Question

[_AH_Lippy]

Ok you smart asses here is some question about the Spitfire. Anyone know where and when the design of the spitfire wing came from and what country was the designer from and what year was it designed.

[_AH_DarkWolf]

Sounds like a trick question. The spitfire's wing would have been designed at the same time as the spitfire itself, cause its the spitfire's wing.

If you mean the type of wing, an elliptical wing, yeah I'm sure that technology pre-dates the spitfire.

DW

[_AH_Lippy]

It does predate the spitfire. The design wasnt intended for the spitfire. And I am asking only about the wing design. You are correct it is Elliptical.

[_AH_Bear]

The Spitfire was from the design of R J Mitchell.. he originally came with the body design as a competitive racing plane of the time  it was spectacular in that arena.. I remember attending a Joint-ops seminar on it.. He was later encouraged to come up with the spitfire but only got to design.. i think he died from cancer before he seen it in action..



I searched and found this information  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._J._Mitchell

[_AH_Lippy]

He dies at the age of 44 from cancer (docu didnt say what type). He designed the fastest plane in the world and did it in 1933 air race in which it won at a speed of over 400 MPH. (cant recall the name of the race) But Mitchell only designed the body not the wing. The wings design came from some other company. Both of you have answered parts of the question. Once I heard this I knew where to post it.  :lol

[_AH_Olds]

Have you seen "First of the Few? (Spitfire)"? Good movie about Mitchell and the development of the Spitfire starring Leslie Howard as Mitchell. You may remember him as Ashley Wilkes from "Gone With The Wind". Movie also had David Niven in it. This was one of Howard's last movies, as he was in an aircraft shot down by the Germans over the Bay of Biscay. From IMDB:

Died while a passenger on board British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) Flight #777-A, a Douglas Aircraft DC-3 named "Ibis", with four crew members and 13 other passengers, on a flight from Portela Airport in Lisbon, Portugal, to Whitechurch Airport near Bristol, England, on June 1, 1943 when it was attacked and shot down by eight German Junkers Ju 88 fighter planes of KG 40 off the north coast of Spain. It crashed into the Bay of Biscay killing all 17 on board.

As far as what Mitchell died of, the article in Wikipedia about Mitchell stated that he died from bowel or colorectal cancer. He fought that for four years, and passed away in 1937.

[_AH_Hollywood]

Lippy, it was called the Schneider Cup: https://youtu.be/ve6563ACr-0

[_AH_Lippy]

Tanks Woody  (wavey)

[_AH_Bear]

Down in that there is alot of talk about the wing construction and changes..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Spitfire

[_AH_Lippy]

Where the design of the wing came from is extremely Ironic. A Canadian engineer heard about the air races in England and wanted a job in aviation. But England in 1930 really wasnt producing large amount of aircraft. So he got a job working in Germany if I am not mistaken working on the Heinkel HE-111. He was talking to another Engineer as he was drawing the elliptical wing design. So in 1933 he came back to England to work for RJ Mitchell and the rest is history. Got the info from a Documentary called "Spitfire the plane that saved the world" on Netflix. I find it very Ironic that a German engineer came up with the design that would loose the air war for Germany.

[_AH_DarkWolf]

Technology often transcends borders, I seem to recall the early Bf-109 prototypes were powered by Rolls-Royce Kestrel engines. Hogan probobly just threw up in his mouth a bit.

DW

[_AH_Olds]

Technology often transcends borders, I seem to recall the early Bf-109 prototypes were powered by Rolls-Royce Kestrel engines. Hogan probobly just threw up in his mouth a bit.

DW

Yes, and if I recall correctly, didn't the Spanish built 109's use a similar type of Rolls Royce engine under license?

[_AH_Bear]

The Spanish were building German He111s and 109s for the Germans because they were prohibited under the treaty of Versailles i think.. pre WW2

[_AH_DarkWolf]

Think they built some stuff for themselves too. Thats what they used for 111s and 109s in the Battle of Britain movie. They all have wierd engine cowlings that are different from german ones.

DW

[_AH_Col._Hogan]