I visited the Royal Air Force Museum in north London, England three times and that smell is everywhere in that huge museum. I said to my wife that that was the smell of History !!!! That smell is part of the experience !!
yes, it is hard to imagine. They were the brightest and very best teenagers, too, the 18-19 year old versions of Lewis Hamilton, speed savvy and not risk-averse, not afraid of having super-sonic lumps of lead flying around them at 3,000ft in the air, at a time when virtually none ever left contact with terra firma, with high-octane fuel built in all around them, being pumped under great pressure to a 27+litre engine. And they then had to be good at the game of 3-D Chess, where success meant murdering someone, and failure meant being brutally damaged or killed yourself. Would you? In modern times, where everyone expects as a right to live to 80, then at 18, would you offer your life on those terms?
@@matthewhackett1710 you probably mean, not TOO afraid. Because i am pretty sure most of them were quite afraid. From a German pilot having to fly over the channel ""There was no talk about fear or being taken prisoner. At least, nobody admitted if he was scared. All around us, we saw heroes both in the newspaper and on the radio. I think that everybody thought that he was the only one who was afraid. For example, our briefings were always held outside in the open air. Immediately after it finished and before we went to our planes, we all ran to the latrines and sat on the toilet. At first we thought it was sabotage but in fact it was fear.""
No sound-deadening lining. No cockpit heat. 0.032 aluminum skins to save weight. Flush rivets to aid in the speed department. Minimal instrumentation, all vacuum driven. Huge V-12 - 1,030 HP in Mk.I air-frame. Up to 2,340 HP in later Mk's. Full left rudder at take-off power. Beautiful to fly - but LOUD. These planes saved Western Civilization in 1940.
How unfortunate that these magnificent things had to fight on the side of two nations (Soviet Union and Communist China) that were or would become some of the most horrible dictatorships the world has ever seen. Tens of millions of people died because of that, and the two countries have not learned from their mistakes in any way whatsover, unlike Germany, Italy, Japan, etc.
@BarbarossaBMW88ϟϟ not really silly to throw a larger cam in. She might eat through gas faster but it helps a lot with power. Especially if you’re going to be running it at wildly different elevations for air shows. It just gives you more flexibility. They even cammed these things out during the war. There’s no need for a clean idle if most of your time is spent with it above idle where you need it to be clean. That’s why variable valve timing and valve lift exists nowadays. It gives you a more efficient idle while giving you more power on full throttle. It’s just difficult to implement on an engine that isn’t designed for it. I’m not saying it is cammed out though, it could not be and it could just have a shitty idle. I just don’t see why they wouldn’t cam it if they could.
It's almost impossible to imagine the amount of adrenaline, fear, excitement & anticipation those brave souls who took to the skies bound for inevitable conflict & the prospect of death felt every time they cranked up those beautiful Rolls Royce engines. Respect.
I’m sure the Germans and Japanese felt similar. I can relate to anyone trying to defend their homes, friends, and families. You do what you have to and let history argue over who was right or wrong
As an American I’m of course partial to the P-51 Mustang, but, having listened to the history of the Battle of Britain, there is no doubt that the Spitfire (and Hurricane) earned the adoration of the Brits by the fact that they were the ever present defense against the daily raids by the Germans, and the protectors of the home islands.
He was probly at the airfield and saw this thing parked with the owner nearby. Then ask if he can sit in it and pretend it's his. I doubt anyone who can afford 1 of these would need help starting it...
What is it about the sound of a spitfire coming to life and listening to her that’s just.......indescribable. I just hope that future generations will appreciate Mitchell’s beautiful creation and how it did save Britain.
When you look at the instrument panel on this aeroplane and realise just what the engine and aerodynamics are able to give you, then - and only then - can you appreciate just how MASSIVE were the balls on the men - (BOYS!) who flew these machines!
@@Naiz lmao. And responding to his comment, neither of them did. The battle was not a plane or a soldier. However, this dumbass forgets that hurricanes had the same engine as the Spitfires in 1940, therefore the same sound, therefore it's still the sound of winning. So he can fuk right off 🖕🤓
@@Phenom98 And it seems that 99% of people in these comments dont even know what a merlin sounds like, because this video is not a spitfire, its not a merlin, its just a shitty old mock up with a tractor engine or something haha
The late Harald Bauer was in WWII on the German side as a very young pilot ferrying Heinkel He 162 jets. He was shot down by an American but survived. After the war, he was recruited by the U.S. to do intelligence and went into the U.S. Army and then transferred to the U.S. Navy where he retired as a full commander. There are videos of him telling his amazing story and when asked what WWII plane he would have preferred to fly, he said "The Spitfire".
There's something so amazing about piston props. It's the same thing that makes a slower V8 so much better than a tesla roadster. The noise, the fumes, the vibrations, it's like a wild animal, it's hearty and beautiful, and alive.
This weekend I attended a dawn memorial service at the beach on the Gold Coast of Queensland, Australia. It was part of the Anzac Day memorial for fallen soldiers fallen. As the service ended the sun peaked over the ocean horizon, just as I heard the roar of a Merlin engine. I looked up to see a beautiful Spitfire tearing along the shoreline just 30 or so meters above all in attendance. It was majestic.
The Merlin 266 engine in our Spitfire was made in the United States by the Packard Motor Car Company. The Merlin design was developed and improved many times between 1933 and 1950. These parts are from the Merlin '60 series' which introduced a two-stage, two-speed supercharger.
I can't even imagine going up in the air in that thing, much less going to war and fighting for our country. The technology back in those days, that massive caurbeurated engine... so much room for failure and so much at risk. Just hearing it fire up rings of danger and literally flying into the unknown. Never take your freedom for granted, the people that flew these along with many others paid for it in full. A hard life to live with only hopes that one day ours may be easier. A genuine thank you to those who have given their life so I can have mine, and the freedom that comes with it. Never forget these times and these people, simply for the sake of their sacrifice and the way that it allowed and continues to allow you and I the way of life we have today. To pay any less respect is quite frankly ignorant in my book, it has affected us all whether you like to believe it or not and many of these people didn't even have a choice. A good reminder of true service, thanks for the video, and God bless the USA.
I worked for an old guy who flew Corsairs in the Pacific theater. He told me that the servicemen got beer but the pilots got whiskey. I asked, did you drink while on duty. He said Hell yeah. You think we would have done that shit sober.
One of my most wanted and favorite memories is being 17 in 1940 and allowed to be a Spitfire pilot or even a Hurricane driver. I knew acro by then and could do about as good as a lot of guys. No ace, but stand my own.
@@morerightrudder9742 yeah, spitfires are plenty. It's the 'losing' planes that need to be cherished and protected, like the Mitsubishi a6m5 'zero'. Spitfires and P51s are very high in number in comparison
Reason why (IMO) everyone thinks this spit is really clunky is because it's a full scale replica with a real merlin. Reason why I think is because a baby airshow at Damyns Hall Aerodrome had a MkIX spitfire that I sat in and seemed real at the time ( I was like 9 or something) but before this it was run up by other people that payed some money
Makes me realise how primitive they were, it must have been terrifying for a young novice Pilot to fly alone for the first time. I salute each and every one of you who had the courage to fly one.
You forget this aircraft was state of the art back then, most pilots learned in a biplane tiger moth or similar and graduated to this or Hurricanes. Today’s equivalent would be like going from a single engine Cessna to an F22 raptor. Only thing frightening was the Me 109’s shooting back at them
We see all those beautiful and smooth drawings of WWII aircraft in their many various colour schemes--but this shows the beast up close as a grimy, rattly, chipped, and lumpy REAL thing.
Well, TBH when they actually fought in the war - they were pretty much brand new. They might've rattled about as much but at least the paint wasn't nearly as chipped :-D
@@suzukirider9030 It fascinates me how lumpy the flying surfaces are--but I guess a dinged wingtip trailing edge or bent fixed rudder trim tab don't make much difference!
Yup. I mean probably much, much less than extending the landing gear - yet airplanes can obviously fly with extended LG, how much of an aero disturbance is that? :-)
I was just sitting here trying to figure out what seemed wrong about that cockpit but as soon as I saw your comment I thought that's probably it. I've never seen a spitfire with original instrumentation so maybe that's why something doesn't look right in there to me.
It took 9 versions before the Spitfire equaled the 109 Messerschmit. Hurricanes did most of the battle work because they were maneuverable and extremely robust.
Great to see it from the pilots view. Most days a Spitfire flys over my house as l'm on the flight path from Biggin Hill where they take a paid passenger for a flight experience.
Combat-virgin F-35 : I need a permanent maintenance, network access, special purified fuel and to be kept in a tempered hangar or I will die the Chad Spitfire : Crank that harder and let's go to war!
It is a fibreglass replica fitted with a tank engine. People pay the owner for the pleasure of thinking they are starting a real Spitfire. This is a video of a well known Spitfire, being started by a well known pilot: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FzsJBjbCyvM.html
Pretty obvious, too. Not using the actual primer but the throttle to add some fuel, prop rotates way too slow and you actually see the non V12 engine sticking out of the top.
I really love this plane, one of my goal in life is to buy one, air worthy (at least in condition good enough to be restored and bring it back to the skies) with the flight license that come with it. Going to air meetings on her own wings, in full time period gear, that would be the dream.
Forget your Veyrons...your Ferraris...even Formula 1 cars..having to climb into this...not because you wanted to...but because You Had To...R E S P E C T..!
Possibly, and probably, a real Spitfire, but definitely non flying given the crazed cockpit glass and hoofing great hole in the engine cowl with what looks like a Rover Meteor poking out. Essentially a Merlin, but made using cheaper castings or scrap/ non-airworthy Merlin parts, non-supercharged and fitted in tanks. Very cool though, and much more interesting than just another Spitfire in a museum gathering dust. Lets normal people sit in a Spitfire and fire up a near-as-damnnit Rolls Royce Merlin without risking a flying example and without the cost of fitting an actual Merlin. Gives you the warm fuzzies at half the price, and there's not much wrong with that.
It's a fibreglass model, with a Rover Meteor tank engine, that drives a hydrostatic pump with the propeller in the wrong direction. Full of broken, unconnected instruments, it gives children a chance to dream. Can be seen hawked about various fetes during the summer. ps the Meteor is not "essentially a Merlin", except to those owners who wish it was.
Nothing wrong with a wish and a dream. I've a replica of the car I always wanted, for instance. No, it isn't real, it never got thrashed round a track by Mike Hawthorn, nor does it even contain many parts from the period... but it sounds like it should and looks like it should to anyone but a dedicated fan. And it makes me and others happy. Yes, to people who know, this 'Spitfire' could be seen as a something of an abomination. But could you honestly not sit in that seat, fire up a massive old V12 and not be happy for a second or two? So long as no one claims it's real and tries to give it fake history and credit it hasn't earned, I see no problem.
English Electric Lightning was another formidable Aircraft, and was another good British Innovation that evolved after the Spitfire. The Spitfire sounded like a purring kitten when compared with the Lightning.
Old instruments in that! That is awesome and the most authentic Spitfire cockpit I've seen in a while. Wonder if that plane saw action during Battle Of Britain
love the spitspire always as a kid this is a beast i kinda wehent as a kid into fs 98 read these books about airpplane and the dif spitfires always caught my attention damn this a violent plane
Like it , actually a fibreglass gate guardian fitted with a rover meteor engine that was de tuned Merlin for tanks and the owner has spent a lot of time getting it up together so hats off
