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About the Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I
The Supermarine Spitfire is regarded by
many as the most esthetically designed single seat fighter to appear
during the Second World War. It was conceived by the brilliant British
designer Reginald J. Mitchell, and first flew on 5 March 1936. It was
an advanced, low wing single seat monoplane with a very smooth flush
riveted metal skin and a long flowing front cowling.
Using the famous Rolls-Royce "Merlin"
liquid cooled 12 cylinder engine that produced more than 1,000
horsepower, the Mk I Spitfire attained a top speed of 586km/h. The very
distinctive elliptical shaped wing was useful in reducing parasitic
drag and allowed a fairly thin wing construction. It carried a large
coolant radiator under the starboard wing, and a small oil cooler under
the port wing, giving it an asymmetrical appearance when viewed from
the front and bottom. The retractable main landing gear also
contributed to its smooth lines, and gave it higher performance. The Mk
I Spitfire was armed with eight 7.7mm machine guns, four to each wing.
The early production Mk I Spitfires
used a fixed pitch wooden two blade propeller, which was later replaced
with a two-pitch three blade propeller. The Spitfire's combat action in
thwarting Germany's attempt to raid the English mainland during 1940,
and known as the "Battle of Britain", has ensured this fighter's pride
of place in the minds of England's men and women forever.
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