THERE appears to be a lot of support for the wow factor in Southampton to be a replica of R J Mitchell's Supermarine Spitfire. Very understandable as it was an outstanding aircraft which was known and respected the world over.

But I wonder how many are aware that he designed an aircraft which, at the very least was equal to the Spitfire and probably better.

It was the four-engined Mitchell Bomber designated Type 317 which unfortunately was not ordered by the Air Ministry and therefore never went into production.

The specification of this bomber was awesome when it was designed in 1937. It had a projected top speed of 370 mph - faster than the Spitfire, as fast as the best German fighter aircraft and much faster than the very successful Avro Lancaster which was our mainstay bomber during the Second World War. It could have carried a heavy bomb load with a maximum range of 3000 miles.

The Air Ministry had requested designs for a four-engined bomber in 1936 and, amongst the designs submitted, Supermarine and the Short Brothers were given contracts to build prototypes. Shorts produced their design - the Stirling Bomber - which was accepted by the Air Ministry in favour of Mitchell's design. The Stirlings specification was much lower than Mitchell's and the aircraft was not an outstanding success. Why Supermarine didn't get the contract we will probably never know. Whatever it was, Britain lost a wonderful opportunity to have an outstanding aircraft.

After the war, it could have become a leading airliner.

Sadly, Mr Mitchell never lived to see either his Spitfire in action during the war or his Type 317 bomber fly. I believe the prototype was in the Woolston factory at one time but have no idea what happened to it.

I worked for Supermarine several years after the war and worked with engineers and fitters who had worked on it and the Spitfire as well. It was a great honour.

PHIL MARTIN, Totton