The supermarine spitfire is a british singleseat fighter aircraft used by the royal air force along with many other allied countries throughout the second world war and afterwards into the 1950s as both a front line fighter and also in secondary roles many developing countries purchased spitfires as industrial countries phased out propellerpowered aircraft in favour of new jetengined. It was continuously upgraded so that it would match or better the best german fighters at the time. Supermarine spitfire mk 1 x4650 duxford flying legends 2014. Ii production was changed to the common two cylindersshaped system. The supermarine spitfire was britains premiere fighter throughout the entire war. The spitfire, along with the hawker hurricane, participated in almost all stages of the war in europe, and was a pivotal aircraft in fighting the battle of britain. Designed by supermarine s brilliant chief designer reginald j. This supermarine mk xvi spitfire is an exwartime example, built at vickers armstrongs castle bromwich shadow factory, near birmingham, in late 1944. Spitfire x4650 mk1 supermarine spitfire raf biggin hill raf spitfire royal air force spitfire x4650 spitfire. Warbird registry supermarine spitfire a warbirds resource.
This spitfire aircraft was built as a singleseat lflx fighter at the castle bromwich factory of vickers supermarine in 1944 as part of contract no. Inspection by cardington technicians 1995 revealed that port wing. Duxford spitfires supermarine spitfire warbirds online. X4650 was built in october 1940 and was delivered to 54 squadron with the codes kla.
If a spitfire competed against a grumman f6f hellcat which. If you didnt impress your friends with the b25 they will certainly be impressed with this. Kiwi iii klb the aircraft crashed after being involved in a midair collision at 12000 feet with spitfire x4650, the pilot landed in a cess pit at town end farm and the aircraft crashed near by 40370 flt alan christopher al deere raf nz pilot baled out ok. Throughout the designing of the mk26b spitfire there were considerations to keep the kits simple and. Inspired by the lines, form and design of the famed world war 2 era fighter, avi8. Delivered to 24mu 30740, assigned to 74 sqn 10940, transferred to 54 sqn 22541, transferred to 308 sqn 12641, transferred to 71 eagle sqn coded xrd 20841, damaged cat cb on ops 27841, sent to air service training, converted to mk va 1941, assigned to 3 sqn 1442, transferred to 421 sqn 16442. The supermarine spitfire is a breetish singleseat fechter aircraft uised bi the ryal air force an ither allied kintras afore, in an efter warld war ii. Video and audio content is copyright 2015 malcolm auld this video and audio material may not be used in any form without written permission. Over the past 15 years, we have developed engines and our own, higher quality, redrive system for better engine performance. It is worth noting that all 4 aircraft are apparently for sale, so there is a possibility that there will never be a formation of all 4 in the air.
The spitfire was designed by reginald mitchell of supermarine ltd. Our website, which champions britains most famous fighter and is devoted to providing top class commercial modelpattern making. I sn 6s75531 x4650 was built in 1940 as part of contract 19739 by vickers armstrongs supermarine ltd. Supermarine spitfire the symbol of britains refusal to give up during that dark summer of 1940, the spitfire won the hearts of both pilots and public in world war ii. The aircraft left the southampton production line as part of a batch of 200 aircraft configured as mk1a.
Supermarine spitfire early merlinpowered variants wikipedia. It was delivered to the raf on 25th october and into the hands of 24 mu at ternhill. The supermarine spitfire is surely one of the alltime great aircraft. Hi, the early spitfire had a dome shaped voltage regulator that from the end of the mk istart of mk. See more ideas about supermarine spitfire, aircraft and the spitfires.
The new design also had a modern inwardsretracting undercarriage. On 10 may 1940, germany invaded france and the low countries, pushing the british expeditionary force bef, along with french and. Please note that some brands are listed separately in the list below. Hailed by critics as one of director christopher nolans best works, many argue dunkirk belongs in the pantheon of the great war films. X4650s first flight was at eastleigh on the 23rd october 1940. The beautiful supermarine spitfire blueprints you see here are made using the old fashioned method ammonia activated paper on a traditional diazit blueprint machine. It was a singleseat aircraft which continued to see action even after wwii, well into the 1950s until it was retired for good in 1961.
V spitfire is one of the most credited historic aircraft left anywhere in the world with an impressive seven confirmed kills. Data from supermarine aircraft since 1914 general characteristics crew. Raf x4650s first flight was at eastleigh on the 23rd october 1940. It crashed in december 1940 before it was struck off charge. The spitfire, along with the hawker hurricane, participated in almost all stages of the war in europe, and was a.
The supermarine spitfire is a british singleseat fighter aircraft used by the royal air force. The supermarine spiteful was a british rollsroyce griffonengined fighter aircraft designed by supermarine to air ministry specification f. Vickers supermarine spitfire bae systems international. It had a new wing design, to improve its critical mach number and allow safe operations at higher speeds. Mitchell for the supermarine company to take part in the schneider trophy competition of 1931. Spitfire i x45908384m museum accession number 78a872 09 jun 40 ordered from vickers supermarine as part of a batch of 500 aircraft, contract no. Although seen at duxford, she is actually based at another of the most famous battle of britain fighter stations, biggin hill. Various pictures show that the cabling of the later type clearly went down on the port side of the bulkhead. The vickers supermarine spitfire is probably the most famous of all british aircraft and deserves much more space and detail than can be afforded. Supermarine spitfire article about supermarine spitfire by. Pilots found it to be agile and dependable, it was a fine aircombat plane capable of great speed and superior highaltitude performance. Many variants of the spitfire were built, using several wing configurations, and it was produced in greater numbers than any. Ix spitfires had been produced, the greatest number of any one variant of the spitfire.
Youre not dreaming this isnt a fullsized spitfire, but a 1. May 16, 2014 the beautiful supermarine spitfire blueprints you see here are made using the old fashioned method ammonia activated paper on a traditional diazit. The airplane was a direct descendant of a series of floatplanes designed by mitchell to compete for the coveted. We begin with the prototype as it was rolled out of the factory and first flown at eastleigh in 1936, and end with the mk1a standard production spitfire which fought alongside that other.
Original production model with 1,030hp merlin ii, eight browning 0. The aeroplane is absolutely stunning, and exactly how i imagine a battle of britain spitfire should look. Spitfire p9374 was one of a batch of 8 spitfires built under air ministry contract at supermarines woolston works and delivered to the raf on 2 march 1940 before arriving at 92 squadron at raf croydon four days later. The aircrafts first action was on 24 march wearing squadron code fup when, laden with two 250lb bombs and a long range belly tank, the aircraft headed a flight of four spitfires for an armed reconnaissance.
Bidding godspeed to the silver spitfire as it begins. She was built at the castle bromwich shadow factory, birmingham. There are a total of 14 supermarine company chronological aircraft list product entries in the military factory. This website attempts to list every vickers supermarine spitfire and seafire aircraft built.
I was registered gcguk in the uk with peter monk ltd as vickers supermarine spitfire i sn 6s75531. Br601 was just another spitfire during 1945, albeit an early one with a life of hard use. Supermarine spitfire specifications technical data. On 14 november 1940, the aircraft was taken on charge by 54 squadron at catterick, yorkshire. The spitfire was the more manoeuvrable of the two in a turning fight, the hellcat was stronger. Supermarine spitfire mk 1 x4650 duxford flying legends. Supermarine spitfire mk iia p7350 is the oldest airworthy spitfire in the world and the only spitfire still flying today to have actually fought in the battle of britain. These engines had enough distinctive features to make their easy identification crucial amongst other things they were built using. X4650 was built in 1940 as part of contract 19739 by vickers armstrongs supermarine ltd. Supermarine spitfire mk iia p7308, built at castle bromwich aircraft factory. Now is your chance to play on the euromillions or the powerball or access your swiss bankaccount and buy a spitfire and therewith a magnificent piece of history.
Our spitfires are sold and flying all over the world. Its brilliant design allowed it to be improved beyond all recognition during its service life. Supermarine spitfire out of service british military. Time machine spitfire mk1a, x4650 engine ground test. The spitfire lost for almost 50 years imperial war museums. The supermarine spitfire is a british singleseat fighter aircraft. Supermarine spitfire mk ixc mj755, also known as the greek spitfire for its uncommon markings, flew again on sunday 19 january 2020 for the first time since 1953. Supermarine spitfire mk1 n3200 spitfire n3200 was build under ministry of production contract number b527136 in early 1939 at vickers armstrong supermarine ltd southampton.
In the 1990s paul was closely involved in the restorationtoflight of the messerschmitt bf109f black 6. Built at southampton in 1939, this supermarine spitfire mark 1a was issued to no. Media in category x4650 aircraft the following 21 files are in this category, out of 21 total. This supermarine spitfire has a little secret classic driver magazine. The supermarine spitfire is a wwii era british singleseat fighter manufactured by supermarine aviation, and designed by reginald mitchell. See more ideas about spitfire model, supermarine spitfire and ww2 aircraft.
Beryl wilson, nee lewis, 81, from melling, wants to see the rollsroyce engine and other artefacts from the supermarine spitfire aircraft, in which 24yearold flt sgt emrys ivor lewis crashed and died on july 4, 1940, put on display in merseyside. The seafang the type 383 seafang was designed to specification n. A true allied combat veteran aircraft is very rare, and spitfire mk. Vmi engineering has been contracted to supply the fin unit, ailerons, flaps, rudder and radiator fairing for peter monks mk i spitfire restoration, x 4650. Resplendant in genuine 54sqn markings, spitfire ia x4650 catches a bounce while settling down on to duxfords grass runway. To the left are the two large pressure air containers driving the pneumatic system operating the flaps, guns, brakes and.
This detailed reproduction is constructed from highquality aluminium and wooden parts. Forgotten spitfire will fly again after major restoration. The british supermarine spitfire was the only allied fighter aircraft of the second world war to fight in front line service from the beginnings of the conflict, in september 1939, through to the end in august 1945. All the historic planes you can see flying over cambridgeshire this. The film dunkirk held its world premiere in leicester square almost two years ago, on july 2017. Rollsroyce griffon 69 v12 liquidcooled piston engine, 2,375 hp.
Notes eedit eedit soorce unit cost for airframe complete wi ingine, airmament an equipment. Stick to me like glue, a superb painting depicting al deere in spitfire x4276 klb leading x4650 kla in tribute to what must be the most evocative aerial icon of all time, the supermarine spitfire, tmb art metal are producing a range of sculptures, cufflinks and cases made of metal from two significant spitfire. Supermarine aircraft has been in business for the last 20 years selling our spitfire kits. More spitfires were produced than any other british aircraft. The spitfire mk ix was originally developed as a stopgap measure as a response to the appearance of the fockewulf fw 190a. Build a fabulous model of the supermarine spitfire mk vb in 1.
The british spitfire is a british fighter plane that was used by the raf british royal air force as well as other allied countries during world war ii. The first response to this threat was the mk viii, but this aircraft involved a significant redesign of the basic spitfire, and would take time to produce in the numbers required. Sep 15, 2016 supermarine spitfire ia p9374 aircraft restoration company supermarine spitfire ia ar2 comanche fighters supermarine spitfire ia x4650 comanche fighters. Midair collision incident supermarine spitfire mk i x4276. Raf x4650 s first flight was at eastleigh on the 23rd october 1940. Ep120 was built at the castle bromwich factory where she was probably test flown by the legend that was alex henshaw.
Mitchell the type 300 spitfire was a thoroughbred design whose lineage can be traced back through mitchells s series of highspeed racing floatplanes of the late 1920s that competed for the coup schneider schneider cup seaplane contests after the first world war. Vickers supermarine spitfire type 300 prototype k5054. First post restoration flight of the spitfire in the royal air force colours x4650 kla was from biggin hill in march 2012. This program was so important that both supermarine the aircraft builder, and. The supermarine spitfire is a british singleseat fighter aircraft that was used by the royal air force and other allied countries before, during, and after world. The supermarine spitfire is a british singleseat fighter aircraft that was used by the royal air force and many other allied countries throughout the second world war. Many variants of the spitfire were built, using several wing configurations, and it was produced in greater numbers than any other british aircraft. Ordered as part of contract b12430540 built by westland aircraft at yeovil. Well, you can think again two british pilots are currently flying a beautifully original supermarine spitfire on an epic fourmonth, 27000mile. The aircraft, which was brought back to airworthiness by biggin hill heritage hangar, served on the mediterranean front in 1944 and 1945 and was sold to greece in 1947.
On 26th february 1941 sgt squire became a pow on his first operational flight of the war when spitfire p7443 was shot down by flak. The spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s. There is no shortage of publications relating to the spitfire, but i am constantly struck by the number of errors in respect of serial batches recorded in books and websites, a situation that persists as details are copied from one publication to the next. Supermarine spitfire simple english wikipedia, the free. Ia x4650 a film star as part of dunkirk 2017, spitfire ia, x4650 flew from biggin hill in 2012 following restoration. Built at southampton with build number 1198 and cockpit constructors number 6s81254. In this simulation, just flight has captured the spitfire as it was in perhaps the most important phase of its development the early years of wwii. The mk ix spitfire was constantly updated and improved during its production, but only one of those changes was considered important enough to deserve a new mark number. Forgotten spitfire will fly again after major restoration a project to create the most authentic flying mark i spitfire will be completed later this year when aircraft x4650 takes to the skies 70. The supermarine spitfire is a british singleseat fighter aircraft that was used by the royal air force and other allied countries before, during, and after world war ii. This was the use of packard merlin engines, produced in american by the packard car company. Regardless of the version, with either rollsroyce merlin or griffon power, all spitfire cockpits are virtually identical and wonderfully compact.
Biggin hill heritage hangar is now home to 4 airworthy spitfires as of april 2012. For example, lockheed and lockheed martin are considered two separate listings in the military factory database. He is coauthor with alfred price of the supermarine spitfire manual. Spitfire x4650 was built to contract 19739 by vickers armstrongs supermarine ltd. Mitchell as a shortrange, highperformance interceptor aircraft. With the success of the mk25 and the mk26, the idea was hatched in mid2004 to produce a 90% spitfire due to the demand from our customers, who were looking for a comfortable twoseater aircraft with the same performance of our earlier marks.
The supermarine spitfire is a singleengine singleseat fighter aircraft produced by the british manufacturer supermarine aviation works vickers ltd, later the supermarine division of vickersarmstrongs aircraft ltd. Dec 07, 2014 resplendant in genuine 54sqn markings, spitfire ia x4650 catches a bounce while settling down on to duxfords grass runway. Supermarine spitfire mk1a x4650 kla is currently in 1940, 54sqn markings by j biggadike. Time machine spitfire mk1a, x4650 engine ground test youtube. Xvi brought over from germany in march 2012, x4650 mk. This would almost entirely depend upon the pilots and how they met in the air. The positive aspect was the attendance of no less than 4 supermarine mk 1 spitfires n3200, p7308, p9374 and x4650.
His specialized knowledge of vintage aircraft is considered crucial to the maintenance of the aircraft in the flight. Total spitfire production was over 20,000 aircraft. Jun, 2019 the spitfire mk xii fighter variant was the first spitfire completed with the excellent rollsroyce griffon iv series inline piston engine of 1,735 to 1,750 horsepower driving a fivebladed propeller assembly and designed in response to the growing threat of the fockewulf fw 190 series in their lowlevel fighterbomber guise. Iia p7540 at the dumfries and galloway aviation museum. Avi8 is presenting its spitfire range of timepieces, with the first model titled the spitfire type 300 automatic edition paying tribute to the prototype supermarine developed in 1934. Nov 24, 2017 the supermarine spitfire is a wwii era british singleseat fighter manufactured by supermarine aviation, and designed by reginald mitchell. In late 2016 x4650 was flown by paul bonhomme at bicester, along with spitfires n3200 and p9374, and hawker hurricane r4118, during aerial filming for a. It was used by the royal air force and many other allied countries throughout the second world war. The wreckage of the x4650 was discovered in the long, hot summer of 1976. The vickers supermarine spitfire mk1 daily inspection squadron 609 duration.
At that time this famous fighter squadron was engaged on home defence duties. There are supermarine spitfire reproduction kits currently flying in the. The entire world population of airworthy mk 1 spits and all based at duxford. Az aircraft manufacturers of the world past and present. A new arrester hook assembly was added to spiteful rb520 and this new prototype first flew in 1946. The spitfire was used by the royal air force and allied countries during wwii. Supermarine spitfire photographs 7 military airshows. Also, thanks to stephen stead for supplying uptodate photos of spitfire mk. We cater for all composite work, including moulds and tooling for vac forming. We can provide full pattern making service to briefs.