Another Spitfire question

[P.o Prune]

Working on airplanes for the better part of 40 years I noticed that the flap wells were always soaked in, in a mix of dirt and small hydraulic leaks etc.

Does anybody know what the Spitfire flap wells looked like? Since they were pneumatic operated I can't imagine they were all that dirty and then again, taking off and landing from grass fields must have had some effect.

[Don149]

I don`t know what state they would be in , but the Spitfire had only two flap positions , full up and full down . They weren`t used for take-off . 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Don .

[Dave Swindell]

1 hour ago, Don149 said:

I don`t know what state they would be in , but the Spitfire had only two flap positions , full up and full down . They weren`t used for take-off . 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Don .

As designed, yes, but they were sometimes wedged partially open. Belgian target tugs took off with a target sleeve inside the starboard flap and a wedge in the port flap to set the angle the same. The target was streamed (and the wedge jettisoned) by dropping the flaps briefly after take-off. 

[Graham Boak]

The wedges were developed to help get the aircraft off aircraft carrier decks.  I don't recall any reference for them in use by the RAF in wartime.