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Spitfire celebration

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posted on Oct, 14 2008 @ 06:46 PM
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As it is now the 70th anniversary of the first production Spitfires being delivered to the RAF I hope the mods will indulge us in a short quiz to celebrate this legendary aeroplane. I feel the quiz belongs here, rather than BTS, because people who are interested are more likely to see it and some of the answers will be quite surprising to many when they do get posted.

1 Who said this;

"I don't give a toss if the wings are elliptical or not, as long as they cover the guns!"

2 the Spitfire F.24 was famously descibed as being equal in weight to the Spitfire mk1, plus what?

3 What simple structural fix helped stop the Spitfire from being outclassed by the FW 190 at high speeds ?

4 What was 'Miss Shillings Orifice'?

5 In what year was the last operational sortie by a Spitfire in RAF service?


I'll keep it short, maybe we can do some for other aircraft on this thread too after this one?



[edit on 14-10-2008 by waynos]



posted on Oct, 14 2008 @ 08:39 PM
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I'll answer one so as to let some other try the others.
#4 Miss Shillings Orifice was a device used to counter engine cut outs in early model Spits and Hurricanes named after its inventor Beatrice "Tilly" Shilling.

In basic the device restricted full flow in positive g environment and maneuvers that normally could flood the engine of a spit diving by pushing the nose down after a Bf-109 which and fuel injected engines. The restriction allowed on the fuel needed for full throttle into the engines to solve the issue of flooding.



posted on Oct, 15 2008 @ 03:56 AM
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I'll try to answer just 1 because without doing a search I haven't got an idea about the others.

3 What simple structural fix helped stop the Spitfire from being outclassed by the FW 190 at high speeds ?

Was it the end of the wings were clipped so the ends had a flat edge instead of the curve of the elliptical.



posted on Oct, 15 2008 @ 05:13 AM
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PS915 flew `the last` operational sortie on April 1st 1954 over Johore


www.targeta.co.uk...

an event which has slipped us

[edit on 15/10/08 by Harlequin]



posted on Oct, 15 2008 @ 12:09 PM
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Harlequin and Canada have the first two. Sorry deckard, that one is not the right answer, though the clipped wings DID give a better roll rate at low level, this was not specifically to combat the Fw 190. It was something even more basic than that, but the benefit was HUGE.



posted on Oct, 15 2008 @ 12:13 PM
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Originally posted by Harlequin
www.targeta.co.uk...

an event which has slipped us


I did try, but got not one single reply


www.abovetopsecret.com...

[edit on 15-10-2008 by waynos]



posted on Oct, 15 2008 @ 05:36 PM
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Originally posted by waynos
3 What simple structural fix helped stop the Spitfire from being outclassed by the FW 190 at high speeds ?


Flattening the rivets to improve airflow over the airframe, thus improving performance?

Would that be the answer?

Regards



posted on Oct, 15 2008 @ 06:56 PM
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No, but it is something as simple as that.



posted on Oct, 15 2008 @ 08:04 PM
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Originally posted by waynos
3 What simple structural fix helped stop the Spitfire from being outclassed by the FW 190 at high speeds ?


Aileron trim tabs?



posted on Oct, 16 2008 @ 05:02 AM
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Two things I can think of
1: modified supercharger, to improve performace

2: Pressurised Cockpit-



posted on Oct, 16 2008 @ 12:14 PM
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Ooh zap! So very close.

I'll put this one to bed and if there are no more guesses I'll give the other answers tomorrow;

The aileron skins were changed from fabric to metal for the Spitfire V, this simple fix made the controls much lighter at very high speeds and also increased the turn rate greatly.

The programme to refit these ailerons is also noteworthy as each pilot flew his own plane into the Eastleigh aerodrome where Supermarine engineers fitted them on a 'while you wait' basis

A little later on a more developed Fw 190 regained the upper hand and the Spitfire IX was the response to this, but the earlier aileron fix was vital.

[edit on 16-10-2008 by waynos]



posted on Oct, 16 2008 @ 12:41 PM
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Good stuff here! Though I am not as learned as you guys probably are, The Spitfire is my favorite airplane of all time (followed closely by the Mustang and the Corsair).




posted on Oct, 16 2008 @ 12:45 PM
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reply to post by waynos
 


Jeffrey Quill said that "a Spitfire F.24 weighed the same as a Mk .1 plus 36 passengers and all their luggage and was still 100mph faster".



[edit on 16-10-2008 by ajsr71]



posted on Oct, 16 2008 @ 01:02 PM
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reply to post by waynos
 


Mitchell's statement was, 'I don't care a damn what shape it is as long as we can get the guns in!



posted on Oct, 16 2008 @ 01:24 PM
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Originally posted by waynos

3 What simple structural fix helped stop the Spitfire from being outclassed by the FW 190 at high speeds ?


*snip*

Bloody hell, half the thread was missing when i opened the page!!

[edit on 16/10/2008 by RichardPrice]



posted on Oct, 16 2008 @ 02:10 PM
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ajsr, you got both of those
The quote could have easily got mangled over time as I have seen several versions in different books, including the one you posted. But the gist is the same



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