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By: - 22nd August 2002 at 10:16 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
RE: Spitfire design variations
Hi Wombat!
The first Spitfire to be converted to low back configuration was a Mk.VIII, JF299. It went to Boscombe Down for trials in September 1943.
NH741, a MK.XIV, was the first production aircraft with RV fuselage and it was delivered in December 1944.
As You can see it took some time to introduce modifications into production and, as You point out, there were high back Mk.XIVs too, actually they out numbered the low back.
The Mks VIII, IX, XIV and XVI were delivered in high back and low back in parallel. The reason for this was that production was dispersed to many locations, even a single Mk was manufactured in different locations. Some factories re-tooled for low back production, others didn´t. It was more important to see the fighters coming off the production lines.
The Mk.18 came in low back only, the Mk XIX came in high back only.
In the twenty series the Mk.21 were all high back and the Mks.22 and 24 were all low backs.
Hope this helps,
Christer :-)
By: - 22nd August 2002 at 15:22 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
RE: Spitfire design variations
Another interesting twist to this discusstion, is the fact that Jeffery Quill (spelling??) chief development test pilot at Supermarine recomended as early september 1940 the intoduction of a bubble canopy Spitfire. That was after his spell with an operational Spitfire Squadron (No 65??) during the Battle of Britain. It shows just how long it took to get modifications through to operational status, that it was not until 1944 that the first low back Spits were operational.
Galdri
By: - 22nd August 2002 at 20:21 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
RE: Spitfire design variations
Jeffrey Quill, as a company test pilot may not have been too voluable publically at the time about it though! If I get time I will have a look at the handling & perf reports in the Boscombe Down archive as I am sure the A&AEE TP's (RAF & RN) would have also called out for bubble canopies and improved FOV
regards
TonyD
>Another interesting twist to this discusstion, is the fact
>that Jeffery Quill (spelling??) chief development test pilot
>at Supermarine recomended as early september 1940 the
>intoduction of a bubble canopy Spitfire. That was after his
>spell with an operational Spitfire Squadron (No 65??) during
>the Battle of Britain. It shows just how long it took to
>get modifications through to operational status, that it was
>not until 1944 that the first low back Spits were
>operational.
>
>Galdri
Posts: 378
By: Wombat - 22nd August 2002 at 08:30
I have often wondered why the design of the various marks of Spitfire alternated so much between the high-back and bubble canopy designs.
Usually, when an aircraft was initially designed with a high-back (razor-back) fuselage, and a later variant introduced a bubble canopy, any subsequent models retained the bubble canopy (eg P-47, P-51).
For some reason, the Spit alternated from one to the other during its life. The bubble canopy appeared around the Mk XIV, but I think there was also a high-back XIV. From that mark on, some were one design, whilst some had the other. It was only with the very last few marks that the bubble canopy seemed to have been standard.
Given the acknowledged benefits to the pilot of increased vision from bubble canopies, why did Supermarine do this - any ideas?
Regards
Wombat