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From: newave!john@uunet.UU.NET (John A. Weeks III)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: US Fighter Designations
Message-ID: <1990Aug9.020215.9205@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 9 Aug 90 02:02:15 GMT
References: <1990Jul31.223607.6367@cbnews.att.com>
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From: newave!john@uunet.UU.NET (John A. Weeks III)

> > The original Mk. I Spitfire had a two blade, fixed propeller.  All war
> > variants had 3 blade propellers with variable pitch. Late model (post-war)
> > Griffon engined Spitfires may have had more blades.

> I've never seen or heard of a Spitfire with more than three blades. If you
> find one, send me a picture. :-)

Next time you are in Minneapolis, stop at the "Planes Of Fame" museum in
Eden Prairie.  You will find a Spitfile Mk14 with a loud Rolls Royce engine
and a 5 blade prop.  According to a museum "expert", it was produced at the
very end of WWII.

According to the Complete Book of WWII Combat Aircraft, the Spitfire Mk1
prototypes and early production models had 2 blade wooden props.  Most of
the Mk1 production had 3 blade aluminum props.  The Mk9 had 4 blades.

-john-

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