Supermarine

Supermarine was a British aircraft manufacturer that became famous for producing a range of sea planes and the legendary Supermarine Spitfire fighter.

The first Supermarine landplane design to go into production was the famous and successful Spitfire. The earlier Hawker Hurricane and the Spitfire were the mainstay of RAF Fighter Command fighter aircraft which fought off the Luftwaffe bombing raids with fighter escorts during the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940. While the Hurricane was available in larger numbers and consequently played a larger role, the new Spitfire caught the popular imagination and became the aircraft associated with the battle.

Other well-known planes from World War II were the Seafire (a naval version of the Spitfire). Supermarine also developed the Spiteful and Seafang, the successors of the Spitfire and Seafire, resp., and the Walrus flying boat.

The last of the Supermarine aircraft was the Supermarine Scimitar. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine

Supermarine Spitfire

Click for Supermarine Spitfire sound recordings page

The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries through the Second World War and on into the 1950s as a front line fighter and in secondary roles. It was produced in greater numbers than any other Allied fighter design and was the only Allied fighter in production throughout the war.

Supermarine Spitfire PRXI G-MKXIThe Spitfire was designed by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works, since 1928 a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrongs. He continued to refine the design until his death from cancer in 1937, whereupon his colleague Joseph Smith became chief designer. Its elliptical wing had a thin cross-section, allowing a higher top speed than the Hawker Hurricane and many other contemporary designs.

The distinctive silhouette imparted by the wing planform helped the Spitfire to achieve legendary status during the Battle of Britain. There was, and still is, a public perception that it was the RAF fighter of the battle, although the more numerous Hurricane actually shouldered a greater proportion of the burden against the Luftwaffe.

After the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire became the backbone of RAF Fighter Command and saw action in the European Theatre, Pacific Theatre and the South-East Asian theatre. Much loved by its pilots, the Spitfire saw service in several roles and was built in many different variants.

The Spitfire will always be compared to its main adversary, the Messerschmitt Bf 109; both were among the finest fighters of their day and followed similar design philosophies of marrying a small, streamlined airframe to a powerful liquid-cooled V12 engine. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Spitfire

Supermarine Spitfire MKIIa, P7350 of the BBMF

This is a recording of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight's MKII Spitfire. This Spitfire was flown during the Battle of Britain.

Recorded May 2008 at The Shuttleworth Collection, Old Warden, Bedfordshire, UK, where it flew without the rest of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

Supermarine Spitfire MK XI, August 2009

Supermarine Spitfire MK XI , (c) James HuckleSupermarine Spitfire MK XI serial number PL 965 left the Aldermaston factory in mid 1944. Built as a MK XI photo reconnaissance aircraft, she was designed to operate at high altitudes (over 30,000 ft) and at high speeds of over 400 mph and as such was the fastest of all the Merlin powered Spitfires. She was allocated to No.9 MU Cosford on 1st October 1944 and then ferried to No 34 wing and thence allocated to16 Squadron, which at the time, was a forward squadron, based at Melsbroek airfield, near Brussels in Belgium as part of the 2nd Tactical Air Force. She proudly wore the identifying code "R" for Robert. - http://www.hangar11.co.uk/spitfire.phpSupermarine Spitfire MK XI PL965/R G-MKXI recorded August 2009.


Supermarine Spitfire MK XVI, August 2008

Supermarine Spitfire MKXVI flying at Little Gransden, August 2008.

VS361 Spitfire LF XVIE TD248 7426M G-OXVI CR-S

MKX1 Spitfire PL965, Starting up

MKX1 Spitfire PL965 (G-MKXI), Starting up prior to taxi and the start of a display. Recorded August 2008 at the Shuttleworth Collection, Old Warden. This Spitfire is operated by Hanger 11 from North Weald.

Supermarine Spitfire MK XI serial number PL 965 left the Aldermaston factory in mid 1944. Built as a MK XI photo reconnaissance aircraft, she was designed to operate at high altitudes (over 30,000 ft) and at high speeds of over 400 mph and as such was the fastest of all the Merlin powered Spitfires. She was allocated to No.9 MU Cosford on 1st October 1944 and then ferried to No 34 wing and thence allocated to16 Squadron, which at the time, was a forward squadron, based at Melsbroek airfield, near Brussels in Belgium as part of the 2nd Tactical Air Force. She proudly wore the identifying code "R" for Robert. - http://www.hangar11.co.uk/spitfire.php

MkVc Spitfire, AR501

Supermarine Spitfire AR501The Shuttleworth Collection's MKV Spitfire, AR501. Recorded August 2006. I think this was one of the last displays of the aircraft before going into the workshop (for what looks like) a complete rebuild. It's probably never going to sound the same again!

Supermarine Seafire

Click for Supermarine Seafire sound recordings page

The Supermarine Seafire was a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire specially adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. The name Seafire was arrived at by collapsing the longer name Sea Spitfire.

Supermarine Seafire, May 2009 (c) J Huckle, 2009The Admiralty first showed an interest in the idea of a carrier-borne Spitfire in May 1938 when during a meeting with Richard Fairey of Fairey Aviation the proposal was made that his company could design and build such an aircraft. The idea met with a negative response and the matter was dropped. As a result the FAA was forced into having to order Blackburn Rocs and Gloster Sea Gladiators both of which proved to be woefully inadequate.

The matter of a sea-borne 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 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; a drawing of this aircraft had been shown to the FAA on 27 October. After further discussions Supermarine submitted a drawing of a Spitfire with folding wings and an arrestor hook. In this case the wings were designed with a fold just outboard of the undercarriage bays; the outer wings would swivel and fold backwards, parallel with the fuselage. On 29 February 1940 the Admiralty asked the Air Ministry to sanction the production of 50 folding wing Spitfires, with the first deliveries to start in July. However, for various reasons Winston Churchill who was First Lord of the Admiralty stepped in and cancelled the order. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Seafire

Supermarine Seafire Mk.XVII, May 2009

Supermarine Seafire , (c) James HuckleSupermarine Seafire Mk.XVII G-KASX / SX336 (cn FLWA 25488) recorded May 2009.  The aircraft is operated by Kennet Aviation based at North Weald. 

Supermarine Seafire, June 2007

Supermarine Seafire Mk.XVII G-KASX / SX336 recorded June 2007. The aircraft is operated by Kennet Aviation based at North Weald.

Supermarine Seafire, Old Warden 6th June 2010

Kennet Aviation's Supermarine Seafire recorded at Old Warden on the 6th June 2010.