Spitfire zenith - swansong of an aviation legend
Welcome to this latest edition of our Workbench blog and all the news, updates and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix.
After last week's blog stepped into the world of classic British post war sea power, we are returning to home skies for this latest edition, as we prepare to welcome the long anticipated re-introduction of a kit which marks the end of the line, as far as one of the most famous fighting aeroplanes of all time is concerned. When the Supermarine Type 300 prototype K5054 took to the skies above Southampton on 5th March 1936, the people fortunate enough to be witnessing this spectacle will have no doubt been impressed with this sleek new fighter aircraft before them, but could have hardly been aware that they were actually present at the birth of an aviation legend. For this edition of Workbench, we will be looking at the opposite end of Spitfire development and the last of the line, as far as this famous aircraft is concerned, in preparation for welcoming the impending release of our 1/72nd scale Supermarine Spitfire F.Mk.22 kit.
Only the second time this tooling has been utilised since it originally arrived in the Airfix line up back in 2012, we will be looking at how the Royal Air Force had changed by the time this Griffon powered beast entered service and how part-time flyers were presented with the opportunity to fly one of the world's most potent fighting aeroplanes. We will also be seeing how some of these mighty Spitfires operated from Manchester International Airport, although it must be said well before today's Emirates Airbus A380s and Ryanair Boeing 737s were occupying it's runway.
Right then, it must be Spitfire time.
Spitfire evolution - The inexorable quest for speed
A Spitfire, but not as we know it. The latest incarnations of the Spitfire was a real muscle machine and whilst it still possessed more than a passing resemblance to its predecessors, it was a very different fighting aeroplane.
On 5th March 1936, Eastleigh Aerodrome near Southampton was to play host to one of the most significant events in the history of British aviation. As Vickers Supermarine chief test pilot Joseph ‘Mutt’ Summers strapped himself into the cockpit of the new Supermarine Type 300 interceptor prototype K5054, he knew that he would be at the controls one of the most advanced aircraft the world had ever seen and as such, the eyes of an excited world would be very much on him. During a brief eight minute first flight, the aircraft showed so much promise that they surely had an aviation winner on their hands, fast and elegant, was this really intended to be a fighter aircraft. When he landed back at the airfield and taxied back to his waiting ground crew, he reputedly told the gathering of engineers ‘Don’t touch a thing!’, a statement which is often thought to be down to the excellence of the aircraft's handling characteristics, but was actually down to the fact that he was due to make a second flight later that day and was relatively happy with the current configuration. As we all now know, the high performance Supermarine Type 300 would later be given the name ‘Spitfire’ and embarked on a journey which would see it become something of a legend in aviation terms.
Arguably the most famous fighter aircraft of all time, the Spitfire proved its pedigree during the savage dogfights of the Battle of Britain and went on to serve valiantly in every theatre of conflict during the Second World War. Produced in more numbers than any other British combat aircraft the basic Spitfire airframe proved to be so adaptable that the aircraft saw significant upgrade and improvement throughout its sixteen year service life. Utilising what was essentially the same basic airframe structure, the last of the Spitfires to be introduced were producing more than double the power of the first machines, with their maximum take-off weight and rate of climb performance also close to doubling.
Throughout the service life of the Spitfire, there were always two constant pressures to keep Supermarine design teams at their drawing boards, the need to endow their famous fighter with ever greater speed and to give it greater fuel carrying capacity. This would eventually see the sleek and cultured Mk.I Spitfires which propelled the RAF into a new era of aviation replaced with more muscular looking derivatives which were less of the culture and more of the monster, real beasts of the air.
A beautiful representation of these late mark Spitfires, our new 1/72nd scale F Mk.22 kit was released ten years ago, so its re-introduction is long overdue.
The Mark 22 variant was actually a further development of its immediate predecessor, a Spitfire which was hugely powerful, possessing stellar performance for a piston engined type, but was unfortunately plagued by some adverse handling characteristics. As this variant was quite a radical departure from the original Spitfires which entered RAF service, it was initially intended that this latest model be given a new name, with 'Victor' considered to be the front runner at the time, however, this idea was thankfully shelved and the Spitfire name was allowed to continue to its ultimate development conclusion - the Victor would eventually have its day, just not quite then.
Adopting most of the improvements introduced in the F.21 variant, the Spitfire F.22 featured strengthened wings, larger control surfaces and modifications to the undercarriage, all aimed at improving the aircraft's performance, both in the air and on the ground. The Spitfire was rather notorious for its challenging ground handling characteristics and when the airframe was married with a Rolls Royce Griffon engine and massive Rotol propeller, this situation definitely did not improve. These ultimate Spitfires did attempt to improve this situation, if not solve it altogether, by lengthening the undercarriage to give the propeller tips greater ground clearance and widening the distance between them, to make the aircraft more stable whilst on the ground. These Spitfires would also see the introduction of new outer gear doors, meaning that now for the first time, when the main wheels were retracted into the wing, the wheels were fully covered during flight.
In addition to the above, armament was also now standardised, with the fighter being equipped with four 20mm Hispano Cannon, giving the Spitfire the ability to shred anything which was foolish enough to stray into its gunsight. These hugely powerful aircraft were pulled along by a mighty Rolls Royce Griffon 61 engine, or in some cases, the Griffon 85 and a six bladed propeller, however, all this power came at a price and the torque it produced, combined with the Spitfire's relatively small control surfaces definitely made the aircraft a handful and one which possessed more than a few vices. Indeed, it has to be said that the cultured handling characteristics associated with earlier marks of Spitfire had been compromised somewhat on the F. Mk 21, with these problems bringing the fighter some rather high profile detractors - something had to be done about the situation.
Spitfire F.22 - The Ultimate incarnation
If its a new model release, that must mean new box artwork and this is a stunner. Featuring one of the No.613 (City of Manchester) Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force Spitfire F.22s, this particular aircraft was one of the star attractions at the 1949 Woodford Airshow.
Refining the design of the Spitfire F.21 still further, the Spitfire F.22/24 variants have been described by many aviation historians as the 'Ultimate Spitfires', even though relatively few examples would actually be produced. Benefitting from many of the positive improvements made to its predecessor, but crucially, also addressing most of the handling problems it endured, the F.22 is identifiable from the F.21 by its adoption of a low back rear fuselage and high visibility teardrop cockpit canopy. In order to address the directional stability issues which existed with the previous variant, the F.22 featured a much larger tail unit with greater surface area and larger control surfaces - this tail was actually designed for the proposed replacement of the Spitfire, the Spiteful. This rather distinctive modification allowed the Spitfire to utilise all that power from the Griffon engine much more effectively.
When looking at the side profiles of these two closely related variants of Spitfire, there really are some startling differences, with the F.21 appearing to be rather squat, with its high back and small tail - in fact, it could be described as being most un Spitfire-like. In comparison, the F.22 had a more refined appearance, seemingly wearing the famous Spitfire name with much more confidence. Making its first flight in March 1945, it is interesting to note that just 272 of this variant would be produced and would only equip one regular Royal Air Force unit, No.73 Squadron in the Middle East, however, it would go on to become a stalwart of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, an organisation which could call upon the services of a great many experienced pilots and ground crews in the immediate post war years.
Bringing the Spitfire story to its end, the final variant of this famous fighter, the F.Mk.24, was further development of the F.22 and was externally almost identical to its predecessor, but further enhancing the operational effectiveness of the aircraft. With increased fuel carrying capacity, the F.24 was a true fighter-bomber, with the ability to carry bombs and unguided rockets, utilising the Spitfire's strengthened wings to the full and endowing this variant with a hard-hitting ground attack capability. Some examples would feature the lighter, short barrelled and electrically operated Mark V Hispano cannon.
Interestingly, when this aircraft was full of fuel, equipped with an external slipper tank and carrying four rockets, these ultimate Spitfires had a wing loading which was more than double that of the prototype Spitfire, highlighting just how far this incredible aeroplane had come during its development life. Only a total of 78 Spitfire F.24s would eventually be built, a third of which were actually conversions from the F.22 which preceded it and the only RAF Squadron to use the type operationally was No.80 Squadron in the Far East, with the final example delivered to the RAF in February 1948. Once this unit had completed its conversion to the twin engined de Havilland Hornet, many of their Spitfires were handed over to the Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force, who themselves would only operate this ultimate Spitfire until 1955.
Let's now take a look at the two scheme options which will be included with what will only be the second release from this 1/72nd scale ultimate Spitfire kit tooling.
No.613 (City of Manchester) Squadron was an Auxiliary Air Force unit formed at Manchester's Ringway Aerodrome on 1st February 1939, serving initially in an Army cooperation role, before converting to a tactical bombing unit during the Second World War. Following the end of WWII, the unit re-formed as a fighter unit, again at Ringway and initially operating the Spitfire FR. Mk.XIV, but converting to the F.Mk.22 in November 1948. The unit's home was Hangar No.7 at Ringway and when visiting Manchester International Airport now, it is difficult to imagine Reserve Command Spitfires being operated by part-time crews at what is now one of the country's busiest commercial airports.
Construction at Manchester's Ringway airport began in 1935 after the city council voted to build a new airfield, even though they had an existing municipal airfield at nearby Barton. This rather significant decision was made because the grass airfield at Barton was constructed on Chat Moss and was found to be an area prone to mist and fog, something which made the operation of scheduled commercial aviation at the site challenging. The first aircraft landed at the new Manchester Ringway airport in May 1937 and by 1939, construction at the new Royal Air Force Ringway got underway on the north eastern edge of the airfield. It would go on to be used as a centre for parachute training throughout the war, in addition to becoming home to the maintenance and construction sheds of Fairey Aviation and No.613 (City of Manchester) Squadron.
In the years which followed the end of the Second World War, the RAF's Reserve Command Squadrons had their pick of capable former RAF pilots and ground specialists, not to mention access to some potent fighter aircraft types. Although this reserve force was intended to provide vital reinforcement capability for the regular service, life for members of one of these units must have been quite exciting. With members regularly sent away on training camps where they would be rubbing shoulders with full service personnel, they would have been playing their own part in the RAF's conversion from piston to jet power, but not before operating some of the most potent variants of the famous Spitfire before they did.
Full scheme details of this Manchester Ringway based Spitfire, which will be of interest to modellers with connections to the North West.
One feature of life within the RAuxAF Squadrons was how these part-time fliers could often be quite badly affected by poor weather conditions. During the winter and if they were just unlucky with the weather, pilots could often go many weeks without adding air time to their respective logbooks, something which was less than ideal when the unit was equipped with something as potent as the Spitfire F.22 - if only flying was like riding a bicycle.
This particular Spitfire F.22 was built at the Castle Bromwich factory in 1945, delivered to No.33 MU later the same year and joining No.613 (City of Manchester) Squadron in April 1947. As the RAF was now looking to equip their front line fighter squadrons with jet powered aircraft, the pilots of their Reserve Squadrons had the daunting prospect of flying some of the most potent piston engined fighters the world had ever seen. Doing its bit for the Manchester aera, F.22 PK596 was photographed looking absolutely resplendent at the Woodford Airshow in 1949, an event which would draw huge crowds and was a rich local hunting ground for the recruiting offices of all the armed services. The aircraft was reported to have thrilled the crowds both on the ground ad during a dynamic flying display, before flying back to her home base at nearby Ringway.
Unfortunately, like so many former wartime aircraft and those introduced in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, they were quickly deemed surplus to requirements and unceremoniously sold for scrap. Despite occupying a significant position in the story of the famous Spitfire and could possibly be described as being the 'best of this particular breed', these later marks of the fighter came up against jet technology and never achieved the status enjoyed by earlier wartime variants of the fighter.
No.603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron was a Royal Auxiliary Air Force unit established at RAF Turnhouse in October 1925. Initially designated a bomber unit, as the nation braced itself for war, they had taken on a fighter role and had just traded their Gloster Gladiators for Spitfires - significantly, they made the transition to a full-time squadron. Charged with protecting the north and specifically the Navy's Home Fleet at Scapa Flow, they would be heavily involved in the first aerial combat actions with the Luftwaffe over Britain and would actually claim some of the first RAF victories in October 1939. In fact, the squadron would have the distinction of shooting down the first enemy aircraft over Britain since the end of the Great War.
After the war, the unit reformed in May 1946 as a component of the Auxiliary Air Force, again at RAF Turnhouse and with the intention of recruiting staff to establish a new Spitfire unit. Initially equipped with a number of LF.XVIe fighters, but quickly exchanged these for the Rolls Royce Griffin powered F.Mk.22 variant. These latest Spitfires were so different in performance terms from the first production Spitfires to go into service, that it is sometimes difficult to place them in the same family of aircraft. Capable of speeds 100mph faster than the first Spitfires, the F.22 also had almost twice the rate of climb and possessed three times the destructive potential of the Mk.I and its eight Browning machine guns. In fact, they were so radically different that it could even be argued that they only retained the Spitfire name by virtue of the legacy this famous aeroplane had already established by their introduction, because when all said and done, who would not want to see or fly one of these ultimate Spitfires?
A racing Spitfire with attitude. This natural metal F.22 must have made an impressive sight when blasting around an air racing circuit, or even whilst just receiving some tlc at its home base near Edinburgh.
Supermarine Spitfire F.22 PK396 was built by Vickers Armstrong in early 1945 and delivered to No.33 MU by the summer of the same year. She would be taken on strength with No.603 Squadron the following year, where she would serve with distinction for a relatively short three years, before trading piston power for jet engines. During her time with the squadron, she would represent the unit in the 1950 Cooper Trophy air race. In the years following the end of the Second World War, there was an attempt made to revive the incredibly popular air race scene in the UK, which had regularly seen huge crowds flocking to events during the 1930s. The Cooper Trophy was a competition arranged for Royal Auxiliary Air Force units to contest and would have resulted in the sight of some of the world’s most powerful piston engined fighters blasting around the skies of Britain, as they attempted to claim glory for their squadron. Unfortunately, the toils of war appeared to leave the British public a little apathetic to the prospect of Griffon powered Spitfires racing against each other (what we wouldn't give for such a sight now) and they did not turn out in sufficient numbers to see a return of the glory days of air racing.
In its Cooper Trophy livery of natural metal with red fuselage band, red spinner and yellow racing number 7, Spitfire PK396 must have looked magnificent and would surely have been something of an aviation celebrity at her home station. Unfortunately, as the RAF were only interested in converting all their squadrons to jet power, this beautiful aeroplane was sold for scrap in 1954, a sad fate which befell many of these ultimate Spitfires.
One to look out for, this stunning new kit will help to tell the fascinating story of the Spitfire in scale model form.
Only the second release from this beautiful tooling in ten years, our latest 1/72nd scale Supermarine Spitfire F.Mk.22 kit is due to arrive in our warehouse in early August and will surely be a high priority build project for many a Workbench reader later in the year. These later marks of Spitfire are somewhat under-represented in the modelling world and are needed to illustrate the dramatic development span of this most famous of fighting aeroplanes. It would look particularly impressive if positioned next to a Mark l kit in the same scale as part of a built model display.
That’s all we have for you in this latest edition, but we will be back with more project updates for you next week. As always, we are interested to hear your views on all things Airfix and particularly in relation to our Workbench blog, so if you ever feel like dropping us a quick line, please use our workbench@airfix.com contact e-mail address.
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Related Products
Supermarine Spitfire F.Mk.22
A02033A |
1:72
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Ia
A01071B |
1:72
Further Reading
Related Products
Supermarine Spitfire F.Mk.22
A02033A |
1:72
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Ia
A01071B |
1:72
Further Reading
Gladiator – The biplane fighter that had it all
Spitfire – An enduring Airfix association
