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NOTE: RADIO CONTROL AIRPLANES ARE ON THE BOTTOM HALF OF THE PAGE.
Supermarine Spitfire aircraft are the most famous British fighters of WW II. Supermarine Spitfire aircraft were known for their excellent handling and maneuverability.
The first Supermarine Spitfire prototype flew on March 5, 1936, had a top speed of 350 mph and climb rate of 2,500 fpm. The RAF ordered 310 Supermarine Spitfire aircraft in June of 1936. The Supermarine Spitfire Mk. 1 became operational in June of 1938.
In November of 1940 the Supermarine Spitfire Mk Il went into service. Performance was improved with the addition of a 1,150 hp Rolls Royce Merlin engine.
In 1940, at the beginning of the Battle of Britain, the RAF had 32 Hurricane and 19 Supermarine Spitfire squadrons in service. Less maneuverable Hurricanes were used against the German bombers while Supermarine Spitfire aircraft took on German fighter planes.
While more difficult to build than the Hawker Hurricane, the Supermarine Spitfire was quicker and more maneuverable. The large area elliptical wing gave the Supermarine Spitfire a lighter wing loading, and the ability to turn very tightly. This was the major asset of the Supermarine Spitfire when encountering the otherwise comparable and initially more heavily armed German fighters.
German pilots were quick to exploit a weakness of early Supermarine Spitfire aircraft. Their fuel injected engines had no problems running in negative gravity, as when suddenly diving. This was not true of the carbureted early Merlin engines in Supermarine Spitfire aircraft.
German aircraft outnumbered Supermarine Spitfire aircraft four to one. However British aircraft had the advantage of being able to stay in the air longer over their own territory before needing to refuel. The RAF also had an effective early warning radar system to guide their planes to intercept the Germans.
When improved Axis aircraft were first introduced they were superior to Supermarine Spitfire aircraft of the time. That changed with the introduction of the Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XIV.
The elliptical design of the Supermarine Spitfire wing was sufficiently wide to allow for eight machine-guns, while still having the low drag of more conventional wing designs.
The Supermarine Spitfire wing was also much thinner than other designs of the time. This design proved efficient in terms of lift distribution along the span, and gave the aircraft excellent maneuverability along with gentle handling, a unique combination.
One drawback of the Supermarine Spitfire wing design was that it was time consuming to construct. In comparison to its German rivals, it has been reported that the wing of the Supermarine Spitfire took three times the man hours to construct.
A feature of the Supermarine Spitfire design is that the trailing edge of the wing twists upward slightly along its length from the root to its tip. This is known as "washout."
Washout has its advantages, especially at slow speeds and while executing tight turns. However, washout also slightly increases drag and makes inverted flight more difficult. In the Supermarine Spitfire it provided just the proper balance to make the aircraft extremely pilot friendly with minimum negative effects on performance.
Proper washout causes the wing tips to keep flying after the wing roots reach an angle of attack at which they can no longer fly. This reduces the chance that the aircraft will suddenly drop a wing and enter an unwanted spin.
When the wing root starts to stall, the aircraft's control column shakes, warning the pilot that he is about to reach the limit of the aircraft's performance. To prevent the stall the pilot can either increase power, push down the nose of the aircraft to increase speed, and/or decrease the severity of the turn. This feature allowed even average pilots to hold the Supermarine Spitfire in a steep turn. It also gave the Supermarine Spitfire more stability at slower landing speeds.
Over 20,350 Supermarine Spitfire aircraft of all types were manufactured.
Mk XIV Specifications
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Primary Function:
Crew:
Engine:
Power:
Weight Empty:
Max. Weight:
Cannons:
Machine Guns:
Bombs:
Fuel:
Length:
Wingspan:
Cruise Speed:
Max Speed:
Climb Rate:
Ceiling:
Range:
Year Deployed:
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fighter
one
RR Merlin
2,035 hp V12
6,685 lbs.
10,265 lbs.
4- 20 mm
4- .303 in.
2,000 lbs. max.
1,000 lbs.
32' 8"
36' 10"
324 mph
448 mph
4,700 fpm
44,615 feet
460 miles
1944
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Radio Control Airplane
RC Airplane from Raidentech.
Radio Control Airplanes:
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There are numerous RC Supermarine Spitfire model airplanes from slope soarers, to park flyers, to giant scale.
Canterbury Sailplanes has a 48" wing span EPP Supermarine Spitfire slope soarer radio control airplane. The rc Supermarine Spitfire airplane has aileron and elevator controls. When completed the radio control airplane will weigh about 28 oz. You will need winds of at least 10 mph to fly the Spitfire slope soarer RC Airplane.
Raidentech sells a Parkflyer Supermarine Spitfire ARF radio control airplane. The RC Supermarine Spitfire airplane has a wing span of 34.5", and up front is a geared 370 motor.
Pictured above is the 36" wing span ARF Supermarine Spitfire EP radio control airplane sold by Raidentech. The rc Supermarine Spitfire airplane can be powered by a geared speed 400 or brushless outrunner motor.
Raidentech also sells a 41" wing span Supermarine Spitfire radio control airplane. You can power the RC Supermarine Spitfire Airplane with either a .25 2C engine or an outrunner DT-37 motor.
Nitro Models has just the radio control airplane for those who like large scale models. The 71" wing span ARF rc Supermarine Spitfire airplane should be powered by a 1.20 4C engine.
For those who want a bit smaller engine powered radio control airplane from Nitro Models, check out the 63” wing span Supermarine Spitfire ARF. The RC Supermarine Spitfire airplane has a length of 51” and can be powered by 2c .61 or 4c .91 engines.
In the picture immediately below is the Nick Reeves Models kit 74" wing span Supermarine Spitfire radio control airplane. Recommended power for the rc Supermarine Spitfire airplane is a 10 cc - 20 cc engine.
Pictured right below that is another Nick Reeves Models Supermarine Spitfire radio control airplane built by Bertie Barton. This RC Supermarine Spitfire Airplane is 1/4 scale with a 110" wing span. The radio control airplane can be powered by 60 - 100 cc engines.
Meister Scale will sell you plans or a kit for a rc Supermarine Spitfire airplane. Their radio control airplane has a 96" wing span, with recommended engines from .90 - 3.0 cid.
Yellow Aircraft has a kit for an 88" wing span RC Supermarine Spitfire airplane shown in the last picture on this page. Power plants the manufacturer recommends for their radio control airplane are Supertiger 3000, Moki 1.8, or 2.1, OS BGK, or Zenoah G-38.
Clark Industries has two kits for rc Supermarine Spitfire airplanes. Both radio control airplanes have 112" wing spans, with a 105 cc in-line engines doing the pulling. One model is the RC Supermarine Spitfire MK-XII. The other radio control airplane is the Supermarine Spitfire MK-IX.
If you have a favorite Supermarine Spitfire radio control airplane, or if you know of a Supermarine Spitfire ARF, a kit, or plans for a rc Supermarine Spitfire airplane that you would like to recommend, please email us all about it.
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Radio Control Airplane |
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RC Airplane from Nick Reeves Models.
Radio Control Airplane
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Bertie Barton and his rc airplane.
Radio Control Airplane
RC Airplane from Yellow Aircraft.
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