Spitfire + Mustang D-Day Pair

[mauld]

[Hal Bryan]

Oh, I could just sit and listen to that all day... Lovely, thanks for sharing, mauld!

[FunInAviation]

Very, very cool. Two of my favorite Warbirds!

[Bill Greenwood]

Does anyone known where this display is, it looks somewhat like Duxford. And who owns the planes and who were the pilots?

Thanks

[Blue Chips]

No fly by wire in those craft, that was a treat to watch!

Thanks for posting.

[mauld]

Does anyone known where this display is, it looks somewhat like Duxford. And who owns the planes and who were the pilots?

Thanks

From the Youtube discription
A tight display from the Old Flying Machine Company stable mates the Supermarine Spitfire MK.IX and P-51D Mustang 'Ferocious Frankie' at the IWM D-Day Anniversary Air Show.

As for the pilots if you listen carfully at the end I think the announcer mentions there names.

[jhausch]

Thanks for posting that. Awesome. I realize it would need to be similarly modified to do so, but could a Spit compete at Reno? Has one ever?

[Bill Greenwood]

THere have been Spitfires that have run a few laps at Reno, but not as a serious effort to win. First no one is likely to chop and modify the airframe of such a beautiful plane to try to compete with the highly modified all out race Mustangs like Strega or Dago Red, or now Voodoo or Rare Bear with the bigger engine.
And most Spitfires, the Merlin powered ones are about 21 mph slower than a stock P-51D, ie 416 mph to 437 mph. Now a Mk IX or a PR II would be faster than a P-40 or Wildcat that do run at Reno. Spits, from the V on up, do climb better than a P-51 and will outturn them, and surprisingly have a higher maximum dive speed, ie mach critical speed.
A Griffon powered Spit, a 14 or 18 is slightly faster than a P-51 D, and the last Spits, of which sadly none are flying, the 22, 24 and 47are well faster than a D.
But also the best top speed for most Spits is up high, maybe 25,000 feet, and not at Reno's 4000.
It is interesting to note that with basically the same engine the Merlin Mustangs are at least 20 mph faster than the Spits. Why? My semi educated guess is that the Spit wing, being better at climb and low speed handling and stall, has more lift and also more drag than the Mustang. The 51 wing was aimed at laminar flow, but their designer says that was not really acheived, especially in service and combat since it requires an extra smooth wing surface. Another factor drag from the guns, all the 51 guns are recessed in the wing, whereas the cannons of mid and later Spits are exposed and may have more drag. The 51 is touted as having low cooling drag with good design of the radiator ducting, but I know the Spit factory was also aware of this. Does the one large center rad on the 51 have less drag than the two wing rads in a Spit? Don't know, never seen any wind tunnel tests on this.

The ultimate development of the Spitfire, the new model the Spiteful is perhaps the fastest piston fighter ever, with a brutish 3stage Griffon of about 2500 hp, and top speed of 492 mph, and that is at miilitary weight. Sadly none flying, and even worse as far as I know, there are none that even survive in any state and in any museum. Again their best speed would be up high. I am sure they were not as forgiving and easy to fly as the early Spitfires, but if the pilot was tops, it would have been a potent combat airplane with all that power, climb, speed and 4 20mm cannons. Go arounds would have been exciting especially with the Seafang naval version if you have a rejected carrier landing.

[jhausch]

Thanks, Bill. I appreciate the info.