Who built the Spitfire aircraft?
R J Mitchell
The prototype Spitfire was designed by R J Mitchell and first took to the air at Southampton Airport on 5 March 1936. With a powerful Rolls Royce Merlin engine and eight machine guns it was a formidable fighting aircraft. Sadly, Mitchell was to die before seeing the aircraft go into operational use.
Who designed the Spitfire fighter?
R. J. MitchellSupermarine Spitfire / Designer
The Spitfire was designed by Reginald Mitchell of Supermarine Ltd., in response to a 1934 Air Ministry specification calling for a high-performance fighter with an armament of eight wing-mounted 0.303-inch (7.7-mm) machine guns.
What do Spitfires turn into?
Despite looking a bit like caterpillars, spitfires won’t grow into butterflies, but instead they emerge as sawflies.
What engine was in a Spitfire?
Rolls-Royce Merlin
Rolls-Royce Griffon
Supermarine Spitfire/Engine types
Designed around a 1,000-horsepower, 12-cylinder, liquid-cooled Rolls-Royce PV-12 engine (later dubbed the Merlin), the Spitfire first flew in March 1935. It had superb performance and flight characteristics, and deliveries to operational Royal Air Force (RAF) squadrons commenced in the summer of 1938.
Did RJ Mitchell meet Messerschmitt?
It was not named after the wizard of Arthurian legend, as depicted in the film. It is believed that Mitchell visited Germany while convalescing from his 1933 surgery, but he never met aircraft designer Willy Messerschmitt.
How old is RJ Mitchell?
42 years (1895–1937)R. J. Mitchell / Age at death
Can you buy a replica Spitfire?
Arguably the most iconic classic british aicraft the Supermarine Spitfire is our most popular replica. With every detail painstakingly captured our replicas are perfect for Musuems, Gateguards, TV and Film productions or even just as a (very) large garden ornament.
How many pictures of the Supermarine Spitfire IX are there?
Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IX in Detail There are 35 pictures in all, divided by subject into four sections for easier browsing. The main ”hero” of this walkaround session is the Spitfire HF Mk. IXB ser. no. MH 434, G-ASJV owned by the Old Flying Machine Company and currently operated by the Swiss warbird stable of Breitling Fighters.
Why was the Spitfire marked as Mk IX?
Under the intense pressure from the Ministry of Aircraft Production, Supermarine proposed an interim mark of the Spitfire pending an intended full scale development of the Mk VIII. The result was the Mk IX.
Where is the Spitfire MK26 made?
Supermarine Aircraft – originally from Brisbane, Australia, and now based in Cisco, Texas – manufacture the 80% scale Spitfire Mk26 and the 90% scale Mk26B replicas. Their Supermarine Aircraft Spitfire is supplied in kit form and is the only all-aluminium reproduction Spitfire in production.
When did the RAF get the first Spitfire IX in 1943?
In the Mediterranean, 81 RAF squadron obtained the first, much-needed, Spitfire IX’s at the end of January 1943. With the German and Italian defeat in North Africa, the Allies landed on Sicily in July and the Mk VIII began to arrive to supplement the increasing numbers of Spitfire IX.