THE EVOLUTION OF THE SPITFIRE Mk.I and Mk.II

SThat the Spitfire Mk.I would prove to be a design with great evolutionary potential became abundantly evident from its introduction into service in the fall of 1938, and on through the beginning

of the war a year later, and especially as the air war moved over

western Europe. This evolution was very dramatic and could be

seen through the physical changes in the details that the Spitfire

Mk.I went through. Changes were retrofitted to existing airframes

so that the appearance of specific aircraft went through changes

as well. As a result, the look of a Spitfire Mk.I in October, 1940

differed to at least some extent from a Spitfire Mk.I from October,

1938. To the contrary, the Spitfire Mk.II was a complete package

from the initiation of its production in the summer of 1940. This

was a thoroughbred fighter that did not see any practical changes throughout its production run. The Spitfire Mk.II, produced at

a new facility in Castle Bromwich, incorporated all of the painfully and exhaustively developed modifications that took two

years to develop in the Spitfire Mk.I. The following illustrations

and accompanying notes summarize the evolution of the Spitfire

Mk.I and its differences from the Mk.II.

SPITFIRE Mk.I

- Powerplant: One 1,030hp Rolls-Royce Merlin II Engine

- Fuel: 87-octane Aviation fuel

Spitfire Mk.I, Fall 1938

FIGURE 1

1. Two blade wooden, fixed Weybridge propeller

2. Fixed mechanical sights

3. Windscreen without armor plating or rearview mirror

4. Flat canopy

5. Voltage regulator behind the seat in the bottom

of the fuselage

6. Antenna masts and leads for the TR.9B Radio

7. Older ‘bi-fingered’ pitot tube

8. Non armored fuel tank cover reinforcement

FIGURE 1

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INFO Eduard - DECEMBER 2020