Wings Across Canada by Peter Pigott

Author:Peter Pigott
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dundurn
Published: 2002-08-22T04:00:00+00:00

SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE

The air aces who flew her (Douglas Bader, Johnnie Johnson, Al Deer, Robert “Buck” McNair, and Gordon McGregor) all bring the magic of the aircraft’s name to life. The Spitfire was the most famous, most beloved aircraft of World War II. It was never just an aircraft — it was as much a symbol of Britain as the Union Jack, Sir Winston Churchill, and the white cliffs of Dover. There might have been better performing fighters (the Focke Wulf 190 comes to mind). There might have been more aesthetically beautiful fighters, like the P-38 Lightning. And even in the Spitfire’s finest hour, the Battle of Britain, the humble Hurricane was more numerous and shot down more of the enemy. Yet the Spitfire holds supreme in our psyche, with many still believing that it was this aircraft alone that saved Britain. Its image is one of a knight sallying forth to slay the dragon. It is the immortal, ultimate symbol of defiance. Even its designer, Reginald Mitchell, was glamourized when actor Leslie Howard played him in the movies. As the chief designer at the Supermarine Company, Mitchell realized that his 1925 F.7/30 racing design was a perfect vehicle for a future fighter. There is no doubt that when it first flew on March 5, 1936, the Spitfire’s alloy-covered monocoque fuselage, the elliptical single spar wing, and the Rolls Royce Merlin II engine were technically innovative, and the experimental aircraft would have been a fine aerobatic plane credit. What gave the Spitfire its timeless appeal were the clean lines of its nose cowling. In an age of radial engine biplanes, Mitchell had adapted the asymmetry of a racing machine to a production aircraft. The radiator, the oil cooler, and the carburetor intake were all hidden away beneath the wings and under the center. Although he could not have known about the effects of Mach speed on wings, Mitchell had made the Spitfire’s wing as thin as possible. This would allow for its agility and adaptability in future marks.

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