Plane / Planes / Aircraft / Aeroplane / Airplane appreciation

The bubble ruins the lines of the tail and balance imo. :o)

The Godfather.

From fast to slow. Nice headwind landing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QY0aHGAldO4

Most people don't realise the Spitfire was built on racing heritage not war propaganda...

Well, not really. Mitchell did design the S6 series of seaplanes but apart from perhaps a detetectable lineage in the shape of the fin there's very little indeed in common. The Spitfire was designed in response to a 1931 Air Ministry specification demanding high rate of climb, high speed above 15,000ft, 'fighting view', manoeuvrability, rapid production capability and ease of maintenance. In fact the original machine to that specification turned out to be a dud and was beaten to the RAF contract by a biplane design that became the Gladiator.

Mitchell and his men went back to the drawing board and came up with what we now know as the Spitfire (although the earlier machine had borne the same name). This was sanctioned in 1934 by an Air Ministry contract for a prototype. In 1936, after it had flown and been evaluated by the RAF, a contract for 310 machines was issued.

Mitchell undoubtedly learned a lot about high-speed flight from the S6 seaplanes, but there are no parts that are even similar. They were substantially faster than the Spitfire. The real value of the seaplanes was what Rolls-Royce learnt about high-boost engines; a number of features of the 'R' engine (eg sodium-cooled valves) turned up on the Merlin.

Mitchell had been to Germany and seen what their aircraft factories were up to; he is said to have been animated by the Germans' advances in technology to realise the Spitfire was likely to be needed in anger rather than being just another leap in performance, as seen every few years when the RAF upgraded itself.

http://www.tailsthroughtime.com/2011/01/spitfire-floatplane-that-reginald.html

Indeed! But note: 20,000 Spitfires built. 5 were converted to floats. 4 of them flew. None of them flew in combat.

Your point being? It was a technical success, but there was no tactical requirement. A seaplane Spitfire might actually have been a better solution to convoy protection than a Hurricat :)

Just had a fantastic unexpected a low and slow by a a p-51 whilst sat in a quiet field overlooking the Suffolk Essex boarder.

Plasma air manipulation:

Short read

Long read

Suprised you entertain that Mitchell didn't build on the S6. I know it's not the same airframe but just look at it. Reaks of spitfire. One might say it was penned by the same hand!? As for visiting Germany, are you suggesting the Spitfire was a copy of the 109? 😀

IS there a London fly-past this weekend?
Just had the Lancaster rumbling over west London near Northolt Aerodrome.

Very cool, thanks

Is anyone else watching Skies Above Britain? The seem to pick a high amount of oddballs and insufferable weirdos for it

Do they look 'on here'?

ha

Currently staying with the in-laws in darkest Kent. It's almost all bad but for the (presumably two-seater) Spitfire which burbles around daily doing joy-rides at £5k a pop. It is nice to see but mostly I want to see the pilot give it the beans. It sounds like it's barely ticking over. GIve it some stick man!

Re ordinata ... oh dear, oh dear. Maybe reading slowly helps?

'Mitchell did design the S6 series of seaplanes but apart from perhaps a detetectable lineage in the shape of the fin there's very little indeed in common.'

In my book that means no parts are even similar: one a straight-winged wire-braced monoplane on floats ... the other a elliptical-winged cantilever with retractable undercarriage.

Sure, some styling flourishes are there in both; that's all.

Erm, isn't this conversation about two months old?

'Sure, some styling flourishes are there in both; that's all.'

Enough for me ta.

Well almost...

That and the fact the engine position / cowl / cockpit / balance / c of g / prop etc etc is the same.

Pretty much every fucking thing apart from the wing design.

The fin! The fin is the only other thing different!

Clear enough?

Welcome to the world of aviation. It attracts some of the biggest cranks and weirdos you will ever come across.

I used to work with a lot of the NATS people in the program, as it happens.

The NATS people seemed nice enough, but stand out oddballs where the drone chap, the air racers (particularly the Barron, he bought his title btw) and the guy whos family have been 'restoring classic planes for generations' who really had his head up his arse.

érospatiale/BAC Concorde F-WTSS, the first prototype and first Concorde to fly, caught the exact moment it clips past the corona of an annular eclipse of the sun.

Photo credit: Arthur Gibson.

That's no moon...

Anyone see one of these things buzzing to and from city airport yesterday?

It sounded like a leaf blower which is what made me look up.

There's a storm comin'