Griffon engine with 5 blade prop.
Posted on 04/16/2012 1:58:33 PM PDT by Theoria
Britian may soon need these for close ground support to save them from the ‘muzzies’.
It would be awesome if they are still in good condition!!
We need more B-17s!
Spitfire Mark XIVs were on the cutting edge of what could be done with a piston-engined prop fighter. The Griffon in the XIV made over 2,000 horsepower; it could do 445 mph at top speed. That’s double the horsepower, 90 more mph top speed, and double the climb rate of the Mk I Spitfires from the Battle of Britain just four years earlier. They are absolute beasts.
The XIVs are easiest to tell apart from the older Spitfires by the prop...they used an odd-looking five-bladed propeller. It rotated the opposite direction from the Merlin-engined ones, so pilots transitioning to the Griffon-engined fighters had to get used to a lot of torque pulling the opposite direction from what they were used to.
}:-)4
Griffon engine with 5 blade prop.
One of the prelimary reports posted on FreeRepublic yesterday suggested that these Spits were Mk II’s. I didn’t think that could be correct for 1945. But Mk XIV’s? Wow!
nice job on the search for ‘spitfires’ title. ooops
Then let us make a pledge to stay in good health so us and other Freepers can meet @ Oshkosh in 2 to 5 years to hear a few of these scream in Formation...
At least those Spitfires were buried to preserve them. When Japan surrendered, whole escort-carrier-loads of brand-new, factory-fresh Navy Corsairs and Hellcats were just pushed over the side into the Pacific. The Navy already had thousands of them; with the war over, why carry them out to the Far East just to have to bring them home? So they were dumped into a watery grave by the dozens. Makes you weep just thinking about it now.
}:-)4
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if David Gilmour from Pink Floyd committed some funds to the recovery and restoration. He’s a huge fan of vintage aircraft, and founded Intrepid Aviation Co. Ltd., which he later sold.
Perhaps a stupid question, but here goes: What would stop a well-funded company from bringing Spitfires or Mustangs back into production?
I read that the US is looking at adopting a new prop-driven ground attack aircraft, and is thinking of buying them from Brazil or some other South American country. There would be a market for a brand-new WWII model fighters upgraded with modern radar and technology.
If we did it once, why can’t we do it again?
Met an airforce vet who spent some time with an air refueling detachment at Midway in the 60’s. Said there were crates on top of crates of brand new Allison V-12 engines sitting along the flight line. Totally bagged & cosomolined. Order came down to “push them into the lagoon”. UGH! What a waste!
Flugwerk — a German aviation company — has built kit versions of the FW-190. They have a version of the FW-190D “Dora” discussed on their website. I belive that these are scaled-down versions of the original, but still...
I’d settle for just one, myself. Why not? The FedEx guy is already mad at me for the ammo.
I'm no expert - not even a pilot - but if you want to bring back a WW II aircraft for ground support I would think it would have to be the A1-E SKYRAIDER! What a beast of an aircraft!
Semper Fi,
TS
yep I agree!
I agree!
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