Spitfire Fighter
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The Spitfire
Fighter is most famous British fighter aircraft of WW II. It is
known for its excellent handling and maneuverability.
The first prototype Spitfire Fighter flew on March 5, 1936, had a top
speed of 350 mph and climb rate of 2,500 fpm. The RAF ordered 310 of
the Spitfire in June of 1936. The Spitfire Mk. 1 became
operational in June of 1938.
In November
of 1940 the Spitfire Mk Il went into service. Performance of the Spitfire Fighter was improved with the addition of a 1,150 hp Rolls Royce
Merlin engine.
The Spitfire Fighter from Nitroplanes has a wingspan of 71" and
length of 56". Construction of the Spitfire Fighter is a glass
fuselage with built up wood wings. Engines can be
from .90 to 1.08 two stroke or 1.20 four stroke. All
up weight is around 8 lbs.
In 1940, at
the beginning of the Battle of Britain, the RAF had nineteen Spitfire Fighter squadrons in service. The Spitfire primarily took on
German fighter planes.
While more
difficult to build than other fighter aircraft, the Spitfire Fighter was
quicker and more maneuverable. The large area elliptical wing gave
the aircraft a light wing loading, and the ability to turn very
tightly. This was the major asset of the Spitfire Fighter when
encountering the otherwise comparable and initially more heavily
armed German fighters.
Spitfire Fighter
Hangar
9 Spitfire Fighter.
The Spitfire Fighter from Hangar 9 is a balsa and plywood ARF. It
has a wingspan of 65" with a 55 1/2" length, and
weighs about 9 lbs. You will need a .60 two cycle or .91 to 1.0 four
cycle engine.
German pilots were quick to exploit a weakness of the early
Spitfire Fighter. The German fighter fuel injected engines had no problems
running in negative gravity, as when suddenly diving. This was not
true of the carbureted early Merlin engine of the Spitfire Fighter.
Luftwaffe aircraft outnumbered the Spitfire Fighter four to one. However the Spitfire Fighter had the
advantage of being able to stay in the air longer over its own
territory before needing to refuel. The RAF also had an effective
early warning radar system to guide the Spitfire Fighter to intercept the
Germans.
Spitfire Fighter
Bertie
Barton and his Spitfire Fighter.
A
Mick Reeves Models Spitfire Fighter built by Bertie Barton. It 1/4 scale with a 110" wingspan and
can be powered by 60 - 100 cc engines.
When
improved Axis aircraft were first introduced they were superior to
the Spitfire Fighter of the time. That changed with the introduction of
the Spitfire Mk. XIV.
The
elliptical design of the Spitfire Fighter wing was sufficiently wide to
allow for up to eight machine-guns, while still having the low drag
of more conventional wing designs. The Spitfire Fighter 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
Spitfire Fighter excellent maneuverability along with gentle handling, a
unique combination.
One drawback of the
Spitfire Fighter 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 Spitfire Fighter took three times the man hours to
construct.
Spitfire Fighter
Yellow
Aircraft Spitfire Fighter.
The Spitfire Fighter built from a Yellow Aircraft kit. Wingspan is 88". Power plants the manufacturer recommends
are Supertiger 3000, Moki 1.8 or 2.1, OS BGK, or
Zenoah G-38.
A feature of the Spitfire Fighter design is that the trailing edge of the wing twists upward
slightly along its length from the root to its tip. This feature of
the Spitfire Fighter is known as "washout." Washout in
the Spitfire Fighter has its advantages, especially at slow speeds and
while executing tight turns. However, washout in the Spitfire Fighter also
slightly increases drag and makes inverted flight more difficult. In
the Spitfire Fighter it provided just the proper balance to make the
aircraft extremely pilot friendly with minimum negative effects on
performance.
Proper washout used by
the Spitfire Fighter 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 Spitfire Fighter will suddenly drop a wing and
enter an unwanted spin.
When the Spitfire Fighter wing root starts to stall, the aircraft's control column
shakes. This warns the pilot that he is about to
reach the limit of its performance. To prevent the stall the Spitfire Fighter 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 Spitfire Fighter in a steep turn. It also gave the Spitfire Fighter more stability
at slower landing speeds.
Spitfire Fighter
The Spitfire Fighter from Parkzone.
The
Parkzone Spitfire Fighter comes ready to fly. The wingspan is
39 1/2", length is 33 1/2", and weight is about 1
lb. 10 oz. Included is a geared Speed 480 type
motor.
Amax has a Spitfire Fighter with a
wingspan that is 34" and length that is 28". It comes with a Speed 370 type motor and weighs around 14
oz. We found plans for sale at iOffer.com for a Spitfire Fighter
with a 64 1/2" wingspan and a 50" length. Suggested
power comes from .46 to .60 two stroke or .72
four stroke engines. Weight is about 11
lbs.
Kyosho makes a Spitfire Fighter with a
56 1/2" wing span and 50"length. It is made from balsa and plywood and includes retracts. You
will need from .40 to .46 two cycle or .52 four cycle engines. Weight is approximately 5 1/2 lbs. The Canterbury
Sailplanes 48" wingspan Spitfire Fighter slope soarer has aileron
and elevator controls. When completed it will weigh
about 28 oz. You will need winds of at least 10 mph.
Nick Reeves Models has a
74" wingspan Spitfire Fighter that comes as a kit. Engines can be from 10 cc - 20 cc. Meister Scale has plans or
a kit for a Spitfire Fighter. It has a 96" wingspan,
and engines can be from .90 - 3.0 cid. Clark Industries has
two kits for the Spitfire Fighter. Both have 112" wingspans with
a 105 cc in-line engines doing the pulling. One model is the MK-XII. The other is the Spitfire Fighter MK-IX.
The GWS Spitfire Fighter is a ARF foamy with a 34 1/2"
wingspan and a 28" length. It comes
with a Speed 350 type geared motor and weighs around 15 oz.
Alfa Model makes a Spitfire Fighter that is sold at a number of
retailers. It is a foamy ARF with a wingspan
of 32 1/2", a length of 27", and an weight of about
1 lb. The wing comes with provisions for
optional retractable landing gear. A 400 size motor is recommended for
power.
Kit Cutters has
a 42" wingspan Spitfire Fighter that comes as kit intended for
electric motor power. The Spitfire Fighter is from Nexus plans.
They also took Nexus plans and made a 42 1/2" wingspan Spitfire Fighter from them for engine power. Their 63"
wingspan Spitfire Fighter is from Rob Millinship plans. It needs a .60 2C engine for power.
Kit Cutters has Spitfire Fighter from Don Smith plans. It has a wingspan of 110 1/2"
and a length of 89 1/2". For a smaller giant scale
model, Kit Cutters has a 88 1/2" wingspan Spitfire Fighter from
Dave Platt plans. It uses .90 to 1.5 2C
engines and weighs around 18 lbs. Cleveland Model has Spitfire Fighter plans for sale with wingspans of 13 1/2", 18",
27", 36", 54" 72" and a giant
scale 108".
Chuck Lorin built
a Spitfire Fighter with a wingspan of 96". Power comes from a DA50 engine. Weight is around 21 lbs. Sal
Rabble has a 1/5 scale Spitfire Fighter he powers with a 3W-50
engine. Weight is about 35 lbs.
Tom Vaness scratch built his Spitfire Fighter with a 79" wingspan
and 65" length. It uses a Fuji 32 engine.
William Paulson's Spitfire Fighter is built from
a Yellow Aircraft kit. Engine is a Moki 2.1 and
weight is about 29 lbs. Raul Jimenez has a Fiber Classics
kit Spitfire Fighter powered by a Q 100 engine that weighs about 37
lbs. Carl Thomas built a Spitfire Fighter with a 110"
wingspan that weighs about 42 lbs. and has a Brison 4.2 up front.
Sal Davidson has a Spitfire Fighter with a
wingspan of 102". Power comes from a
3W-80 engine. Its weight is about 32 lbs. Steve
Peterson built his 88" wingspan Spitfire Fighter using a Sachs
3.1 engine to pull its approximately 28 lb. weight. Carl Pibbler's
built Spitfire Fighter from a Yellow Aircraft kit. It weighs about 25 lbs. Power comes from a
G-45 engine.
Harold Benson has a
88" wingspan Spitfire Fighter weighing about 21 lbs. and powered
by a MVVS engine. Sam Likowolsky built a Spitfire Fighter with a
80" wingspan. It is powred by a ZDZ
40 engine and has an all up weight of 28 lbs. Dick Lilly built a Spitfire Fighter. The wingspan is 96" and weight
is about 22 lbs. A super Tiger 2500 powers it.
John Kirkwood's Spitfire Fighter comes with a
88" wingspan and is powered by a G 38 engine. It weighs just 20 lbs. Bill Zagby built a 90"
wingspan Spitfire Fighter. It has a ZDZ 40 engine
to haul its 28 lb. weight. Ian Smith has a Spitfire Fighter with a
80" wingspan. It weighs about 17 lbs. and uses
a Q52 engine.
Ken Williamson built a Spitfire Fighter that has a wingspan of 84". The engine is a Q52 and its weight is around 21 lbs.
Sal Rogers has a Spitfire Fighter that he built with a wingspan of 88".
A Super Tiger 3000 engine hauls the 19 lb. weight. Fred
Vincenzo built a 96" Spitfire Fighter. It
uses a Super Tiger 2500 engine. Weight is about 23
lbs.
Tom Richards Spitfire Fighter has a wingspan of 89". The engine is a Q52. Weight is 22 lbs. Ed Jeffreys built a Spitfire
Fighter with a 112" wingspan. It weighs about
52 lbs. and uses a Brison 4.2 engine. Phil Borden's 78"
wingspan Spitfire Fighter has a Laser 180 up front. It weighs around 20 lbs. all up.
If
you have a favorite Spitfire Fighter that you would like to recommend,
please email
us.
Supermarine Spitfire
