Early Spitfire Undercarriage Lever and Voltage Regulator

[Olmec Head]

 

Looking at the pictures etc of the new Eduard 1/48 Spitfire 1a, I was wondering if anyone had decent information on when the undercart lever changed from the manual pump to the hydraulic system.  It is often quoted as around the 175th airframe, but that is still in the early K series I think.  Interesting the P9374 and N3200 rebuild/ replicas have the manual handle, which would suggest that the manual handle was later than the K series.  

 

Also the voltage regulator was in a lower position in early airframes and then moved to a intermediate position later on.  The Scale Models Nov 82 piece on the Spitfire 38-40 states that the regulator had a low seat position for N3023  through to N3110 and then to the final high set position.   Again does anyone have any info or pictures of these two early regulator positions please, i.e the initial and intermediate positions?

[Mark Postlethwaite]

My understanding is that there was no initial position and that the pilot was the voltage regulator for the K series by the use of a switch in the cockpit!

Edited August 6, 2020 by Mark Postlethwaite

[Peter Roberts]

Change over of undercarriage retraction system seems to have been around April 1940. The new system was probably not retro fitted to earlier builds.

 

 

[Olmec Head]

On 06/08/2020 at 17:27, Mark Postlethwaite said:

My understanding is that there was no initial position and that the pilot was the voltage regulator for the K series by the use of a switch in the cockpit!

Thanks Mark, that solves the initial postion!

[Olmec Head]

On 06/08/2020 at 22:53, Peter Roberts said:

Change over of undercarriage retraction system seems to have been around April 1940. The new system was probably not retro fitted to earlier builds.

 

 

Thanks Peter, I'll have a look at the link.