Super Marine Spitfire MK-1

The Supermarine Spitfire MkIa and the newer MkII Spitfires were the British fighters that fought alongside the Hawker Huricane in the Battle of Britain, the Hurricanes engaged the German bombers while the more agile but less numerous Spitfires engaged their Messerschmitt Bf 109 E fighter escorts. Few MkI Spitfires survive today, this is partially due to high losses in the early part of WW2, and the fact that most survivors were converted in to Spitfire MkV's.

It is of interest to note that the Supermarine Spitfire's 300 round ammunition belts were nine yards in length, often a young pilot returning from an operational sortie would enthusiastically describe an aerial combat by saying "I gave him the whole nine yards", hence the popular phrase "The Whole Nine Yards". Supermarine Spitfire Mk1 Specifications: Crew: Pilot only Wingspan: 36ft 11 in (11.25m) Length: 29ft. 11 in (9.12m) Height: 11 feet 5 inches (3.48m) Engine: Single 1,030 hp Rolls-Royce Merlin III twelve-cylinder liquid-cooled V12 Maximum Speed: 362 mph (584km/h) at 19,000 ft (5,790m) Range: 395 miles Service Ceiling: 34,556ft (10,532m) Armament: Eight wing mounted .303 Browning machine guns