My apologies for dragging up an old thread but I have recently updated the entry for MH350 in “The Book” and I have come across a reference which suggests that some of No. 485 Sqdn’s Spitfires had their armament changed “just before D-Day” from the standard 2 Hispano cannon and 4 Browning .303 inch machine guns to the “e” configuration of 2 Hispano cannon and 2 .5 inch Browning M2 machine guns.

…the remainder of the squadron is said to have converted to the L.F.IXe following their move to Coolham, Sussex, at the end of June 1944.

I’m wondering if anyone has a copy of the ORB for No. 485 Sqdn for June 1944 which may shed some light on this?

I just stumbled across this thread again, and HAVE been looking at the ORBs. 485 Squadron received a new batch of LF.IXs (or as the ORB records it, Spit IXB) in late April, and they were still flying the same aircraft in July, when (for the first time) the ORB identifies them as “Spit IX LF(E)”. I believe that they’d had the ‘e’ armament since arriving on the squadron, and it is just a case of the terminology catching up.

bob

Hello, yes, length of cowling. It has been “deduced”, but I haven’t found any clear published dimension for the original single-speed Merlin Spitfire cowling.

Thanks,
bob

Another question, inspired by the drawings above- does one of them give a “front to back” dimension? I can see almost enough to add them up, but not quite.

bob

According to the Pilot’s Notes:

(para 33) A type L.4 Coffman starter is fitted on the starboard side of the engine and the multi-breech is mounted on the engine mounting. The control for reloading the breech is situated at the bottom starboard side of the instrument panel and is the means by which the breech is rotated to place a new cartridge in position for firing. The control is operated by slowly pulling on the finger ring and then releasing it.

(The starting button is to right of center on the lower instrument panel.)

bob

p.s. This doesn’t answer how you actually reload the multi-breech, but note the D-shaped access hatch over the unit, near the aft end of the starboard panel.

Meanwhile, back to TP364….!

One post about a Spitfire. And at least eleven about skips/dumpsters.

Nor did you answer the question, Andy- any more good pics where that came from?

Now, Mr Bump, there’s a world of difference between Merlin or Griffon and Gabriel or Collins! In my book it is perfectly acceptable to like the XVIII, however I would like to point out that it is really better looking with the original XIV rudder. More analogous to the Genesis situation…

At least I didn’t mention a skip. Whoops!

It is said in some of the books that the last xxx Seafire XVs were built with the RV fuselage, but I am skeptical of this. One possible explanation is that this was the plan, but that these airframes evolved to the point that they ended up being XVIIs instead. (There were a number of improvements in the pipeline that came pretty much simultaneously.)

bob

The Merlin XII of the Mk.II used a Coffman cartridge starter, rather than electric start. Some magnetos use an “exciter” (I think that’s the term, in US, anyway) for starting, which boosts the amperage, causing a “hotter” spark. This requires an electrical source besides that generated by the magneto itself, which may mean it wouldn’t work with the Mk.II’s starting system. I can’t speak for other Merlin varieties offhand. (I’m also going on old memory, so some of the details here may be wrong!)

bob