Ahhh the Spitfire, known primarily for it’s lack of similarity to the Stuka.

Seriously, a Stuka?!!?

What do you want to know specifically? There’s a chapter on it in the Putnam Supermarine Aircraft since 1914. Looks like the main fuselage was built before it was cancelled. There’s a photo of it, looks like a real monster.

…

deHavilland were very good at making pretty aeroplanes weren’t they. I wish there were an Albatross still knocking about, I’d love to see that in the flesh… er, I mean plywood.

You’re absolutely right! He zapped it. I’ve got the NASM website showing the same information though, so I’ll try again.
http://www.nasm.si.edu/research/aero/aircraft/NAF-86.htm

Nice job with the explanation, he seems to have come around and has been big about it. The page now begrudgingly accepts the F-86 version of events.

Bruce: That wiki discussion on the Comet is nuts. I can’t wait to see if that story gets published in any way. It’s quite incredible.

Not me, but it is a forum member!

Looks like we now have ‘reputedly’ for the F86. As it is unlikely ever to be made official, at least not whilst Gen Yeager is alive, that may be the best we can hope for. I will see how one opens a discussion!

The limitations of Wikipedia – go to the discussion on the DH106 Comet page, where some wild assertions were made! There’s a conspiracy theory for you!

Bruce

Well, I believe the F-86 was officially clocked in April of 48. So that’s still many months before the 108 managed it. But again, I don’t have any hard proof, just what I’ve read elsewhere on the internets.

Actually, it doesnt, it states that the 108 was the first British aircraft to exceed Mach 1.

As the page has no discussion related to it, and there have been very few edits, I dont think the guy who wrote it has any issues!

Bruce

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_DH_108

This is copy and pasted from the page:

“it was the first British aircraft to exceed Mach 1 and also the first jet-powered aircraft in the world to achieve this landmark speed. The earlier aircraft which exceeded the speed of sound, the Bell X-1 and the Douglas Skyrocket, were both rocket-powered. “

If you go to the History for the page you can see an attempt has been made to amend the spurious fact but the gentleman in charge is more than happy to contradict wikipedia on the F-86 apparently.

I do know what your saying but the time lines are about the same, So North American had all the Data but Bell didn’t. When Bell took one look at the F-86 in early 47 they must have thought why bother.
Regards Phil.

Well I think in this instance Bell were using the data derived from the British designs developed during the war, which were arguably less advanced than their German counterparts.
Whereas NA amended their F-86 design using the newly acquired German technology, namely the swept wings.
I guess Bell were reticent about changing their plans so drastically after they’d already spent so much time on it, whereas the F-86 was a fresh design.
Remember that the design the Bell X-1 was based on was purely intended to achieve Mach 1, which might give you a lot more confidence in the project. Whereas the F-86 success in this area was somewhat by accident rather than sole intention.

I’ve never really understood why the British designers seemed so reticent to embrace swept wings even after the war.