Texas town making NEW Spitfires

[Thorlifter]

I expect everyone should place their order by the end of the year.

Small Texas town reproduces legendary WWII fighter plane | wfaa.com Dallas - Fort Worth

 

[Capt. Vick]

I'm getting a blue one...or maybe red...no yellow...and black!

 

[Airframes]

I wonder if he'll have problems regarding the company name? Supermarine still exist, in the UK, run by the grandson of RJ Mitchell, and based not far from his place of birth. They produce genuine parts for real, full-size Spitfires still flying, or under restoration.

 

[vikingBerserker]

...and my Christmas list has been updated!

 

[Airframes]

And at that price, you could have a full squadron of Spits, for slightly less than the cost of one real Spit!
Hmm, now I know what to do when I win the lottery! I'd have to find pilots for the Squadron of course ................

 

[oldcrowcv63]

Airframes, I volunteer... does that mean we'll call it the Eagle II squadron? Or maybe it should be the Gooney Squadron.

 

[Airframes]

Or maybe Looney Squadron !
The shame is, I'd have problems even climbing into one these days, and no chance of regaining a licence, due to this bl**dy disability !

 

[gumbyk]

We've got a couple of these flying down here. Being scale (80 or 90%) there is something that just doesn't quite look right about them.

That's not a reflection on the aircraft, I haven't seem any scale replicas that don't have the problem. It seems to be that the canopy doesn't scale ( you can't scale the pilot!) and this throws a lot of it out.

 

[N4521U]

When I lived in Livermore CA Walter Treadwell built a scale P-38. He also build a scale JN-4 with a Rotax engine. He was an amazing builder.

 

[gumbyk]

I'm not taking anything away form the builders or designers, but, to me they just don't look right.
They seem to fly alright though, here's a pilot report

 

[Thorlifter]

I wonder why, if your going to the time, effort, and cost, why do you build it at 90% scale and not 100% scale. Seems stupid to me. So I'll also assume there isn't a Merlin in those things.

Having said that.....I'll take 3, thank you.

 

[gumbyk]

So I'll also assume there isn't a Merlin in those things.

Having said that.....I'll take 3, thank you.

You get a choice of a V6 Isuzu 3.5 litre engine or a V8 LS2 6 litre (364 cu in)

 

[Thorlifter]

A V6 in a Spitfire. BLASPHAMY. Now I'm reducing my order to only 2.

 

[gumbyk]

A V6 in a Spitfire. BLASPHAMY. Now I'm reducing my order to only 2.

I'm not too sure... with a little exhaust trickery, I bet you could get it sounding something like a V12

 

[nuuumannn]

I wonder why, if your going to the time, effort, and cost, why do you build it at 90% scale and not 100% scale.

Part of the problem is getting a suitable powerplant. Once you get an engine the size and output of a Merlin then costs inevitably rise, not to mention handling and what have you. The fact that owners who wanted a Spitfire at a quarter of the cost of a real one can't have one because the full size one then becomes a 'warbird', which introduces an exponential rise in operating costs, insurance etc. With something like these smaller scale ones you have to have a bit of experience, but you'll want to have more than just a PPL and a thousand hours if you want to own a 'warbird'.

Will be neat to see a 'Flight' in flight. "C Flight, Bandits at Angel's One Five on your two o'clock..."

 

[GregP]

Go get a Jurca Spitfire kit (of your choice of marks) and fly with an Allison V-1710. 95% of the performance of the original with 20% of the cost.

I know two people who have done it and BOTH are happier than a criminal in a city with no police.

360 mph at sea level and capable of 8-g's. Cruises right with the real warbirds. You can gbet a freshly-overhauled Allison (lasts MUCH longer than a Merlin) for $100,000 USD. What a bargain!

The real issue in the future is the propeller ... but, right now, they CAN be found. Why screw around with 450 HP when you can fly wih 1,600 HP? ... unless cost is factor.

In which case , go for it! I would.

 

[pattle]

It sounds like a bargain to me at $175,000 which at rough guess is about £110,000, and when you think that some cars cost that and on occasion a lot more it is very good value for money. I understand that you would have to pay for it to be assembled, shipped and everything else, but for his work alone in building the kit I don't think he is being greedy.

 

[gumbyk]

Go get a Jurca Spitfire kit (of your choice of marks) and fly with an Allison V-1710. 95% of the performance of the original with 20% of the cost.

I know two people who have done it and BOTH are happier than a criminal in a city with no police.

360 mph at sea level and capable of 8-g's. Cruises right with the real warbirds. You can gbet a freshly-overhauled Allison (lasts MUCH longer than a Merlin) for $100,000 USD. What a bargain!

The real issue in the future is the propeller ... but, right now, they CAN be found. Why screw around with 450 HP when you can fly wih 1,600 HP? ... unless cost is factor.

In which case , go for it! I would.

Its not the purchase that hurts, its feeding the thing!

 

[N4521U]

The owner of a P-51D told me once the only difference between a boat and a plane is the size of the hole to throw your money into.

The shot side on, it's the bl00dy main wheels makes it look like training wheels! Or wheels to use in a short hangar!
Nice test report tho. Gimme gimme!

 

[tyrodtom]

If we didn't have real Spitfires to compare them to, those replicas would be beautiful.
Mitchell got it just right., and that's a very high standard to beat.