Spitfire tail parachute

Time line..

Interesting to find that on the 30027 Sheet75 drawing is a note… To be fitted to 21st & subsequent aircraft..:)

Spitfire tail parachute

Hi Philip, thanks for that. I’ve just looked in my copy to see what you mean. Shame there are no close up shots.

Spitfire tail parachute

Hi QLDspitty, yes sht 70 may well hold the answer !! I shall have to do some more searching.

Hi Qldspitty, drawing i quoted – 30027 sht 79-is for reinforcing at fr18/fr18A, i just cant see how chute was fitted or deployed. The top longeron is cut fwd of fr18 & aft of fr18A & 2 angles positioned there instead of longeron. There are doublers & other brks in there to.

In Morgan & Shacklady p 46 there is a picture of K9787 from the left rear where you can see what appears to be a separate panel ( doors ? ) in the upper fuselage between those frames. The rudder horn balance guard also seems to be fitted. The text says:

The Air Ministry was not completely satisfied with the spin recovery of the Spitfire, and at a meeting on 17 January 1938, chaired by Air Cdr. Verney, Supermarine persuaded those in attendance that no modifications be made to production aircraft apart from the addition of an anti-spin parachute. For the Air Ministry Verney said that based upon model tests at Farnborough production aircraft could not be passed for spinning even with a tail parachute. Supermarine then pointed out that Jeffrey Quill had made sixteen successful spins of eight turns in the prototype. After more discussion the DTD agreed to accept the Supermarine proposal and that the first 20 production models should be fitted with the tail parachute and undergo further spinning trials. He, DTD, would be satisfied with recovery at 15,000 ft. When the first production Mk 1 Spitfire, K9787, was completed at the beginning of May 1938 an anti-spin parachute was duly fitted and the aircraft made its first flight from Eastleigh, piloted by Quill, on 14th of the same month .

There is also a picture of K9791 on p 51 which clearly shows tge rudder balance horn guards.

A quick study of the drawing

It does look like a recess in there as well as a tray or bracket to house something.Just looked at the note:Plate item 1675 to be fitted “IF” Fuselage plating is cut to install tail parachute (see sheet 70).
Maybe it was an option to site the tail chute there??Maybe sheet 70 holds the answer…:)

spitfire tail parachute

Hi Qldspitty, drawing i quoted – 30027 sht 79-is for reinforcing at fr18/fr18A, i just cant see how chute was fitted or deployed. The top longeron is cut fwd of fr18 & aft of fr18A & 2 angles positioned there instead of longeron. There are doublers & other brks in there to.

Ollie!!!!

Mark 12 would be shocked….In the Spit the frames start at the firewall which is called Frame5.The instrument panel sits on frame8 and the one behind the pilot is frame11.Frame 18 and 18a are back near the tail.Will look at the drawing but could it be a reinforcement for the extra strain imposed by a chute deploying on the tail unit?

Hi Olli, thanks for that ,but some how doesnt seem to be right. The mount is in the fuselage between fr18 & fr18A. Cant see how chute was deployed,?was there a hole in the skin?

I dont know, if i knew what frames the cockpit whas between it might help. Wheres Mark 12 when you need him? Or we could of course be thinking of two totaly different things.

spitfire tail parachute

Hi Olli, thanks for that ,but some how doesnt seem to be right. The mount is in the fuselage between fr18 & fr18A. Cant see how chute was deployed,?was there a hole in the skin?

Hi olli, drawing just calls it parachute mount, so could be this!

Purely by co incident i had been exchanging PM’s with forum member Mark 12 on this subject for a freind of mine working on a model. His repy was this:

[QUOTE=Mark 12]The ‘lash up’ on the prototype is fully described on page 47 of the Spitfire Story by Alfred Price. An attachment lug and eye was fitted just forward of the fin. A cable was taped to the exterior of the fuselage right up to the cockpit. The parachute was installed in a small box on the RH of cockpit. When needed the pilot threw the parachute out to left or right as appropriate. A small guard was fitted over the rudder horn to prevent entanglement.[QUOTE]

He also sent me a link to this photo:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v634/Mark12/Album%203/0-K5054KenScalesAP198a.jpg

Im sure he will pick up on this sometime.

To me it kind of reminds me of the flintstones:D .

Spitfire tail parachute

Hi olli, drawing just calls it parachute mount, so could be this!

spitfire tail parachute

Hi aeronut, nothing like it, sorry, this fits between fr18 & fr18A by the top longeron on the port side of aircraft.

[ATTACH]158524[/ATTACH]

Would the resulting attachment modification look something like this?

Modification for Spitfire Mk1, Mk V and Mk IX Glider tug

Do you mean anti spin chutes?