WIX Archives

Re: Series 20 Spitfire possibilities?

Posted by Steve T on Thu Dec 18, 2003 04:01:11 PM

In reply top Series 20 Spitfire possibilities? posted by Cees Broere on Thu Dec 18, 2003 02:23:32 PM

Hi Cees--

This'd be nice, indeed. To my knowledge, in even remotely recent years there's only been one of these completed to flight status--Jack Malloch's ill-fated Mk.22. Of course the Texas Seafire 47, a close cousin of those very late Spits, is apparently nearing flight now.

The likelihood of a Mk.21 being restored to fly is slim, I'd think, owing to the very tricky handling of that version, which had the fairly small Mk.XIV tail group. The 22 and 24 had the final, much larger tail unit that made the handling less twitchy. There was, though, a 21 tested at Boscombe Down (?) at one point with a contraprop similar to the one eventually fitted to the Seafire 46/47 series; this apparently flew beautifully...and a semi-matt camo Spit 21 with "P" ring, yellow underside and contraprop would be a pretty nifty item on the circuit anywhere (matched, perhaps, only by a contraprop Griffon Fury in the same scheme...)!

S.

Follow Ups: