Inside the Spitfi re
What made this aircraft so spectacular?
Elliptical wing
The elliptical wing of the Spitfire
is a defining design characteristic,
functional to the extreme and
aesthetically pleasing to the eye.Fuselage
The fuselage of the
Spitfire was
constructed from
toughened aluminium
alloy, composing
of 19 individual frames.Fully enclosed cockpit
The benefits of a fully enclosed
cockpit were numerable, most
notably though it improved the
Spitfire’s aerodynamics.Image © DK ImagesD
esigned in the technologically fervent
and innovatory melting pot of the
Second World War, the Supermarine
Spitfi re became the fi ghter plane of
the times. With its simple lines, elegant frame
and superb aerody namics, the Spitfi re was to
live on in the minds of generations during the
war and for decades to come.
The Spitfi re was the brainchild of
aeronautical engineer Reginald Mitchell, who
led a dedicated and talented team of designers.
Originally planned as a short-range air-defence
fi ghter, the Spitfi re was built for speed and
agility, traits that it was to need in the explosive
dogfi ghts it was to partake in as it met enemy
fi ghters and bombers. Building a fi ghter plane,
though, is more complex than listing desirable
traits however, and the Spitfi re’s construction
is a balletic series of compromises between
weight, aerody namics and fi repower.
The frame of a spitfi re with its elliptical
wings is one of its most defi ning
characteristics, casting a distinctive silhouette
against the sk y. The ellipse shaping was used
to minimise drag while having the necessary
thickness to accommodate the retracted
undercarriages and the guns required for self
defence. A simple compromise that had the
resulting benefi t of having an incredibly
indiv idual shape. In contrast, the airframe –
which was infl uenced by exciting new
advances in all metal, low-wing plane
construction – was a complex and well-
balanced amalgamation of a streamlined
semi-single piece of aluminium alloy and a
fully enclosed cockpit. This allowed unrivalled
responsiveness and ease of fl ight, making the
Spitfi re a favourite for pilots.A rguably, the other most defi ning and
success-inducing element of the Spitfi re was its
engine, which took on the form of the Rolls-
Royce Merlin and Griffon engines. Planned by a
board of directors at Rolls-Royce who realised
that their current Vee-12 engine was topping
out at 700hp and that a more powerf ul variant
would be needed, fi rst the Merlin and later the
Griffon engines were designed. The Merlin at
fi rst delivered 790hp, short of the 1,000hp goal
set in its design brief, however this was to
increase to 975hp in a few years. The Griffon
then built upon the success of the Merlin,
delivering at the climax of its advancement a
whopping 2,035hp. These engines were to
prove tantamount to the airframe and wing
designs in the dominance of the Spitfi re.
Despite its origins ly ing in short-range home
defence, the Spitfi re was to prove so versatile
and successf ul that it was quickly adapted for a
wide variet y of militar y purposes. Many
variants were created, including designs
tailored for reconnaissance, bombing runs,
high-altitude interception and general
fi ghter-bomber operations. The most notable
derivative, however, was the multi-variant
Seafi re, specially designed for operation on
aircraft carriers w ith the added abilit y to
double-fold its w ings for ease of storage.
Considering the place in histor y that the
Spitfi re holds – a fi ghter-bomber aircraft that
bridged the gap bet ween the age of the
propeller engine to that of the jet – the fact that
they are still collected (w ith an average cost of
£1.4 million) and fl ow n today is unsurprising.
The Spitfi re is a timeless piece of engineering
that shows some of the most creative and
advanced efforts in military history.Undercarriage
The Spitfire’s undercarriage
was fully retractable, a
refinement that was not
commonplace in earlier aircraft.DID YOU KNOW? By 1939, approximately ten per cent of all Spitfires had been lost as a result of training accidents