Facts about Brand New Spitfires during WWII

[RogMason]

Guys,

I have just read a book called 'The Silver Spitfire' by a 23 yr old Squadron Leader, (later Wing Commander) Tom (Ginger) Neil. Tom wrote the book when he was 92yrs old.

The book deals with a MkIX Spitfire he found abandoned in a field in France and which after failing to locate its owner(s), commandeered as his own 'run-about' for almost a year. Stripped of its camouflage paint, it became known as the Silver Spitfire. Not a bad read but as it didn't deal with his Battle of Britain years, it is less about combat but more about British and American aircraft types that he flew when he was 'loaned' by the RAF to the US Airforce in the UK, prior to the Normandy invasion. Some good stuff also on the P51 in various marks and including where the teardrop canopy came from  - a small manufacturing company in a shed in the English countryside, named - Martin Baker!  We all now know that name!

During the book, Tom gives some interesting details on the typical life of a brand new Spitfire during WWII (average 40 hours or less).  More so than the rest of the book, it is these facts that I found interesting and which I thought I'd share with you all, as I'm sure you'll enjoy reading them too.

Roger that...



So...

New Spitfire facts:

About 22,000 Spitfires were built during the Second World War. There are 24 Marks of the type, from Mark I, built and used before and during the Battle of Britain, to the Mark 24, which appeared and was flown in 1945 and later.  There were more-over, some 50 variations within the 24 Marks  -  for example, the most numerous Mark 5 had a series of slightly different engines, supercharger ratios and maximum power settings, plus three or four different types of wing and various combinations of armament.

Within Fighter Command during the war, the life span of any Spitfire was theoretically 240 flying hours. Assuming most aircraft survived (and most didn't), a brand new Spitfire could be expected to remain in an operational squadron for a maximum of no more than eight or nine months and the average monthly flying time was 30 hours.  However, like the Lancaster bomber, which had a 'life span' during the war of about 44 hours (six trips to Berlin and back), the average life of a Spitfire was about the same - 40 hours or less.  This meant that a few aircraft flew for their full life span, most did not, some being shot down or irreparably damaged on almost their first sortie or flight.

Assuming that a Spitfire was lucky enough to survive, like a well maintained car it was inspected every day (usually at dawn in an operational squadron) and, thereafter, serviced at regular 40 hour intervals. Then when its life of 240 hours came to an end, it would be removed from the squadron and sent to a maintenance unit, where its engine would be taken out and completely refurbished, its airframe inspected and, if necessary, a series of modifications incorporated.  Thereafter, the whole Spitfire then became a 'second life' aircraft and was usually employed on second-line duties.

Every Spitfire had its own logbook, termed a 'form 700'. The main document was kept on the squadron or unit and a'travelling 700', a lesser document, was kept in the aircraft to record all details of refuelling and minor incidents.
The main 700 contained all the flying times and complete service history of the aircraft, including all details of its unserviceability and repairs.  Understandably, the travelling 700 was always removed before any operational sortie, so that the aircraft's squadron, unit or base was not revealed to the enemy should the aircraft be shot down.
The first indication of any flight was normally contained in the squadron or unit's authorization book', in which were written details of the duty to be carried out before being countersigned by a flight commander or Squadron Leader.  At the conclusion of the flight, the exact times would be recorded with any further relevant details, all such information then going to the orderly room of the unit concerned and recorded yet again in other squadron documents, from which the pilots normally made up their flying logbooks art monthly intervals.

From 'The Silver Spitfire' by Tom Neil www.orionbooks.co.uk

[mawz]

The Bulged P-51 canopy actually came from R Malcolm & Co, which was that small company in a shed.

Martin Baker was a much larger concern that was producing components and also developed the MB.3 and MB.5 fighters, which were not produced but offered very high performance. Baker's death in the MB.3 prototype drive Martin to produce the line of ejection seats which M-B had been working on since the mid 1930's.

M-B did also produce many Spitfire seat assemblies (the armored frame, not the Bakelite seats themselves)