The streamlined, semi-monocoque, duralumin-skinned fuselage featured a number of compound, vertical curves built up from a skeleton of 19 formers, also known as frames, starting from frame number one, immediately behind the propeller unit, to the tail unit attachment frame. [8], On 1 December 1934, the Air Ministry issued contract AM 361140/34, providing 10,000 for the construction of Mitchell's improved Type 300 design. Imperial War Museum Duxford, Cambridgeshire, is home to the largest collection of Spitfires, with 15-20 airworthy and static examples on site most weeks throughout the year. It could be used at high altitude or adapted as a ground-attack plane (see images of Spitfire adaptations). The first bombing raid, which missed the factories, came on 23 August 1940. [184] Supermarine Aircraft originally from Brisbane, Australia, and now based in Cisco, Texas manufacture the 80% scale Spitfire Mk26 and the 90% scale Mk26B replicas. Four towns and their satellite airfields were chosen to be the focal points for these workshops:[40] Southampton's Eastleigh Airport; Salisbury and the High Post and Chattis Hill[43][nb 5] aerodromes; Trowbridge and RAF Keevil;[44] and Reading's Henley and Aldermaston aerodromes. "Supermarine Spitfire (Griffon-engined variants and Seafire)". Later models further improved upon this. Under the port wing, a new radiator fairing housed a square oil cooler alongside of the other half-radiator unit. [30][nb 12] The Spitfire achieved legendary status during the Battle of Britain, a reputation aided by the "Spitfire Fund" organised and run by Lord Beaverbrook, the Minister of Aircraft Production. Widely regarded throughout its long and well-developed life as a masterpiece of the avionic arts; a graceful-yet-deadly dogfighter and a peerlessly beautiful design. Symphonic Brass compliment Spitfire Audio Home Virtual Instruments Symphonic, Chamber, and Solo Series Symphonic Brass compliment Edward July 2021 I bought the SB lib for an odd reason - someone here on the forum was complaining that it didn't sound big enough. The first pilot to fly. In fact, such was the Spitfire's . [75], All the main flight controls were originally metal structures with fabric covering. The Spitfire Audio App. [66] Supermarine estimated that the new wing could give an increase in speed of 55mph (89km/h) over the Spitfire Mk 21. Download our library manager to start your Spitfire journey. [147], The first Rolls-Royce Griffon-engined Mk XII flew in August 1942, and first flew operationally with 41 Squadron in April 1943. 1. [131], On 5 February 1952, a Spitfire 19 of 81 Squadron based at Kai Tak in Hong Kong reached probably the highest altitude ever achieved by a Spitfire. The Merlin Mark II engines were giving way to the Mark III with its improved airscrew shaft, and the two-blade wooden propeller had been replaced by the De Havilland three-blade metal, two-pitch propeller, significantly enhancing performance, particularly in the climb. At the controls was Captain Joseph "Mutt" Summers, chief test pilot for Vickers, who is quoted as saying, "don't touch anything" on landing. This aircraft was the 155th built and first flew in April 1939. In early marks of the Spitfire (Mk I to Mk VI), the single flap was operated manually using a lever to the left of the pilot's seat. [128] Martindale successfully glided the Spitfire 20mi (32km) back to the airfield and landed safely. The A wing was the original one designed to hold four .303 machine guns. He was conscious of the fragility of the early planes, and always considered pilot safety in his designs. I agree with PW that in AmE, the term is mostly positive . The removable wing tips were made up of duralumin-skinned spruce formers. The rhythem section of Simon Wright and Jimmy Bain are very tight, their playing compliments each other very well. [40] To this end, the British government requisitioned the likes of Vincent's Garage in Station Square, Reading, which later specialised in manufacturing Spitfire fuselages, and Anna Valley Motors, Salisbury,[42] which was to become the sole producer of the wing leading-edge fuel tanks for photo-reconnaissance Spitfires, as well as producing other components. Limited time Save 30% on string libraries. On 20 February 1948, almost twelve years from the prototype's first flight, the last production Spitfire, VN496, left the production line. Due to the high altitudes necessary for these dives, a fully feathering Rotol propeller was fitted to prevent overspeeding. Two of these were the Spitfire HF Mk IX (high-altitude modification) while the remainder were the low-altitude LF Mk IX. [140] The only unofficial two-seat conversions that were fitted with dual-controls were a few Russian lend/lease Mk IX aircraft. The dive put the aircraft to Mach 0.92, the fastest ever recorded in a piston-engined aircraft, but when the propeller came off, the Spitfire, now tail-heavy, zoom-climbed back to altitude. They also featured refinements such as retractable undercarriages, fully enclosed cockpits, and low-drag, all-metal wings. [41] An experimental factory at Newbury was the subject of a Luftwaffe daylight raid, but the bombs missed their target and hit a nearby school. The plane was originally fitted with a two blade, fixed-pitch wooden propeller and aMerlin C engine. What he meant was that he wanted nothing touched, especially the control settings, until he had consulted with Mitchell and the design team and suggested some improvements. Excavations carried out at Yangon International Airport (formerly RAF Mingaladon) in early 2013 failed to locate any of the rumoured aircraft,[168][169] and the team reported that they found no evidence that Spitfires were shipped there in crates or buried. 72 Squadron RAF until June 1940, when it was damaged in a wheels-up landing. Work began on the 300 prototype, Air Ministry registration K5054, in December 1934, and it underwent its maiden test flight at Eastleigh, Southampton, on 5 March 1936, in the hands of Vickers chief test-pilot Joseph Mutt Summers. A total of 1,185 aircraft of this model were delivered through Iran, Iraq and the Arctic to northern Soviet ports. This intuitive desktop application enables you to install and update your Spitfire products with ease. Jeffrey Quill, the former Supermarine test pilot, initiated a project to build an exact replica of K5054, the prototype Spitfire to be put on permanent public display as a memorial to R.J. Mitchell. In 1942, the United States acquired a flyable, Japanese, This aircraft survived the war, only to be scrapped in 1945. [108] "Paddy" Finucane (2832 e/a) scored all his successes in the fighter before disappearing over the English Channel in July 1942. And thanks to constant upgrades, the Spitfire remained a top-performing frontline fighter through the end of the war. As the war progressed, the C wing became more common. ", Lednicer, David A. This was based on pre-war testing that concluded that aircraft weren't easy targets, explosive shells from cannon were really le. [137] Although the Spitfire continued to improve in speed and armament, its limited fuel capacity restricted range and endurance: it remained "short-legged" throughout its life except in the dedicated photo-reconnaissance role, when its guns were replaced by extra fuel tanks. The longer noses and greater propeller-wash resulting from larger engines in later models necessitated increasingly larger vertical, and later, horizontal tail surfaces to compensate for the altered aerodynamics, culminating in those of the Mk 22/24 series, which were 25% larger in area than those of the Mk I. The fuselage plating was 24, 20, and 18 gauge in order of thickness towards the tail, while the fin structure was completed using short longerons from frames 20 to 23, before being covered in 22 gauge plating. [115] Those Spitfire Vs were the first to see service outside Britain.[116]. The Spitfire also served in the Pacific Theatre, meeting the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero. [81] The wing tips used spruce formers for most of the internal structure with a light alloy skin attached using brass screws. The etched reticle can function with red dot reticle or greed dot reticle or without illumination, accounting for almost all light conditions. "Estonian Air Power 19181945". The cabin pressure fell below a safe level, and in trying to reduce altitude, he entered an uncontrollable dive which shook the aircraft violently. Eric Brown, 'Wings on my Shoulders', 2007, p.74, Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment, National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, Supermarine Spitfire (early Merlin-powered variants), Supermarine Spitfire (late Merlin-powered variants), Supermarine Spitfire (Griffon-powered variants), Supermarine Spitfire variants: specifications, performance and armament, "British Design Classics" commemorative postage stamp, Allied Technological Cooperation During WW2, "Salisbury's secret Spitfire makers honoured with plaques", "Aeronautical research in Germany: from Lilienthal until today, Volume 147", "NACA Report on lateral control research, p. Although the Spitfire was not designed for the rough-and-tumble of carrier-deck operations, it was considered the best available fighter at the time. Compliments can be given to a strong woman in the form of praise, wishes or kind words. Experiments had been ongoing with the new Rolls-Royce Griffon engines. Both of these airframes have a significant history in that they were acquired in the Second World War and used in the first war drives, which preceded the US entry into the conflict. It eventually reached Mark 24, some of those marks being specialist Photo Reconnaissance (PR) planes, others reserved for the Navy and christened Seafire. As plane performance improved on both sides, and as the number of roles aircraft were asked to perform increased, so the Spitfire proved its versatility as a new range of designations was introduced. His Supermarine Type 224, with its steam-cooled Rolls-Royce Griffon engine, could only manage a top speed of 230mph, against the Air Ministrys rather modest specification, F7/30, for an all-metal, four-gun fighter, with a top speed of 250mph. Length - 9.12m. [126], Several Spitfires were captured by the Germans and flown by units that tested, evaluated, and sometimes clandestinely operated enemy aircraft.[127]. The ellipse was skewed so that the centre of pressure, which occurs at the quarter-chord position, aligned with the main spar, preventing the wings from twisting. [66] A dihedral of 6 was adopted to give increased lateral stability. Both were shot down and became prisoners of war, while flying Spitfires over France in 1941 and 1942. Smith also simplified the construction and design to make the Spitfiremore amenable to mass production, and he finally brought Mitchells idea to a practical conclusion when the first Mark I, K9789, officially entered service with No 19 Squadron at RAF Duxford on 4 August 1938 though the first few planes had only four machine-guns, as there was a desperate shortage of Brownings. [170] Pat Woodward, who was an RAF pilot operating from Burma at the end of the war, reported that no such burying took place. [67] The undercarriage legs were attached to pivot points built into the inner, rear section of the main spar, and retracted outwards and slightly backwards into wells in the non-load-carrying wing structure. [1590-1600] After the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire superseded the Hurricane as the principal aircraft of RAF Fighter Command, and was used in the European, Mediterranean, Pacific, and Southeast Asian theatres. The two orders covered the K, L, and N prefix serial numbers. He oversaw a group of 10 to 12 pilots responsible for testing all developmental and production Spitfires built by the company in the Southampton area. This wing was tested on a modified F Mk 21, also called the F Mk 23, (sometimes referred to as "Valiant" rather than "Spitfire"). [52], In the mid-1930s, aviation design teams worldwide began developing a new generation of fighter aircraft. [7] It then went through a series of changes, including the incorporation of an enclosed cockpit, oxygen-breathing apparatus, smaller and thinner wings, and the newly developed, more powerful Rolls-Royce PV-XII V-12 engine, which was later named the "Merlin". Although full-scale production was supposed to begin immediately, numerous problems could not be overcome for some time, and the first production Spitfire, K9787, did not roll off the Woolston, Southampton assembly line until mid-1938.[1]. In the continual programme of updating and improving the Spitfire, the next most significant development was the Mark V, and with a production run of nearly 6,500, this was the most common type ever produced. Price, Alfred. Air combat was also felt to take place at relatively low speeds and high-speed manoeuvring would be physically impossible. Spitfires fitted with two Hispano cannons and four Browning machine guns, the first squadron fully equipped with these was 19 Squadron in June 1940. With the Spitfire Elite Interview prep package for all airlines, you will: Learn the basics to beat any interview question in our Precision Interview Coaching Courses. [102] In November 1938, tests against armoured and unarmoured targets had already indicated that the introduction of a weapon with a calibre of at least 20mm was urgently needed. As Jeffrey Quill noted: "If Mitchell was born to design the Spitfire, Joe Smith was born to defend and develop it. Is calling someone a spitfire a compliment? In 2009, the Spitfire was selected by the, 8 .303 in Browning Mk II* machine guns (350 rounds per gun), 2 20mm Hispano Mk II (60 rounds per gun), 4 .303 in Browning Mk II* machine guns (350 rounds per gun), 4 20mm Hispano Mk II cannon (120 rounds per gun), 2 20mm Hispano Mk II (120 rounds per gun), 2 20mm Hispano Mk II cannon (120 rounds per gun), 2 .50 in M2 Browning machine guns (250 rounds per gun), Brown, Eric. "[135], There were 24 marks of Spitfire and many sub-variants. Download our library manager to start your Spitfire journey. Spitfire units had a lower attrition rate and a higher victory-to-loss ratio than those flying Hurricanes, probably because of the Spitfire's higher performance. Its maximum cruising speed, though, was 210mph at 20,000ft, and at economical speed its range was 575 miles. Please find below articles concerning the technical history of the Spitfire. Both restored by American billionaire Thomas Kaplan, one has been donated to the Imperial War Museum and the second was auctioned in July 2015 at Christie's, London. [27] Although outside contractors were supposed to be involved in manufacturing many important Spitfire components, especially the wings, Vickers-Armstrongs (the parent company) was reluctant to see the Spitfire being manufactured by outside concerns, and was slow to release the necessary blueprints and subcomponents. The last Lend-Lease shipment carrying the Mk IX arrived at the port of Severodvinsk on 12 June 1945. 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