Spitfire Mk. Vb wing root openings

[Steve in Ottawa]

On a later variant I would think that this was a fuel cooler intake, but I'm wondering if this a gun camera opening on a Mk.V? Depending on the photos I'm looking at, it's either open as you see below, visibly faired over with a metal plug, visibly taped over (with what looks like maybe a 0.303" MG tape patch?). In the photo below I have highlighted the opening in question, along with another tape-patched area to the right of the opening in the photo. This shows up on a few period photos, so it's not a one-off thing. Any educated insight would be appreciated.

 

 

Edited February 11, 2017 by Steve in Ottawa
clarifying wording

[gingerbob]

Yes, I believe so.  The Mk.IX's fuel cooler displaced the 'camera gun' until it was later fitted/retrofitted into the starboard wing root.

 

bob

[Steve in Ottawa]

Thanks, Bob. So is what I'm seeing inside the aperture the protective glass for the camera lens? I'm drilling this open on a 1/48 build and I'm not sure how to treat the final look of this feature.

 

Here's another shot of an RCAF aircraft with the same setup as the photo above. I'm wondering what that tape patch is covering?

[gingerbob]

Hi Steve, the manual says:

 

(section 10 para 19) "This camera gun is mounted on a bracket attached to a rib on the port wing, exposures being made through a hole in the leading edge fillet.  ...a special adaptor flange is fitted to butt against the sponge rubber ring in the leading edge and thus seal the gap between the camera body and the leading edge and prevent the entrance of air currents.  To fit the camera, remove the leading edge bottom fillet together with the hole cover and bolt the camera in position; the camera is aligned with the gun sights in the usual manner.  The hole cover is similar to the gun tunnel plugs and is secured in the same manner."

 

So, my interpretation is that you're seeing a hole with a slight "tunnel" and the glass lens of the camera gun itself. 

 

No idea what the slightly outboard patch is- I don't think there's anything there that would involve a hole through the leading edge.

[Steve in Ottawa]

Hi Bob, thanks for the detailed info. I drilled out a nice-sized hole with a #61 bit and carefully filed it to what looks like a good size. Then I inserted a short section of 1 mm Abloy tubing and I'm quite pleased with the result. When the painting and washing is done I'll put a drop of something clear in there to represent the lens.

 

 

[It's a disease]

This may help, first picture caption.

http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2001/12/stuff_eng_detail_spitfire_ix_03.htm

"The wing root fillet with solid leading edge visible here was not common for all Mk. IXs. Early production batches powered by Merlin 61 and 63 series engines had a relatively large circular air intake there serving the fuel cooler, a device used to prevent the fuel from boiling at the relatively high climbing speeds of the new fighter. The fuel cooler installation was identical as on the previous Mk. VII high-altitude version. It is not a widely-known feature as it was later removed and none of the surviving Mk. IXs seems to have it retained. 

In the same spot, earlier Spitfire marks had a smaller opening for a  gun camera.  Because of the fuel cooler installation, it was initially omitted altogether on Mk. IXs, and later on moved to the starboard wing fillet."

 

The morgan shacklady lady spitfire book may shed further light on the subject but ipms is pretty good for accurate info.
 

 

Edit in links,

(further explanation)

http://spitfireforums.com/index.php?topic=39.0

(explains which type had this feature)

http://spitfiresite.com/2010/04/spitfire-mk-ix-xi-and-xvi-variants-much-varied.html

Edited February 25, 2017 by It's a disease

[Graham Boak]

This fuel cooler intake is a feature of the F Mk.IX (as you say, Merlin 61 and 63).  It was removed on the LF Mk.IX (Merlin 66).