RAF grass runways

[Graham Boak]

One of the perennial modelling questions is about the bumps on the uppersurface of the Spitfire's wing, over the wheelwell. This was normal on the early aircraft (a/b wing) but redesigned out on the universal c wing, necessitating a bulge on the leg door. However, this bulge reappeared on later Mk IXs (and onward) because the axles and tyres were altered to improve operation off hard runways. Fair evidence that grass was considered the normal for fighter operations until about 1944.