| History This
Spitfire is one of two flying Spitfire's in Australia both of which are here at Temora Aviation Museum.
The Spitfire
Mk VIII is an all-metal, semi-monocoque construction with
a canti-levered wing, fabric covered elevators and rudder
and retractable landing gear. A total of 20,334 Spitfires
were built before, during and after the war. 1652 Spitfire
Mk VIII variants were built.
This aircraft
was the last Spitfire acquired by the Royal Australian
Air Force (RAAF). It was built by Supermarine in England
in 1944, test flown and then shipped to Australia. The
Air Force took delivery of the aircraft in April 1945.
With World War II drawing to a close, the aircraft was
not required on active service and was placed into storage.
After the war,
the aircraft was used at Sydney Technical College as an
instructional airframe. It was then acquired by Mr. Sid
Marshall who stored it, disassembled, at Bankstown until
1982. Mr. Colin Pay of Scone obtained the Spitfire and
began a detailed restoration program which was completed
in 1985 when the aircraft flew again.
The aircraft
is painted in the green and grey camouflage colours worn
by the RAAF aircraft defending Darwin during World War
II and in operations in the South West Pacific. The aircraft
carries the markings of Wing Commander R.H. (Bobby) Gibbes AM WG CMR DSO DFC*.
David Lowy acquired
the aircraft in May 2000 and donated it to the Temora
Aviation Museum in July 2002. The aircraft is maintained
in an airworthy condition and regularly flown at Museum
displays and airshows.
| Specifications |
| |
| Engine |
| Rolls-Royce Merlin 70 |
| 1710 horsepower (1275.66 kW) |
| 27 Litre liquid cooled V-12 piston engine
equipped with a two speed, two-stage supercharger.
|
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| Propeller |
| Rotol Constant Speed |
| 10'9" diameter (3.22m) |
| An engine driven propeller governor
hydraulically controls four wooden blades. |
| |
| Fuel
|
| Aviation Gasoline 100 Octane |
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| Fuselage Tank Capacity: |
90 Imperial Gallons |
409 Litres |
108 U.S. Gallons |
Wing Tank Capacity (2):
|
30 Imperial Gallons
|
136 Litres
|
36 U.S.Gallons |
| |
| Dimensions |
Wingspan: |
36' 10" |
11.23 m |
|
Length: |
31' 3 ½ " |
9.54 m |
|
Wing Area: |
242 sq. ft |
22.50 sq. m |
|
Height:
|
12' 7 ¾"
|
3.85 m
|
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| Weights |
Empty: |
5,805 lb |
2,633 kg |
|
Maximum Takeoff weight: |
8,021 lb |
3,638 kg |
|
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| Armament
|
Two 20mm Hispano Cannons.
Four .303 in. Browning Machine Guns.
Provision for one 500 lb (227 kg) or two 250 lb (114
kg) bombs. |
| |
| Performance |
Maximum Speed: |
361 knots |
416 mph |
669 km/h |
Cruise Speed: |
220 knots |
253 mph |
407 km/h |
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