When I last saw it on the IoW about four years ago, talk was conversion to a two-seater. Presumably this idea (to create effectivley a new Spitfire type, the T.16) has now been dropped?

Hi Mark V, yes plans to turn it into a T9/16 didnt materialize because of lack of funding. The prospective buyer was looking for corporate money. Best back in the air as a single seater.

Steve

SM520 was one of the wrecks recovered from SA Metals in Cape Town.

Along with several others it was positively identified from the stencil on the firewall in July 1981.

Substantial work had been carried out to restore it as a single seater. When however purchased by the late Paul Portelli in May 2002 he commissioned the project be finalised as a full Type 509 two seater…within a time scale of three years. 😉

Mark

Image: Peter Arnold

Hi all, in this picture which parts belong to SM520 ? It looked at first glance that Fr5 was from a XIV or XVIII but top portion is bent the wrong way , so guess it is a IX !!! error on my part !!!

Steve

ok as a complete and utter spitfire novice whats the difference between all these marks?:confused:

I can tell the difference between a two seater and a single seater but why all the different canopy designs?(for the 2 seaters):confused:

Hi the larger canopy on the rear cockpit of a two seater is to allow better vision & also the rear seat pilot sits higher up in the airframe, pilots head had to go some where !!!
Steve

The curved one is the earlier rudder style and the later is the ‘broad chord’ type. The chord is the distance from the leading edge of the rudder to the trailing edge. The broad chord rudder has greater surface area and gives more authority through the speed range, though I believe it’s particularly noticeable at low speed. Greater authority equals greater control equals less prone to a messy take off and landing….

Hi all, I thought broad chord rudders were fitted to Spitfires with griffon engines as a way of controling the greater power. Dont remember seeing any on MK IX’s.

Steve

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj8TNj2OxsM

Hopefully not too long before she takes to the air now. 🙂

Cheers

Paul

Hi all , nice to see another A A restoration nearly ready for flight !! Keep up the good work Bruce.

Steve

Its a very good lubricant.

Hi All, when i was an apprentice at British Hovercraft Corp in 1970 i was assinged to maintainance dept for a while & we used to use parafin as a lubrication medium whilst honing guillotine blades.

Steve

Someone deliberately made a low back into a high back?!!! Ruddy `ooligans.

Wheres the throwing up smiley??

Hi all, I cant see any reason why someone would want to turn a MK XV1 low back into a high back. Only possible reason is just to get those classic lines !!!!! Cant see any milage in messin with origional airframe. I cant think that it would do much for the value either. Not enough low backs flying anyway !!!!

Steve.

In my garage I have a single propellor blade, believed to be from a Spitfire MK-IV. I acquired it at an airshow in ’93 with every intention to ‘do something with it’ but never had the time. It had obviously been used as a fence-post, resulting in some rust at the base. The covering has also come away from the wood near the base but generally the Rotoloid and leading edge brass is still in good condition over most of the blade.
The only reference number is near the tip. “R6781”
My guess from reading this thread is that it is probably an early Jablo with a Rotoloid covering. I would be interested to get an idea of its age and any other information relating to what its history might have been and also a probable value.
Many thanks
Andrew

Hi Andrew , one thing is sure , the number R6781 is not the serial number of a spitfire it may have come from, they only went up to R6780, then started again at R6799. These being MK1 ‘s .

Steve.