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The use of these prefixes did not change according to the wings, which could be fitted with "clipped" tips, reducing the wingspan to about 32 ft 6 in (9.9 m) (this could vary slightly), or the "pointed" tips which increased the wingspan to 40 ft 2 in (12.29 m). Spitfire F Mk XIIs of 41 Sqn.
If "bounced" while cruising at low speeds it could take a Spitfire up to two minutes to accelerate to top speed. [58] The only way it was thought that a Spitfire could evade attack was to cruise at high speed and go into a shallow dive with the throttle open. Provided the Fw 190 was seen in time, it could be forced into a long stern chase. [57]
Spitfire PR Mk XIs were capable of a top speed of 417 mph (671 km/h) at 24,000 ft (7,300 m) and could cruise at 395 mph (636 km/h) at 32,000 ft (9,800 m). Normally Spitfire XIs cruised between these altitudes although, in an emergency, the aircraft could climb to 44,000 ft (13,000 m) However, pilots could not withstand such altitudes for long ...
[122] Although not as fast as the Spitfire, the Zero could out-turn the Spitfire, could sustain a climb at a very steep angle, and could stay in the air for three times as long. [123] To counter the Zero, Spitfire pilots adopted a "slash and run" policy and used their faster speed and diving superiority to fight, while avoiding turning dogfights.
The Speed Spitfire was a Supermarine Spitfire Mk I, re-engined and modified for an attempt on the world air speed record. It was already outdated when it first flew in 1938 and, despite repeated modification, never attained a competitive performance.
The matter of a seaborne Spitfire was raised again in November 1939 when the Air Ministry allowed a Commander Ermen to fly a Spitfire I. After his first flight in R6718 , Ermen soon learned that Joseph Smith , Chief Designer at Supermarine, had been instructed to fit an "A-frame" arrestor hook on a Spitfire and that this had flown on 16 October ...
Data from Supermarine Aircraft since 1914 General characteristics Crew: 1 Length: 32 ft 11 in (10.03 m) Wingspan: 35 ft (11 m) Height: 13 ft 5 in (4.09 m) Wing area: 210 sq ft (20 m 2) Airfoil: root: Supermarine 371-I; tip: Supermarine 371-II Empty weight: 7,350 lb (3,334 kg) Gross weight: 9,950 lb (4,513 kg) Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Griffon 69 V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 2,375 hp ...
The work of the BPBC would lead in the late 1930s to the RAF 100 class High Speed Launch (HSL), based on the elongated hull of a 64 ft (20 m) Motor Torpedo Boat the RAF 100 was designed to have a maximum speed of 35 knots (40 mph; 65 km/h), and achieved over 39 knots (45 mph; 72 km/h) during trials, making it one of the fastest boats of the time.