Supermarine Spitfire Family

[The Big Gimper]

Via The Two-Seat-Seat Spitfire Page on Facebook.

The BIG update! I realized that I haven't done the complete list of two-seat Spitfires for a while and so here it is:

Airworthy

1. MT818 Airworthy operated by Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar
2. MJ627 Airworthy operated by Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar
3. MJ772 Airworthy now lives at the Royal Netherlands Historic Flight foundation
4. ML407 Airworthy operated by Ultimate Warbird Flights
5. PV202 Airworthy operated by Aerial Collective
6. TE308 Airworthy operated by Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar
7. PT462 Airworthy operated by Aerial Collective
8. MH367 Airworthy operated by Warbird Adventure Rides Ltd
9. SM520 Airworthy operated by Spitfires.com
10. NH341 Airworthy operated by Aero Legends

Non airworthy
11. ML295  Being restored at Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar
12. EN570 Being restored for Norwegian Flying Aces
13. BS410 Owned by Martin Philips
14. No14 ID witheld being restored Biggin Hill Heritage Hangar
15. BS548  Being restored by Airframe Assemblies Ltd for Ross Pay
16. MJ444 Being restored for Aero Legends
17. TE566  Being restored by Airframe Assemblies Ltd  for Enstone
18. MJ518 Indian Air Force heritage flight
19. Unknown project for unknown owner!!

[Small brown dog]

A1_Phoenix's "early Hurricane" reminded me that I'd done a back-dated Spitfire.

Oh hell yes, I missed this one.
Another of yours I have to earmark for a possible future project  .. I would of course ask permission.

[apophenia]

Oh hell yes, I missed this one.
Another of yours I have to earmark for a possible future project  .. I would of course ask permission.

And I'd forgotten all about it     I'd love to see what you do with that ur-Spitfire.

So, considered permission given and an ever so teensy amount of pressure turned on 

[KiwiZac]

On a slight tangent here: Full Scale, Allison-Powered 2004 Spitfire Mk IX For Sale
https://www.ebay.com/itm/324743274698
Current bid is $45K USD



Lets break those piggy banks open and get into some 1:1 modelling.

The Jurca MJ100 has been on my wants list since 2004 and Bob's seems to be a fun weekend fighter, any accuracy issues aside. Originally it was listed at Barnstormers etc for US$975,000...

8. MH367 Airworthy operated by Warbird Adventure Rides Ltd

For those playing at home MH367 is based here in New Zealand and is, I believe, the only two-seater flying in the Southern Hemisphere. My pics for gratuitousness:
01702c1c-f97e-4e6b-9e4d-5876fa3845ad_zpsezqyvi6k_35571349331_o by Zac Yates, on Flickr
d7b7c41d-e050-4667-b45f-29ed0f7445fe_zps4mpoh9ki_35644181806_o by Zac Yates, on Flickr
9a1764f7-1689-471f-84d7-8a78b9e48238_zpst9e135mf_35296327960_o by Zac Yates, on Flickr
fd93accc-0cd5-4d15-a99b-9873d91ea25a_zpsog1bus9c_34843769184_o by Zac Yates, on Flickr
da9bd67e-caa7-4d34-9450-d418adc5bc36_zpsmgo7kahx_35644183186_o by Zac Yates, on Flickr
09016625-f332-4b4f-bb8a-331d312081b7_zpszux7epep_34874411243_o by Zac Yates, on Flickr

[GTX_Admin]

Random idea:  Spitfire with turbocharging rather than supercharging.

[apophenia]

Random idea:  Spitfire with turbocharging rather than supercharging.

I had a go at an Allison-powered Spitfire with a rear fuselage turbocharger. Jon was less than impressed with my exhaust pipe feed ... to put it mildly 

Perhaps if the turbo was placed underneath the engine and back under the leading edge. The shape I have in mind would be something like the Curtiss XP-60 (although I realize, on the Curtiss, that was just the radiators, not a turbo).

[kim margosein]

On that Allison Spit.  There seems to be some sort of grill or air duct on top of the cowl even with the wing leading edge.  Is this the carburetor intake?  It's in about the correct location.

[GTX_Admin]

For maximum visual effect, maybe something with a very obvious turbocharger such as that shown on the Nakajima Ki-87



or CAC CA-14A:



Or one could go with more of the P-43 layout:



Or go really radical with something more akin to the FW190 V-18:

[apophenia]

On that Allison Spit.  There seems to be some sort of grill or air duct on top of the cowl even with the wing leading edge.  Is this the carburetor intake?  It's in about the correct location.

The 'Memory Sieve' has retained zero details on that turbo Spit 

Although I do vaguely remember pillaging P-38s and B-17s for bits and bobs ...

[jcf]

Offset under the engine as on the XP/YP-37 would work as you'd be leaving the radiator(s) under
the wings. Use an 'F' type Allison rather than the 'C' used in the XP/YP-37 and you could probably
tuck the intercooler in behind the engine. You'll also need to add an intercooler cold air intake of
some type; a P-40 carb intake style on top of the cowling perhaps to really mess with the Spitfire
fans or just a simple scoop.
 

Note that you will need an intercooler not an aftercooler as used on the Merlin.

On the turbo-supercharged Allison, the incoming air is compressed, passed through the
intercooler and then pushed through the carburetor where it is mixed with the fuel and
the mixture then passes through the engine mounted centrifugal supercharger where it
is compressed further and then fed to the cylinders via the intake manifold.

The Merlin is the reverse, the incoming air is pulled through the carburetor, the fuel mixture
is then compressed by the supercharger, passed through the after-cooler and then fed to the
cylinders via the intake manifold.

In short an intercooler cools air only, an after-cooler cools an air-fuel mixture.

[GTX_Admin]

Indeed:

[The Big Gimper]

Property of Otik Stahl.

[finsrin]

Super start on building them all tail number by tail number.....

[GTX_Admin]

[The Big Gimper]

I stumbled on this site doing research on the MK.XVIII.

I cannot confirm it's accuracy but it does list 39 flying Spits in the UK, 21 in the US, 5 in Australia and 3 in New Zealand.

Condition as stated below
Number listed below

Airworthy   73
Static Display   64
Restoration / Stored   61
Total   198

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/List_of_surviving_Supermarine_Spitfires#

[kitnut617]

My attempt to hang bombs of one of my Spits -- a bit agricultural I think ---

[perttime]

I stumbled on this site doing research on the MK.XVIII.

I cannot confirm it's accuracy but it does list 39 flying Spits in the UK, 21 in the US, 5 in Australia and 3 in New Zealand.

Condition as stated below
Number listed below

Airworthy   73
Static Display   64
Restoration / Stored   61
Total   198

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/List_of_surviving_Supermarine_Spitfires#

Several Spitfire-related facebook pages have reported that an ex Indian Air Force Mk XVIII has arrived in UK, for restoration to fly. There's a wing and other items from other Spitfires with it.

[The Big Gimper]

I stumbled on this site doing research on the MK.XVIII.

I cannot confirm it's accuracy but it does list 39 flying Spits in the UK, 21 in the US, 5 in Australia and 3 in New Zealand.

Condition as stated below
Number listed below

Airworthy   73
Static Display   64
Restoration / Stored   61
Total   198

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/List_of_surviving_Supermarine_Spitfires#

Several Spitfire-related facebook pages have reported that an ex Indian Air Force Mk XVIII has arrived in UK, for restoration to fly. There's a wing and other items from other Spitfires with it.

Correct. Here is is.

Warbird Lovers (Facebook Group)

Exciting news from Sywell today as Air Leasing / Ultimate Warbird Flights took delivery of a very original Spitfire Mk.XVIII which they will be returning to flight. This is Mk.XVIII HS683 (later re-serialised HS674) that served with the Indian Air Force in the late 40s and early 50s, although prior to that she was TZ219 in RAF service.

The ID is this Spitfire is quite a hot topic. Peter Arnold has provided some insight into this:

"I made a detailed study of this Spitfire at Chandigarh in 1991 and was invited to view it at again at Sywell yesterday. The fuselage is formally TZ219 of the RAF and this became HS683 of the IAF. At some time in Indian service it was amalgamated with at least two other Spitfires and re-serialled HS674. From the attached image you can see the HS674 over painted on HS683. HS674 was formally TP397 of the RAF. The starboard wing and some panels are from TP370 that became IS229 of the IAF. So whilst in RAF terms the military serial of a Spitfire always remains with the fuselage, in Indian Air Force terms this is not the case."

Following withdrawal from service, HS674 spent almost sixty years as an instructional airframe at the Punjab Engineering College (later named PEC University of Technology), as such despite having various components / skins removed and not being fully assembled, she has remained in remarkably complete condition. It was not until 2019 that she was finally removed from the college – the last Spitfire in the world still being used as an instructional airframe! She was relocated to the Indian Air Force Museum at Palam and subsequently shipped to the UK.

I look forward to seeing the progress as another example of the mighty Griffon Spitfire is returned to flight and we can enjoy some more fierce elegance!

I’ve seen quite a few comments about the wing. It is possible that in service the wing was replaced, or when looking to acquire a Spitfire for the college the best parts were used to complete HS674 – it's not that unusual or unique to this aircraft, and regardless, this is an incredibly original Spitfire project as opposed to one incorporating significant new build sections – something that is becoming very rare!

Photo shared with permission by Air Leasing.

(Another very exciting ex-Indian Air Force project is also with Air Leasing and it's return to flight is greatly anticipated; Hawker Tempest MW763/HA586 G-TEMT.)

[ScranJ51]

Two of the five in Australia are owner by 100 SQN RAAF - which took over the Temora Museum aircraft. One flew late Nov at the flying day.

IMG_1524 by David Freeman, on Flickr

Here are the ground run:

MVI_1589 by David Freeman, on Flickr

And ready to taxy for display

MVI_1590 by David Freeman, on Flickr

[GTX_Admin]

Two of the five in Australia are owner by 100 SQN RAAF - which took over the Temora Museum aircraft.

Indeed - see here:  https://aviationmuseum.com.au/raaf-re-establishes-no-100-squadron/

[GTX_Admin]

CFBV