Supermarine Spitfire Mk I
By comparison with its contemporary the Hawker Hurricane, the Spitfire was
a generational leap in design rather than a direct development from its
predecessors. Designed by R J Mitchell the Spitfire was an altogether new
design with an all-metal monocoque structure; and the elliptical wing that
was to become the aircraft's identifying feature through almost all its
development this was devised from the need to accommodate eight 0.303"
machine guns in the thinnest possible flying surface.With specification F.37/34 written around Mitchell's new design, the prototype
K5054 first flew from Eastleigh on 6 March 1936 in the hands of 'Mutt'
Summers - after which he is said to have remarked 'Don't touch anything!'
- and within three months the type had attracted an initial order for 310.
The first Spitfire to enter service with the RAF arrived at 19 Squadron, Duxford, on 4 August 1938, and over the next few weeks, aircraft were delivered at the rate of one a week to both 19 and 66 Squadrons.
Arguably the most admired aircraft of WWII the beautiful lines of the Spitfire
combined with the sound of the Roll Royce Merlin engine will forever be
associated with The Battle of Britain. The Mk I Spitfire was the first of many types and the Spitfire was the only fighter to remain in production for the duration of WWII.
