Wow, didn’t know Barry had Ailerons and elevators.

The drawing number for four bladed Spit props is RA 10046 RTS or RS. Five bladed were RA 10167 RTS or RS and IIRC the Mk.V is RA 690 RS. RA 406 RS might be Hurricane but thats just me making a wild guess. I suspect it may just be a badly stamped or weathered ‘10046’

Wow! That looks amazing!

Talking of Spitfires at Dunkirk

Does anyone know if N3103 was ever recovered?

Sorry to dig up an old thread but I’ll try to answer Paul. AFAWK, both Sgt Buckland and George Gribble made wheels down landings and taxied to the dunes near {the maritime hospital at Zuydcoote} Sorry bad memory, that was Paddy Byrne of 74. Gribble and Buckland actually landed at Gravelines, not more than 1/2 mile east of P9374 in fact. Colin Gray overflew them and reported three pilots waving back (the ORB incorrectly states this was George Gribble) Gray then flew back that evening with messages but the A/C had both been burnt out. There was very little left of either, just wings and tail. There are a lot of photos of German soldiers climbing over both wrecks in the following months but what was left of both aircraft appears to have been salvaged during the war as they were above the tide line.

It’s seems a shame as this engine was the from the last of his BoB Spits and has a heck of a tale accompanying it. I guess the Object d’art are okay but I think I would have preferred the engine!

Just noticed N3200 has the early type Malcolm Canopy. They really have gone to town on the details.

Re the camo patterns…..

I thought that the order was for even numbered serials to be painted in the A Scheme – with odd numbered serials in the B Scheme (mirror image).

Surely both are even numbered ??

Ken, the longstanding idea that the mirrored patterns were tied to the serials seems to be false. The camo was alternated on the production line, certainly at Eastleigh, which naturally led to odd numbers being mainly one pattern and even numbers the other. But there’s no evidence AFAIK that it was a deliberate policy, so no reason for a block of serials to not be the opposite.

I think possibly your getting a little bit excited at the prospect of scouping up Pegasus engines ! There are probably fewer servicable spares around for Pegasus engines then there are for wartime Hercules engines ! Avoiding competing for Hercules engines with the Beaufighter people by choosing to use Pegasus instead is like choosing to go to Mars rather than Venus!

I’m not so sure, I think you’d probably have more chance with the Pegasus. I agree though, parts for both are not exactly common and any serious airworthy project would probably look at Wrights.