Contents
Did Spitfires have retractable landing gear?
This led to the Type 300, with retractable undercarriage and a wingspan reduced by 6 ft (1.8 m). This design was submitted to the Air Ministry in July 1934, but was not accepted.
What kind of engine did the Spitfire have?
Rolls-Royce PV-12 engine
Designed around a 1,000-horsepower, 12-cylinder, liquid-cooled Rolls-Royce PV-12 engine (later dubbed the Merlin), the Spitfire first flew in March 1935. It had superb performance and flight characteristics, and deliveries to operational Royal Air Force (RAF) squadrons commenced in the summer of 1938.
Did the Spitfire have a supercharger?
Spitfire Mk VIII. Merlin 63, 66, or 70 engine with a two-stage, two-speed supercharger.
How is Spitfire landing gear powered in WW2?
I have seen a WW2 movie where the pilot of the Supermarine Spitfire has difficulties to extend the landing gear as the engine is no longer running. This would be reasonable if the gear normally needs hydraulic or electric power to be extended, otherwise probably just an attempt to add more tension to the plot.
How is the undercarriage of a Spitfire powered?
At the same time the manual hand-pump for operating the undercarriage was replaced by a hydraulic system driven by a pump mounted in the engine bay The movie could show the normal extension of the undercarriage, using a lever, but a lost engine would not impact the operation.
What kind of engine did the Supermarine Spitfire have?
The second article describes Spitfire variants powered by later model Merlins, featuring two-stage, two-speed superchargers, while the final article covers the later Spitfire variants which were powered by the larger Rolls-Royce Griffon engines.
How tall can a Spitfire fly at full throttle?
Although an early Spitfire I was capable of 362 mph (583 km/h), this was at a full-throttle height of 16,800 ft (5,100 m); the regulations for the world speed record demanded that the aircraft fly a 1.86-mile (2.99 km) course at an altitude no greater than 245 ft (75 m).