performance for a biplane, and despite being so outdated, many hundreds were built and saw much service during WW2 with a wide variety of Air Forces. They generally acquitted themselves surprisingly well - notably in the defence of Malta, where they attained a legendary status. A myth formed that three Gladiators, respectively named Faith, Hope and Charity, provided the Island's entire air cover during the Siege of Malta in 1940. It's not entirely true, but a good story is better than the reality!
One of only two remaining airworthy, this example is owned by The Shuttleworth Collection and seen here displaying at its home base of Old Warden.