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Daniel-Wales-Images In reply to Hongablaster [2017-01-18 01:00:15 +0000 UTC]

That is indeed the truth, but then all that added weight was to her benefit, because with the change of engine to the Rolls Royce Griffon and addition of twin stage superchargers, five blade prop and wider rudder to soak up all that torque, they were able to increase the Spitfire's power output to well over 2000hp, over double the amount of power that the original variants were outputting and adding well over 100mph to her top speed. On top of this, they were able to increase the firepower with the addition of cannon and options for .50 machine guns and hard points under the wings, making her an incredibly potent fighting machine.

The Spitfire was a remarkable aircraft. Not only for her beauty and historic significance as a fighting machine, but also because she was a remarkable piece of engineering. The fact that the same basic airframe could be adapted time and time again to keep her at the forefront of fighter design throughout the war and beyond is testament to that. 

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Hongablaster In reply to Daniel-Wales-Images [2017-01-19 21:30:36 +0000 UTC]

Yes, of course, the Spitfire is certainly the most iconic aircraft of the Allied side (sorry American friends but it's not the Mustang). It spearheaded what was essentially the first Allied victory (the greatly unsung Greek triumph against Italy's aggression followed suit) and shed some light on an otherwise very gloomy and grim situation, with the Nazis spreading almost uninhibited to all four directions of the compass.

Of course I understand why the weight increased. My only reservation is that the wing loading increased proportionately but thankfully as mean speed of operations increased the detriment is not linearly proportionate.

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Daniel-Wales-Images In reply to artlovr59 [2017-01-17 10:32:20 +0000 UTC]

At the time of capture, she hadn't even made her post restoration flight, so yep pretty much as new. Sadly I never got to see her fly, as the Fighter Collection were restoring her for an American owner and she never flew in the UK. I still hope someday that I will get to see her airborne. Spitfires have a habit of returning to the UK at some point down the line.

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artlovr59 In reply to Daniel-Wales-Images [2017-01-17 10:48:38 +0000 UTC]

It's a great restoration!
It's too bad you couldn't see her flying, but as you say, there's some "tug" in Spits to head home!

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Daniel-Wales-Images In reply to Grynebry [2017-01-17 04:47:09 +0000 UTC]

Thanks very much! It is indeed Duxford.

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