Questions for Spitfire buffs

[Juha]

My apologies; I didn't realise that "frankly I doubt that" overrides research. I won't bother you again.

Nix
I frankly doubt your claim and so checked from Price's The Spitfire Story and yes according to the page 100 in the book Type F with 2 F.24 cameras in the rear fuselage and carrying 30 gal blister tank under each wing as well as the 29 gal tank behind the pilot's seat, giving a fuel load of 89 gal in addition to that carried by the normal Spit Mk I, allowing it just be able to reach Berlin from GB. So no under fuselage overload tank and IMHO the rear fuselage tank must have been connected directly into the main fuel pipeline. Besides all the photos on early PR Spits I have seen show them without underfuselage overload/drop tank, so those that had a rear fuselage tank had to have them connected directly to the main fuel pipeline.

Juha

 

[claidemore]

Edgar, read page 16 and 17 of the Mk IX pilots notes (1565J). You may have other sources that indicate differently, but from what that manual says, the rear tanks do feed directly to the engine, the pilot just had to make sure not to let them drain into the drop tanks since the lines to both were connected.

 

[Juha]

In The Spitfire Story there is also the explanation for the apparently conflicting info on Type D's (Spit PR Mk IV's) tankage in Morgan's and Shacklady's bible. See my message #17. According to Price only 2 first handbuilt Type Ds had the real fuselage tank, they had also the normal Mk I tankage and 2 x 57gal integral leading edge tanks. The rear tank and the cameras in the real fuselage shifted CoG dangerously back, so the planes were difficult to fly for first ½ - 1 hour. The series production Type Ds had bigger leading edge tanks (2 x 66½ gal) so the rear fuselage tank could be dispersed with.

Juha

 

[tomo pauk]

There is something I'd like to know further: the weight disposition of the counterweights? IIRC those were subject of changes, in both properties, as the engines were changed, along with changes in the onboard equipment.

 

[Juha]

Hello Tomo
for starters, the first appr. 75 Mk Is with 2 bladed fixed pitch wooden airscrew had 135lb of lead ballast in nose, from 78th onward Spit Is had the 3 bladed 2 pitch metal airscrew which was 262lb heavier than the fixed pitch airscrew and so the ballast was removed from the nose and 40lb of it was repositioned in rear fuselage. Later still came constant speed airscrew...

Juha