British fighter Supermarine Spitfire MK.VB COBI 5725 - World War II

You know that:

• Designer Reginald J. Mitchell began work on a new fighter to RAF specifications as early as 1931.
• Eventually, after many modifications, probably the most famous fighter of the Second World War was created, but the most numerous machine in the RAF's armament was still the Hawker Hurricane.
• The very first Spitfire was commissioned into service on 4 August 1938 with the 19th Fighter Squadron of the RAF.
• Further aircraft were delivered to squadrons at a cadence of 1 per week.
• On the first operational take-off with 19 Squadron, the pilot had to swear that he would not forget to extend the landing gear on landing, something pilots were not used to with the older machines.
• For the first time ever, recessed rivets were used on Spitfires to keep the wing profile low, and many other then-mored technologies.
• The German aircraft were also very good, but they lacked one essential thing, namely the extremely reliable and powerful legendary Rolls-Royce engine.
• A total of 3,923 of the Mk.VB version were produced.
• There are still 60 airworthy machines around the world today.
• Jan Zumbach, whose figure is included, was a true aviation ace with 13 kills, but also a restless soul. After the war, he founded an airline that smuggled Swiss watches to Great Britain and American Pennyroyal to Czechoslovakia instead of transporting tourists. When it all came crashing down, he lost all his possessions and made a new living by engaging in numerous coups on the African continent. Well, he wasn't exactly a model hero.

Technical parameters:

• dimensions: span 11.22 m, length 9.12 m, height 3.48 m
• empty weight 2297 kg, maximum take-off weight 3290 kg
• power plant liquid-cooled Rolls-Royce Merlin 46 twelve-cylinder engine with 1055 kW
• three-bladed propeller with a diameter of 3,29 m
• maximum speed 592 km/h
• climb speed 14,1 m/s
• fuel tank capacity 386 l
• maximum flight level 12009 m
• range 764 km, maximum 1842 km
• armament 2x 20 mm Hispano Mk.I cannon +4x 7.7 mm Browning Mk.II machine gun