Lance Cole Ph.D. B.Sc. was the 1983 Sir William Lyons Scholar and has been an aviation and automotive journalist in the international media for over 25 years. A former columnist at the _Daily Telegraph, Independent,_ and the _South China Morning Post_, he is also the author of 12 books, including _Secrets of the Spitfire, VC10 Icon of the Skies,_ and _The Classic Car Adventure_. A trained industrial designer, he has flown light aircraft and gliders in Europe, Africa and Australia; Lance crewed a Second World War Catalina flying boat through East Africa in the 1990s during an adventure of a lifetime. He has enjoyed rides in fast jets and a two-seat Spitfire. Based in Britain's West Country, Lance writes for Pen and Sword Books Ltd on a regular basis. He feels that the Supermarine Spitfire may be the greatest icon of industrial design ever seen.