Author Topic: Submarine Aviation Works  (Read 2746 times)

Offline earl1937

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Submarine Aviation Works
« on: September 07, 2013, 09:12:18 AM »
 :airplane: One of the truly great aircraft companies of all time, the SAW, gave us the Spitfire series of aircraft, one of which is featured here today because it is one of my favorite rides here in Aces High.
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s. It was produced in greater numbers than any other British aircraft and was the only British fighter in continuous production throughout the war.The Spitfire was designed as a short-range, high-performance interceptor aircraft by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works (which operated as a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrong from 1928). Mitchell continued to refine the design until his death from cancer in 1937, whereupon his colleague Joseph Smith became chief designer. Where speed was seen as essential to carrying out the mission of home defence against enemy bombers, the Spitfire's thin cross-section elliptical wing allowed it a higher top speed than several contemporary fighters, including the Hawker Hurricane.
During the Battle of Britain (July–October 1940), the Spitfire was perceived by the public as the RAF fighter, though the more numerous Hawker Hurricane shouldered a greater proportion of the burden against the Luftwaffe. The Spitfire units had a lower attrition rate and a higher victory-to-loss ratio than those flying Hurricanes.
After the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire became the backbone of RAF Fighter Command, and saw action in the European, Mediterranean, Pacific and the South-East Asian theatres. Much loved by its pilots, the Spitfire served in several roles, including interceptor, photo-reconnaissance, fighter-bomber, carrier-based fighter, and trainer. It was built in many variants, using several wing configurations. Although the original airframe was designed to be powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine producing 1,030 hp (768 kW), it was adaptable enough to use increasingly powerful Merlin and later Rolls-Royce Griffon engines producing up to 2,035 hp.
Pic is rebuilt private owned 16
The chief test pilot for the Spits was Alex Henshaw and following is one of his comments on testing the newly produced Spits: After a thorough pre-flight check I would take off and, once at circuit height, I would trim the aircraft and try to get her to fly straight and level with hands off the stick ... Once the trim was satisfactory I would take the Spitfire up in a full-throttle climb at 2,850 rpm to the rated altitude of one or both supercharger blowers. Then I would make a careful check of the power output from the engine, calibrated for height and temperature ... If all appeared satisfactory I would then put her into a dive at full power and 3,000 rpm, and trim her to fly hands and feet off at 460 mph IAS (Indicated Air Speed). Personally, I never cleared a Spitfire unless I had carried out a few aerobatic tests to determine how good or bad she was. The production test was usually quite a brisk affair: the initial circuit lasted less than ten minutes and the main flight took between twenty and thirty minutes. Then the aircraft received a final once-over by our ground mechanics, any faults were rectified and the Spitfire was ready for collection. I loved the Spitfire in all of her many versions. But I have to admit that the later marks, although they were faster than the earlier ones, were also much heavier and so did not handle so well. You did not have such positive control over them. One test of manoeuvrability was to throw her into a flick-roll and see how many times she rolled. With the Mark II or the Mark V one got two-and-a-half flick-rolls but the Mark IX was heavier and you got only one-and-a-half. With the later and still heavier versions, one got even less. The essence of aircraft design is compromise, and an improvement at one end of the performance envelope is rarely achieved without a deterioration somewhere else.
A common sight during during WW2 were the crew chiefs or sometimes called "plane captains", was him riding on the horizontal stab otw to takeoff.
When the last Spitfire rolled out in February 1948, a total of 20,351 examples of all variants had been built, including two-seat trainers, with some Spitfires remaining in service well into the 1950s. The Spitfire was the only British fighter aircraft to be in continuous production before, during and after the Second World War.
All of the main flight controls were originally metal structures with fabric covering. Designers and pilots felt that having ailerons which were too heavy to move at high speed would avoid possible aileron reversal, stopping pilots throwing the aircraft around and pulling the wings off. It was also felt that air combat would take place at relatively low speed and that high-speed manoeuvring would be physically impossible. During the Battle of Britain, pilots found the ailerons of the Spitfire were far too heavy at high speeds, severely restricting lateral manoeuvres such as rolls and high-speed turns, which were still a feature of air-to-air combat. Flight tests showed the fabric covering of the ailerons "ballooned" at high speeds, adversely affecting the aerodynamics. Replacing the fabric covering with light alloy dramatically improved the ailerons at high speed.
During the Second World War, Spitfires were used by the USAAF in the 4th Fighter Squadron until replaced by P-47 Thunderbolts in March 1943.
A truly great aircraft which was the right aircraft at the right time in history to change the course of world events.
Blue Skies and wind at my back and wish that for all!!!

Offline Nefarious

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Re: Submarine Aviation Works
« Reply #1 on: September 07, 2013, 09:31:34 AM »
LoL...
There must also be a flyable computer available for Nefarious to do FSO. So he doesn't keep talking about it for eight and a half hours on Friday night!

Offline caldera

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Re: Submarine Aviation Works
« Reply #2 on: September 07, 2013, 09:51:48 AM »
"Dive! Dive! Dive!"

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Offline Lusche

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Re: Submarine Aviation Works
« Reply #3 on: September 07, 2013, 09:55:14 AM »
 :lol
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Offline Volron

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Re: Submarine Aviation Works
« Reply #4 on: September 07, 2013, 10:26:53 AM »
Quote from: hitech
Wow I find it hard to believe it has been almost 38 days since our last path. We should have release another 38 versions by now  :bhead
HiTech
Quote from: Pyro
Quote from: Jolly
What on Earth makes you think that i said that sir?!
My guess would be scotch.

Offline Reaper90

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Re: Submarine Aviation Works
« Reply #5 on: September 08, 2013, 08:48:12 PM »
 :rofl

Oh deer Lawd, I think I just pee'd a little.

DIVE! DIVE! DIVE!

 :rofl :rofl :rofl
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Offline earl1937

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Re: Submarine Aviation Works
« Reply #6 on: September 11, 2013, 05:12:48 PM »
:airplane: One of the truly great aircraft companies of all time, the SAW, gave us the Spitfire series of aircraft, one of which is featured here today because it is one of my favorite rides here in Aces High.
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s. It was produced in greater numbers than any other British aircraft and was the only British fighter in continuous production throughout the war.The Spitfire was designed as a short-range, high-performance interceptor aircraft by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works (which operated as a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrong from 1928). Mitchell continued to refine the design until his death from cancer in 1937, whereupon his colleague Joseph Smith became chief designer. Where speed was seen as essential to carrying out the mission of home defence against enemy bombers, the Spitfire's thin cross-section elliptical wing allowed it a higher top speed than several contemporary fighters, including the Hawker Hurricane.
During the Battle of Britain (July–October 1940), the Spitfire was perceived by the public as the RAF fighter, though the more numerous Hawker Hurricane shouldered a greater proportion of the burden against the Luftwaffe. The Spitfire units had a lower attrition rate and a higher victory-to-loss ratio than those flying Hurricanes.
After the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire became the backbone of RAF Fighter Command, and saw action in the European, Mediterranean, Pacific and the South-East Asian theatres. Much loved by its pilots, the Spitfire served in several roles, including interceptor, photo-reconnaissance, fighter-bomber, carrier-based fighter, and trainer. It was built in many variants, using several wing configurations. Although the original airframe was designed to be powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine producing 1,030 hp (768 kW), it was adaptable enough to use increasingly powerful Merlin and later Rolls-Royce Griffon engines producing up to 2,035 hp.
(Image removed from quote.) Pic is rebuilt private owned 16
The chief test pilot for the Spits was Alex Henshaw and following is one of his comments on testing the newly produced Spits: After a thorough pre-flight check I would take off and, once at circuit height, I would trim the aircraft and try to get her to fly straight and level with hands off the stick ... Once the trim was satisfactory I would take the Spitfire up in a full-throttle climb at 2,850 rpm to the rated altitude of one or both supercharger blowers. Then I would make a careful check of the power output from the engine, calibrated for height and temperature ... If all appeared satisfactory I would then put her into a dive at full power and 3,000 rpm, and trim her to fly hands and feet off at 460 mph IAS (Indicated Air Speed). Personally, I never cleared a Spitfire unless I had carried out a few aerobatic tests to determine how good or bad she was. The production test was usually quite a brisk affair: the initial circuit lasted less than ten minutes and the main flight took between twenty and thirty minutes. Then the aircraft received a final once-over by our ground mechanics, any faults were rectified and the Spitfire was ready for collection. I loved the Spitfire in all of her many versions. But I have to admit that the later marks, although they were faster than the earlier ones, were also much heavier and so did not handle so well. You did not have such positive control over them. One test of manoeuvrability was to throw her into a flick-roll and see how many times she rolled. With the Mark II or the Mark V one got two-and-a-half flick-rolls but the Mark IX was heavier and you got only one-and-a-half. With the later and still heavier versions, one got even less. The essence of aircraft design is compromise, and an improvement at one end of the performance envelope is rarely achieved without a deterioration somewhere else.
(Image removed from quote.) A common sight during during WW2 were the crew chiefs or sometimes called "plane captains", was him riding on the horizontal stab otw to takeoff.
When the last Spitfire rolled out in February 1948, a total of 20,351 examples of all variants had been built, including two-seat trainers, with some Spitfires remaining in service well into the 1950s. The Spitfire was the only British fighter aircraft to be in continuous production before, during and after the Second World War.
All of the main flight controls were originally metal structures with fabric covering. Designers and pilots felt that having ailerons which were too heavy to move at high speed would avoid possible aileron reversal, stopping pilots throwing the aircraft around and pulling the wings off. It was also felt that air combat would take place at relatively low speed and that high-speed manoeuvring would be physically impossible. During the Battle of Britain, pilots found the ailerons of the Spitfire were far too heavy at high speeds, severely restricting lateral manoeuvres such as rolls and high-speed turns, which were still a feature of air-to-air combat. Flight tests showed the fabric covering of the ailerons "ballooned" at high speeds, adversely affecting the aerodynamics. Replacing the fabric covering with light alloy dramatically improved the ailerons at high speed.
During the Second World War, Spitfires were used by the USAAF in the 4th Fighter Squadron until replaced by P-47 Thunderbolts in March 1943.
A truly great aircraft which was the right aircraft at the right time in history to change the course of world events.
:airplane: Hey guys, just for the fun of it, does anyone know what that twin-engine aircraft sitting behind the taxiing Spit is? (Hint, name of a bird).
Blue Skies and wind at my back and wish that for all!!!

Offline colmbo

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Re: Submarine Aviation Works
« Reply #7 on: September 11, 2013, 06:16:23 PM »
Heron
Columbo

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."

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Offline Scherf

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Re: Submarine Aviation Works
« Reply #8 on: September 11, 2013, 08:23:53 PM »
Supermarine, old boy, means "above the sea", (remember the floatplane racers) as opposed to submarine, which means, well, you know...

That Heron is another fine de Havilland product, the shape of the tail gives its heritage away.
... missions were to be met by the commitment of alerted swarms of fighters, composed of Me 109's and Fw 190's, that were strategically based to protect industrial installations. The inferior capabilities of these fighters against the Mosquitoes made this a hopeless and uneconomical effort. 1.JD KTB

Offline Babalonian

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Re: Submarine Aviation Works
« Reply #9 on: September 12, 2013, 02:39:49 AM »
:airplane: Hey guys, just for the fun of it, does anyone know what that twin-engine aircraft sitting behind the taxiing Spit is? (Hint, name of a bird).

Some spitfire fans would castrate you for calling a fantastic plastic remake a "Spitfire".... ok, most.
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Offline colmbo

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Re: Submarine Aviation Works
« Reply #10 on: September 12, 2013, 11:20:01 AM »
Some spitfire fans would castrate you for calling a fantastic plastic remake a "Spitfire".... ok, most.

Huh?  Are you saying one of the aircraft pictured is not a Spitfire?
Columbo

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."

Fate whispers to the warrior "You cannot withstand the storm" and the warrior whispers back "I AM THE STORM"

Offline earl1937

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Re: Submarine Aviation Works
« Reply #11 on: September 12, 2013, 02:48:35 PM »
Heron
:airplane: Are u sure it is not a "Dove"?
Blue Skies and wind at my back and wish that for all!!!

Offline Wmaker

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Re: Submarine Aviation Works
« Reply #12 on: September 12, 2013, 02:52:27 PM »
Heron is four engined, it's Dove.
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Offline earl1937

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Re: Submarine Aviation Works
« Reply #13 on: September 13, 2013, 02:45:28 PM »
Heron is four engined, it's Dove.
:airplane: You get the prize! You are correct! Heron was 4 engine, Dove was twin-engine.
Blue Skies and wind at my back and wish that for all!!!