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Supermarine SPITFIRE
A view of No. 417 Squadron Spitfires in flightover western africa. (Credit Unknown)
First flown in 1936, the Spitfire would become famous as the leading British fighter of World War II. A total of 20,351 (excluding naval variants) were built which was more than any other British warplane.
The Spitfire was first flown on Canadian operations by No. 403 Sqn in March 1941 and a total of 14 RCAF squadrons would eventually fly this type of aircraft. Of these squadrons, ten were fighter or fighter-bomber squadrons in Europe, three formed a RCAF fighter-reconnaissance wing, and one squadron, No. 417 Sqn, flew fighter-bombers in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. The first enemy jet fighter, a German Me 262, to be shot down fell to a Spitfire from No. 401 Squadon.
Interestingly, despite the large number of Spitfires flown operationally by Canadians, the RCAF only had a handful of Spitfires on official establishment strength throughout the war. These aircraft were primarily unarmed reconnaissance variants used for various test and photographic missions.
The first Spitfire in Canada, on loan from the RAF, was used in 1940 to test the first "G" suit, which also was invented in Canada
| Manufacturer: | Supermarine Aircraft (data for Spitfire Mk I) |
| Crew/Passengers: | one pilot |
| Power Plant: | one 1,030 hp (768 kW) Rolls Royce Merlin II piston engine |
| Performance: | Max Speed: 364 mph (586 km/h) Cruising Speed: Service Ceiling: 31,500 ft (9,601 m) Range: 395 mi (636 km) |
| Weights: | Empty: 4,341 lb (1,969 kg) Gross: 5,800 lb (2,631 kg) |
| Dimensions: | Span: 36 ft 10 in (11.23 m) Length: 29 ft 11 in (9.10 m) Height: 11 ft 5 in (3.48 m) Wing Area: 242 sq ft (22.48 m) |
| Armament: | eight .303 in (7.7 mm) machine guns in the wings |
| Marks: | Mk IA, II, IIA, IIB, VA, VB, VC, VIII, IXB, IXC, IXE, XI, XV, XIV, XIVE, XVIE |
| Model No(s): | 300, 329, 331, 359, 360,361 ,365, 379, 380 |
