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/images/notams/notams18/a2a0607/a2a0607.jpgThe Supermarine Spitfire is one of the truly legendary aircraft,not just of World War II, but of all time. A brilliant design, thebasic Spitfire wing and fuselage were able to be refined and improvedover and over again into many different configurations during thecourse of World War II, and each excelled in its own right. The Spitfire was designed by R. J. Mitchell, an aeronauticalengineer of stellar talent who had previously designed such aircraftas the Supermarine S6B, which won the Schneider Trophy in1931. Borrowing from the developments of others, including thelow-wing, monocoque design which came from the United States, Mitchellcrafted a superb basic design which stands to this day as one of thegreatest piston fighters in aviation history. Mitchell envisioned alight, maneuverable craft with low drag, elliptical wings, and a broadperformance envelope. The result was the Spitfire, a capable, lethal,yet forgiving aircraft that ultimately proved more than equal toanything the Germans could throw at it, including the vauntedFocke-Wulf 190. /images/notams/notams18/a2a0607/spitfire-1.jpgThe Spitfire had a number of design characteristics which set itapart from other contemporary fighter aircraft. The Merlin engine, theelliptical wing, the well-harmonized controls, and the versatile wingplatform all worked together to create a package that was perhapsunmatched in terms of its immediate effectiveness and its potential tobe developed further. Unlike the Japanese Zero, which was obsolete by1943, the Spitfire was just coming to its prime. Chief among thefeatures that set the Spit apart from other aircraft was its wing,which served multiple purposes. The elliptical planform and relativelybroad root chord allowed a thinner airfoil section, reducing dragwhile preserving lift, which led to a very low wing loading. Thisincreased top speed, preserved a low stalling speed, increased theservice ceiling, and provided excellent low-speed agility. But thebroad wing chord also allowed the convenient fitting of formidablearmament such as multiple 20mm cannon and heavy machine guns. /images/notams/notams18/a2a0607/spitfire-2.jpgThe Spitfire last saw combat in 1948 during the Arab-Israeli war,where Spitfires from both sides were pitted against one another. Butthe honor which will always distinguish this singular aircraft is itssuperb service during the Battle of Britain, where it _ along with theHawker Hurricane _ helped to fend off German designs for invasion ofGreat Britain. For that, it will always be remembered. Purchase A2A Accu-Sim Spitfire MkI-II Released /images/notams/notams18/a2a0607/spitfire-3.jpg