is spitfire a compliment

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is spitfire a compliment

Production design and future adaptations were, thereafter, the work of Mitchells long-time collaborator and successor Joseph Smith. In 1936, this informal request for major manufacturing facilities was replaced by a formal scheme, known as the shadow factory plan, to boost British aircraft production capacity under the leadership of Herbert Austin. His story came to a really depressing end", Burma Spitfire Mystery Is Solved 17 February 2013, Buried Spitfires is a tall story, says RAF veteran 23 January 2013, Hunt for legendary Spitfires buried in Burma is back on 8 June 2016, "Spitfire and Hurricane Memorial Museum. The Mark V Spitfires were powered by the Merlin 45 and 46 engines, producing 1470hp at 16,000ft. The Spitfire was designed as a short-range, high-performance interceptor aircraft by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works, which operated as a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrong from 1928. [136] Another armament variation was the E wing which housed two 20mm (.79in) cannon and two .50in (12.7mm) Browning machine guns. This ugly duckling was nicknamed Spitfire by the managing director of Vickers Supermarine. The Allies achieved air superiority when the Mk VIII version was introduced to the theatre, replacing the earlier Mk V. In one memorable encounter, New Zealand ace Alan Peart fought a solo dogfight against two dozen Japanese aircraft attacking the Broadway airstrip, shooting down one. Price, Alfred. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the war. [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. First flown in March 1936, it was designed as a short- range defensive fighter for rapid interception of raiding fighters and bombers. Zachary. (in Italian), Gunston, Bill et al. It was Smith who oversaw the production trials at Martlesham Heath, but the Air Ministry, impressed with the prototype, had already ordered 310 Spitfires, and, despite the problems with Type 224, the name had stuck. [95], Due to a shortage of Brownings, which had been selected as the new standard rifle calibre machine gun for the RAF in 1934, early Spitfires were fitted with only four guns, with the other four fitted later. They were placed four to a wing, a novel concept at the time, and designed to fire outside the circle of the propeller, doing away with the need for the interrupter gear of earlier aircraft. [54], Mitchell's design aims were to create a well-balanced, high-performance fighter aircraft capable of fully exploiting the power of the Merlin engine, while being relatively easy to fly. [52], In the mid-1930s, aviation design teams worldwide began developing a new generation of fighter aircraft. [100] At that meeting, scientific officer Captain F. W. "Gunner" Hill presented charts based on his calculations showing that future fighters must carry no less than eight machine-guns, each of which must be capable of firing 1,000 shots a minute. 5. Price 1996, pp. To its elliptical wings and all-metal monocoque body, where the skin is part of the planes structure rather than just a covering, had been added the bulged, or blister-shaped, cockpit, thereby completing the Spitfires classic profile. 1. The cabin pressure fell below a safe level, and in trying to reduce altitude, he entered an uncontrollable dive which shook the aircraft violently. [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. Spitfire 1. At the time, British Commonwealth forces were involved in possible action against Indonesia over Malaya and Nicholls decided to develop tactics to fight the Indonesian Air Force P-51 Mustang, a fighter that had a similar performance to the PR Mk 19. 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. [148], As American fighters took over the long-range escorting of USAAF daylight bombing raids, the Griffon-engined Spitfires progressively took up the tactical air superiority role, and played a major role in intercepting V-1 flying bombs, while the Merlin-engined variants (mainly the Mk IX and the Packard-engined Mk XVI) were adapted to the fighter-bomber role. [41] The drawing office in which all Spitfire designs were drafted was moved to Hursley Park, near Southampton. [97] Early tests showed that, while the guns worked perfectly on the ground and at low altitudes, they tended to freeze at high altitude, especially the outer wing guns, because the RAF's Brownings had been modified to fire from an open bolt. 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. 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. The Spitfires ceiling was also raised by some 2,000ft. By the end of the war, it had got through 13 different designs of propeller. Supermarine was a small company, already busy building Walrus and Stranraer flying boats, and Vickers was busy building Wellington bombers. "Spitfire: A Test Pilot's Defence. The Royal Aircraft Establishment noted that, at 400mph (640km/h) indicated airspeed, roughly 65% of aileron effectiveness was lost due to wing twist. [37] By the time production ended at Castle Bromwich in June 1945, a total of 12,129 Spitfires (921 Mk IIs,[38] 4,489 Mk Vs, 5,665 Mk IXs,[39] and 1,054 Mk XVIs[38]) had been built, at a maximum rate of 320 per month, making CBAF the largest Spitfire factory in the UK and the largest and most successful plant of its type during the 193945 conflict. Answer (1 of 39): It evolved steadily over the aircraft's life. Of the 920 Mark IIs made, some 170 had the B-wing combination. [58], A combination of 14 longitudinal stringers and four main longerons attached to the frames helped form a light, but rigid structure to which sheets of alclad stressed skinning were attached. Under the port wing, a new radiator fairing housed a square oil cooler alongside of the other half-radiator unit. [149] Although the later Griffon-engined marks lost some of the favourable handling characteristics of their Merlin-powered predecessors, they could still outmanoeuvre their main German foes and other, later, American and British-designed fighters. All rights reserved. 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. Red fabric patches were doped over the gun ports to protect the guns from cold, dirt, and moisture until they were fired. "[135], There were 24 marks of Spitfire and many sub-variants. [55], A wing feature that contributed greatly to its success was an innovative spar boom design, made up of five square tubes that fitted into each other. Spitfire Audio app. Greenwood Military Aviation Museum is also home to a replica non-flying Spitfire. One Spitfire is kept in airworthy condition in the Israeli Air Force Museum. Hill's assistant in making his calculations had been his teenage daughter. The resultant narrow undercarriage track was considered an acceptable compromise as this reduced the bending loads on the main-spar during landing. Both the elevators and rudder were shaped so that their centre of mass was shifted forward, reducing control-surface flutter. As the situation is Europe worsened, it fell to the Air Ministry - itself desperately trying to build squadrons for the RAF - to decide the priorities for the nations that could be allowed to take examples from the Southampton production line. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Edward "Ted" Powles,[132] was on a routine flight to survey outside air temperature and report on other meteorological conditions at various altitudes in preparation for a proposed new air service through the area. [155] The first airframe (PM631) developed mechanical issues which removed it from the trial. It is also rumoured that there is anywhere from 5 to 10 restoration projects also progressing on site between The Fighter Collection and the Aircraft Restoration Company. I really don't like gushing, but the sound of the legato seems so much more believable than anything else in my colleciton - spitfire OR other companies. 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. The Spitfire's performance improved greatly as WWII progressed; for more information, see Supermarine Spitfire variants: specifications, performance and armament. 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. A "Spitfire Lane" can be found on the road between Salisbury and. [5] Of the seven designs tendered to F7/30, the Gloster Gladiator biplane was accepted for service. [129] Martindale was awarded the Air Force Cross for his exploits. [17] After the fourth flight, a new engine was fitted, and Summers left the test flying to his assistants, Jeffrey Quill and George Pickering. Small, affordable convertible roadster built by Triumph from 1962 until 1980. [49][50], When the last Spitfire rolled out in February 1948,[51] a total of 20,351 examples of all variants had been built, including two-seat trainers, with some Spitfires remaining in service well into the 1950s. Frontline fighter plane for Great Britain during World War II. [91], Supermarine developed a new laminar-flow wing based on new aerofoil profiles developed by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics in the United States, with the objective of reducing drag and improving performance. Pilots who forgot to raise the flaps after landing often found themselves paying a fine. The Professional edition includes four additional microphone positions and three CPU-friendly stereo mixes by award-winning engineer Jake Jackson, giving you a hugely diverse range of string sounds. Starting with the Merlin XII fitted in Spitfire Mk IIs in late 1940 this was changed to a 70% water-30% glycol mix. 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