5007 x 3333 px | 42,4 x 28,2 cm | 16,7 x 11,1 inches | 300dpi
Data acquisizione:
21 luglio 2006
Ubicazione:
Farnborough Airfield Hampshire England Great Britain United Kingdom GB UK
Altre informazioni:
Spitfire Mk XIX PM 631 owned by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight with flaps and undercarriage down just about to land . Powered by the Rolls Royce Griffon 66 the replacement for the Merlin engine that produced a sound reveered by veterans and enthusiasts and rotated in the opposite direction . The wings of early spitfires were also more eliptical in shape and the prop had 3 blades not 5 which came in with the Mark XIV and more powerful Griffon . The Reconnaissance livery with a red central spot encircled by a dark blue annulus made it hard to spot from a distance . Built in November 1945 as a high altitude photo reconnaissance aircraft with a Griffon 66 engine and pressurised cockpit PM631 was too late to see operational service in WWII . Received by the RAF in 1946 and used by 203 Advanced Flying School in May 1949 later modified and used for for meteorological work . On 11 July 1957 together with Spitfires PS853 and PS915 the aircraft helped form the Historic Aircraft Flight which later became the BBMF . PM631 has served in the BBMF for 49 years of continuous service on display duties . PM631 is painted as an early PRXIX of 541 Squadron which performed high altitude unarmed reconnaissance European missions from early 1944 to the end of the war . Mk XIX Spitfires were last version . Mark XIX max speed 446 mph at 26000 ft with climb of 15 minutes 30 seconds to reach 35000 ft and a ceiling of 42000 ft . Max range 1500 miles
