For those familiar with the markings of wartime Spitfires, the letters painted on an aircraft identified the squadron to which it belonged.
The “RF” on the Aerolite Spitfire identifies No. 303 (Polish) Squadron, based at RAF Northolt in Middlesex. The “V” identifies the individual aircraft.
How do you turn a 1,000 hp wartime fighter into a practical Spitfire for today’s private pilot?
Like this: The Aerolite Spitfire takes a new route — evolving Britain’s most famous fighter to meet today’s private pilots’ requirements.
Few aircraft have the enduring appeal of the Supermarine Spitfire. More than 80 years after it first became a national icon, the sight—and particularly the sound—of a Spitfire still has the power to stop people in their tracks.
For years private fliers and hobby aircraft builders have nursed a great, shared love and, for most, an impossible ambition – to own, perhaps even build and fly – their own Spitfire.
An equally important phase of the project has been determining whether there is a credible commercial market for a full-scale Spitfire-inspired aircraft intended for amateur construction.
With the external form based closely on Mk IX Spitfire geometry, the next stage was to assess computationally how the substantial reduction in aircraft weight would affect its flying and structural characteristics.
An early priority was the construction of a full-scale fuselage mock-up as a practical design aid. CAD modelling and 3D printing were used extensively to establish the aircraft’s overall dimensions, proportions, structural arrangement and cockpit geometry.
The magnificent Rolls-Royce Merlin is now around 90 years old. It was an exceptional engine for its time, but it is a product of 1930s technology.
In late 1940, Britain faced a potentially serious problem. The rapidly increasing demand for aircraft, combined with fears of an impending aluminium shortage, threatened to constrain production at a critical stage of WWII.
One of the principal challenges in developing a new generation of recreational Spitfires is reducing aircraft weight while preserving the distinctive proportions and appearance of the original.