Spitfire/Supermarine

[ozzy72]

Great shots. Lurvely.

Ozzy

[ozzy72]

Beautiful Pic boys, love 'em.

The P40 pic I posted (sorry about subject change again.........lol) is a beautiful example of this plane. An "f" model, I think. Seems to be better suited to the addition of a "pillion seat" because of the blank section (below) that was behind the pilot. The extra cockpit area doesn't look out of place at all, as it does on the Spit trainer or P51.

[HawkerTempest5]

Beautiful Pic boys, love 'em.

The P40 pic I posted (sorry about subject change again.........lol) is a beautiful example of this plane. An "f" model, I think. Seems to be better suited to the addition of a "pillion seat" because of the blank section (below) that was behind the pilot. The extra cockpit area doesn't look out of place at all, as it does on the Spit trainer or P51.

Nice plane brensec pal and yes, the cockpit design would seam to lend itself quite well to the extra seat fitting. Just one small observation though, that P-40 is an Alison engined version (air intake above nose) and the F had the Merlin (air intake under nose.)

[ozzy72]

Brensec, if you want P40 joys watch the old John Belushi/Dan Ackroyd film 1941.
I was watching it today in class as we've been looking at Pearl Harbour and the effect it had on America (and this class have a great sense of humour)!
Some lovely close-ups of Belushis character the 'potty pilot' flying, and some lovely airborne work and the engine humming beautifully. Awesome shots and sounds!

Mark

[Woodlouse2002]

Brensec, if you want P40 joys watch the old John Belushi/Dan Ackroyd film 1941.
I was watching it today in class as we've been looking at Pearl Harbour and the effect it had on America (and this class have a great sense of humour)!
Some lovely close-ups of Belushis character the 'potty pilot' flying, and some lovely airborne work and the engine humming beautifully. Awesome shots and sounds!

Mark

But your an english teacher?!? surely pearl harbour has nothing to do with that?

[ozzy72]

Yeah I know, but we have to look at various cultural aspects, and in this years syllabus America at war is one of the topics in the civilisation lessons. I didn't write the syllabus, I think my boss did it to annoy me!

Ozzy

[Splash]

What's more fun in a Spitfire, Ozzy?  You carryin' passengers?  lolll   How much aviation/FS (Spitfire) stuff do you manage to sneak into yer English classes, under the guise of teachin'?  I know you Professors and what yer like  lolll
Splash

[ozzy72]

I've only managed to sneak it in once actually, in a test!
The question what is a 'Spitfire'?
1) a WWII aircraft
2) a British sports car
3) an English beer

All of those are correct answers!
Otherwise not much luck, haven't had the chance to do the Battle of Britain yet!!!!!!!!!!!

Ozzy

[ozzy72]

Yes, you're right Hawker, Umm.....it would seem so.  :-[

Ozzy, yep, I saw the movie a long time ago, but I'm not sure if my Blockbuster has it. I'll have a look,.
I think a Spitfire is actually an insect, isn't it?

[Rifleman]

For the question " What is a Spitfire ?" .....all of us who are aware of any circus activity will attest to the man who blows lighter fluid from his mouth over an open flame torch as being the original " SPITFIRE " !....

[Smoke2much]

I live about an hour away from Duxford and I have still not been there, DOH.  

I have to agree about the BOB flight, a truly awe inspiring experience just to hear it.  I used to live on the Isle of Man and we had an airshow every year at a little airbase called Jurby which was about seven miles from my house.  We never used to go because our house was directly below the flight path to the show and the runway is so short you are lucky to get a Harrier in there(!) so nothing interesting ever lands.

The BOB flight came over one year at about 10.30 AM and the conditions were normal British Summer, ie rain, cloud base about 1000ft ASL.  These guys were Ozzy low.  I have never been that close to a Lancaster before or since, you could have seen the expression on the pilots face if he had banked.

One thing I have often wondered, the Spitfire and the Mustang shared the same Merlin engine I believe, yet they sound very different, why is this?

Lovely pictures by the way.

Will

[ozzy72]

The two Merlins were made slightly differently, the American one made by Packard used metric rather than imperial measurements (if I remember correctly), and so had a different note.

Ozzy

PS. When you say Ozzy low does that mean you have Lanc tyre marks on your roof?

[Professor Brensec]

The Merlins that went into the P51's were made by the Packard mob in the US. Hence "Packard/Merlin". I don't know why they sound different.
I imagine the exhaust systems were also Packard or US built and maybe the exhaust specs. were different for the Yanks. This may have a bearing on the sound.

I've only heard a Spit live. I don't know what a P51 sounds like, except from TV and Movies, and these things are often dubbed or engineered in some way.

I would have thought that, with all the variances in models and different Horse Powers and different exhaust systems being used on all the variants, there would be, at least, subtle if not noticable differences in sound in different models and makes of plane.

When you start 1 engine on a Lanc, does it sound like a Spit? What about 1 engine on a Mozzy?
Surely a Spitfire 1 (one of the few with a 2 blade prop), didn't sound the same as one of the Spifires using the 1750 hp engine in 1944? I shouldn't think so.

I haven't answered your question, have I? In fact, I think I've complicated it, somewhat. Oh well, that's what you get for asking questions I can't answer.........lol  ;D

[HawkerTempest5]

Although all Merlins have a very distinct sound (you can tell it's a Merlin, even without seeing the plane) the different types do have a slightly different sound. The ejector type (one exhaust for two cylinders) and later individual (one exhaust per cylinder) exhaust systems sound different, as does the enclosed exhaust (fitted to bobmers to hide the exhaust flames in the dark).
I would guess that the Mustang exhaust system makes some of the sound difference. You can tell a Mustang though by the whistling sound made not by the engine but by wind over the gun ports.
The Griffon sounds quite different from the Merlin. It has a very distinct growl.

[Smoke2much]

Thanks for your answers, it has cleared things up.  You CAN tell a spitfire from all other types of aircraft.  Maybe it's a racial memory or something but living in the SE of England there are quite a few of them about during the summer.  You can be standing around somewhere and hear this sound.  You get goose pimples and just know that it is a spitfire and when it comes close enough you realise that it is.

Hurricanes sound totally different and so do mustangs.

I personally prefer the Hurricane as an aircraft, unsung hero of BOB etc.  I have never seen a mosquito but I new a man he flew in them.  He loved them and felt that they were the best British aircraft ever.  Probably 'cos they always got him home.

Will