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The design of the Spitfire is now 75 Years old.On 5th March 2006 which is the 75th Anniversary of the design of the Spitfire,there will be a display of Spitfire aircraft held at Eastleigh ( now called Southampton ) airfield,to commemorate this important event at 16.30 hours a Spitfire will take off exactly to the day and time when she made her very first flight from this historic place.


K5054 the original Spitfire 1 Prototype seen at Eastleigh in 1936,the aircraft was finished in a turquoise green shade but was soon to be finished in a shadow shade finish of dark earth and green,even then this did not disguise its beautiful lines.


Whilst the prototype has long since gone,a replica was built of this machine using wood,although this aircraft is no longer airworthy it travels around the country on show,it is hoped to have this particular aircraft on display at Eastleigh at the anniversary event in March 2006.

Reginald J.Mitchell developed a racing seaplane, the Supermarine S6B, which won the Schneider Trophy on 13th September, 1931. During the contest the aircraft reached 340 mph (547 km/h).
In 1934 the Air Ministry announced that it was looking for a new fighter aircraft. Mitchell, whose company was now part of Vickers Aviation, decided to adapt his Supermarine seaplane, in an attempt to meet the requirements of the R.A.F.
The new all-metal single-seater fighter plane, the Supermarine Spitfire Mk. I, had several technical features of the earlier racing seaplane. It had the same structure and aerodynamic lines. However, it had a new engine, the 1,030 hp Rolls Royce Merlin II and carried 8 machine-guns.
The first Spitfire prototype appeared on 5th March, 1936 and flew at 350 mph (563 km/h) and could ascend at approximately 2,500 ft (762 m) per minute. With its slender aerodynmamic lines and elliptical-plan wings, it was claimed at the time, to be the smallest and cleanest aircraft that could be constructed around a man and an engine.
The R.A.F was impressed with its performance and in June, 1936, it ordered 310 aircraft. The Supermarine Spitfire Mk. I went into production in 1937 and was operational in June, 1938. Vickers Aviation could not keep up with demand and most of Britain's manufacturers began building Spitfires. By October, 1939, the Air Ministry had ordered over 4,000 of these aeroplanes.
The Supermarine Spitfire Mk. II went into service in late 1940. These had a 1,150 hp Rolls Royce Merlin XII engine. Other versions appeared throughout the Second World War .This included Spitfire Mk. IV that was a photographic reconnaissance aircraft. The Spitfire Mk. VC was the first model to be used as a fighter-bomber and carried 500 pounds (226 kg) of bombs.
At the beginning of the Battle of Britain the R.A.F had 32 squadrons of Hawker Hurricanes and 19 squadrons equipped with Spitfire. It was decided to use the Hurricanes against the massive bomber formations of the Luftwaffe whereas the Spitfires were employed against German fighters.
This Luftwaffe outnumbered the R.A.F by four to one. However, the British had the advantage of being closer to their airfields. German fighters could only stay over England for about half an hour before flying back to their home bases. The RAF also had the benefits of an effective early warning radar system and the intelligence information provided by Ultra.
The Focke Wulf 190, which appeared in July 1941, was superior to the Spitfire being used by the R.A.F at the time but this changed with the production of the Supermarine Spitfire Mk. XIV . Powered by a Rolls-Royce Griffon 65, 12-cylinder, 2,050 hp engine, it could reach a speed of 448 mph (721 km/h) and could reach a ceiling of 44,500 ft (13,560 m) and had a range of 460 miles (740 km). It had two 20 mm cannons; four machine-guns; 1,000 lb (454 kg) of bombs.
The Spitfire was constantly improved during the Second World War.The Supermarine Spitfire F.22 that was used in 1945 could fly at more than 450 mph (724 km/h) and could ascend at twice the speed of the Supermarine Spitfire Mk. I.
Spitfires continued to be produced after the war and by October 1947, 20,334 had been manufactured. The last operational flight of a Spitfire, the Spitfire PR-19, took place on 1st April, 1954.

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'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
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