Thunderbolts and Mustangs versus the Jagdwaffe (split topic)

[Six Nifty .50s]

Originally Posted by Franek Grabowski

[Spitfire XI -- EN409 -- Multiple wing rivet failure in dive.
Spitfire XI -- EN409 -- Prop/gear broke off in dive.

It is indeed the aircraft tested by Fuehrer Martindale. I would like to see what happens with Thunderbolt in a speed exceeding M=0,9!.

I would like to see what happens to a Spitfire in a speed of Mach .91, or Mach .89, or whatever it was. That story has been rubbished by British aerospace engineers. They said that long before it reached that speed, the Spitfire would have broken up, much like those from the list I posted earlier.

This topic has come up often on the Usenet message boards over the past 10 years. Been there, done that.

Originally Posted by Franek Grabowski

In RAF it was generally considered Packard was of worser quality rather than RR.

My research indicates the exact opposite.

I just surveyed 162 Spitfires for engine failures and only nine were Spitfire Mk XVI. And it is not clear if any of these Mk XVIs had the original Merlin 266 installed. Possibly all nine of them had Rolls-Royce replacement engines when they were lost.