Super Aereo Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 Again one question due to my library being packed up: were the six exhaust tubes present on some Spitfire Mk.V in 1944-45 linked to particular marks of the Merlin engine? I seem to remember that they were, but which marks..? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
303sqn Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 LF Vs fitted with cropped Merlins 45M, 55M 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted July 19, 2016 Share Posted July 19, 2016 The cropped exhausts weren't seen on all LF Mk.Vs. My belief is that they went with the Merlin 55M, but I've never seen that (or any other idea) confirmed. Bear in mind that some pilots saw them almost as status symbols so they might be seen on any late-war Mk.V. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
303sqn Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 EP509. Converted to LF.Vb standard by fitting Merlin 45M in late 1943. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The wooksta V2.0 Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 Isn't that the old Airfix one? Interesting that it's still got the original external armour glass 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted July 20, 2016 Share Posted July 20, 2016 However, it has the later elevators and the strengthening strips over the inner wing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted July 21, 2016 Share Posted July 21, 2016 Aircrafts built with the external armour retained this to the very end, even if updated with other late war features. The structure of the different windscreens was such that the new one could not be installed on the old one. When I built my Portuguese Spitfire V I noticed how several of their aircrafts had the combination of external armoured windscreen, six exhaust stubs and late enlarged horn elevators. IIRC all these had been retrofitted with the Merlin 55 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Aereo Posted July 21, 2016 Author Share Posted July 21, 2016 45M, 50M and 55M, I believe, at least those consigned to Portugal in 1946. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Boak Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 From Shores et al Mediterranean Air War Vol 3: 25th April 1943 " Flt Lt Mackie returned to the unit... bringing with him the special stub exhausts which he had fitted to this Spitfire Mk.V, which materially improved its performance" p583 has a photo of this aircraft, JK715 SN.A with six stubs a side. Presumably these were liberated from a Mk.IX or appropriate stores. I was aware that Mackie was one of the pilots with 6-a-side on his Mk.V, but hadn't realised it was quite this early. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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