Tiki Tom
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Holy moly!
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160505-the-spitfires-that-nearly-broke-the-sound-barrier
Those daring young men in their flying machines certainly had bravery in spades. Just incredible. (The article also mentions Chuck Yeager... A name I haven't heard in years but which every schoolboy knew and could go into great detail about when I was a youngster.)
Once upon a time, my friends and I had a lively discussion about which was the better aircraft, the Mustang or the Spitfire. I think the consensus was that it was situational, for altitude and speed and escorting long-range bombers you would want the P-51; for close range defense and maneuverability you'd want the Supermarine Spitfire. I don't know. That may be true and well and good, but the more I read about the spitfire, the more I'm attracted to it.
"Martindale was saved by simple physics. With the heavy propellers wrenched off, the aircraft was now tail-heavy, and this change in the centre of gravity forced it to climb up from the dive at great speed. Martindale was knocked unconscious from the stress of the climb, and woke to find his aircraft flying at 40,000ft (13 kilometres). Somehow he managed to glide the aircraft back to his base, and emerged unscathed. The stress of the plane’s dive had bent the wings, giving them a slightly swept shape – the kind of shape that would eventually help other aircraft travel through the sound barrier."
The article is basically about how the spitfire contributed to creative thinking about how to break the sound barrier.
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160505-the-spitfires-that-nearly-broke-the-sound-barrier
Those daring young men in their flying machines certainly had bravery in spades. Just incredible. (The article also mentions Chuck Yeager... A name I haven't heard in years but which every schoolboy knew and could go into great detail about when I was a youngster.)
Once upon a time, my friends and I had a lively discussion about which was the better aircraft, the Mustang or the Spitfire. I think the consensus was that it was situational, for altitude and speed and escorting long-range bombers you would want the P-51; for close range defense and maneuverability you'd want the Supermarine Spitfire. I don't know. That may be true and well and good, but the more I read about the spitfire, the more I'm attracted to it.