Spitfire

[rgmwa]

We've all seen plenty of Spitfire documentaries, but this is about the best I've come across. It goes into a lot of interesting detail covering the plane's full history. Some of you will have seen it before, but it was new to me.

 

 

rgmwa

 

 

[Gwalch]

I've got this doco on a very well worn.. well watched VHS tape.

 

Always gets me when they show manufacturing shots how they are all in shirt and tie.

 

 

[MikeBravoYanky]

Very good.. first time I have seen this one.. many pilots don't know why the wing was elliptic.. but it was not only the elliptic plan-form but also the 13% thinness which made it efficient for both high speed and manoeuverability..

 

It was Prandtl (German) who discovered that an elliptic plan-form, which gave an approximate elliptic spanwise lift distribution, made the downwash across the span constant producing the lowest induced drag and most efficient total lift..

 

Pitty they don't mention the other names in the game.. Like Kurt Tank designer of the Fockwolf and Sir Stanley Hooker at RR improved the merlin blower and designed the double blower by adding the Kestral blower as a second stage (same mass flow).. He was also responsible for NOT going with fuel injection.. A wise move because the fuel feed into the inlet before the compressors cooled the mixture by about 25 deg and reduced and I think initially removed the need for a big inter-cooler.

 

 

[boleropilot]

I've got this doco on a very well worn.. well watched VHS tape.Always gets me when they show manufacturing shots how they are all in shirt and tie.

and some with a smoking pipe clenched in the teeth.....

 

 

[spacesailor]

Excellent

 

What more can I say.

 

spacesailor