What airfoil did the Spitfire use?
elliptical wing
The Supermarine Spitfire uses a modified elliptical wing.
Why do some Spitfires have clipped wings?
Shortening the wings lowered the effective altitude of the Spitfire but increased the roll rate, making it more maneuverable at lower altitudes. Clipped wings were not the only alteration made to the Spitfire wing shape. Extended tips were also used for high-altitude performance.
Why was the Spitfire wing so good?
The Spitfire’s famous elliptical wing with sunken rivets to have the thinnest possible cross-section gave the aircraft a higher top speed than most other fighters of the time. These wings also made the Spitfire one of the most agile fighters in the sky, giving them the advantage with one-on-one battles.
How many Spitfire marks were there?
24 marks
The Vickers Supermarine Spitfire was produced across 24 marks, with total production thought to be between 20,300 and 20,400 aircraft. Numerically, the most important marks were the Vickers Supermarine Spitfire MK. I, MK.
What kind of airfoil did a Spitfire have?
The Spitfire had evolutive airfoils of the NACA 2200 family, but they are not strictly identical. Also, the wing was twisted for better stalling characteristics which further offset an ideal elliptic loading. It is important to distinguish between an elliptic shape and an elliptic loading.
What is the elliptic shape of a Spitfire wing?
Firstly, let us define the word elliptic and how it relates to the Spitfire wing shape. The elliptic shape of the Spitfire wing will be treated purely as a geometric characteristic here. A wing with an elliptic planform, provided it has identical airfoils along its span with no twist, will produce an elliptic loading.
How did the Heinkel 70 influence the Spitfire?
The elliptic wing shape had been used in other aircraft and its advantages were well known. Our wing was much thinner than that of the Heinkel and had a quite different section.” However, he admits that(3)(my explanatory addition in brackets), “The Heinkel 70 did have an influence on the Spitfire, but in a rather different way.
What is the effective incidence of a Spitfire wing?
The effective incidence, α′, is that created by the trailing vortex field’s downwash velocity, w, at the wing. However, the above comment gives little indication of a practical advantage in the use of this planform formed from two half-ellipses.
