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The basic Spitfire design did impose some limitations on the use of the aircraft as a carrier-based fighter; poor visibility over the nose, for example, meant that pilots had to be trained to land with their heads out of the cockpit and looking along the port cowling of their Seafire. [149]
Mar 18, 2024 · Definition. The Supermarine Spitfire was a single-seater fighter plane, one of the most important aircraft of the Second World War (1939-45). Employed by the Royal Air Force in such crucial encounters as the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940, the Spitfire gained legendary status thanks to its graceful lines and superlative manoeuvrability.
- Mark Cartwright
- Harry Atkins
- It was a short-range, high-performance plane. Designed by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works in Southampton, the Spitfire’s specifications lent themselves to its initial role as an interceptor aircraft.
- It was named after the daughter of the manufacturer’s chairman. The Spitfire’s name is often assumed to derive from its ferocious firing capabilities.
- The Spitfire’s maiden flight was on 5 March 1936. It entered service two years later and remained in service with the RAF until 1955.
- 20,351 Spitfires were built in total. Of these, 238 survive today across the globe, with 111 in the UK. Fifty-four of the surviving Spitfires are said to be airworthy, including 30 of those in the UK.
The Supermarine Spitfire is one of the most iconic aircraft of all time. Between 1937 and 1947 over 20,000 of them were built and in those 10 years, Spitfires changed dramatically from the Mk 1 to the Mk 24. More powerful engines, new wing shapes, different armaments, and more were added to the Spitfire in an attempt to maintain its edge over ...
Mar 4, 2011 · His Supermarine Type 224, with its steam-cooled Rolls-Royce Griffon engine, could only manage a top speed of 230mph, against the Air Ministry’s rather modest specification, F7/30, for an all-metal, four-gun fighter, with a top speed of 250mph. This ugly duckling was nicknamed ‘Spitfire’ by the managing director of Vickers Supermarine.
The first operational Supermarine Sptifires are built. Jul 1938. The first RAF Spitfire squadron is formed: No. 19 Squadron based at Duxford. May 1940 - Jun 1940. Spitfires are involved in the Dunkirk evacuation. 10 Jul 1940 - 31 Oct 1940. The Battle of Britain (official Air Ministry dates). 1954.
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Oct 26, 2024 · Meanwhile, Supermarine was developing more-capable versions of the Spitfire driven by progressively more-powerful Merlins. The eight 0.303-inch machine guns gave way to four 0.8-inch (20-mm) automatic cannons, and by war’s end the Spitfire had been produced in more than 20 fighter versions alone, powered by Merlins of up to 1,760 horsepower.
