TE392 Spitfire

Sopwith · **Joined:** Tue Jan 19, 2010 2:49 pm **Posts:** 548

I see on one of the Facebook sites that this Spitfire flew first post restoration flight on Monday 13th in Australia. Anyone have any photos?

Thomas_Mac · **Posted:** Wed Jan 15, 2020 7:03 pm

http://warbirdsnews.com/warbird-restora ... ralia.html

Adam Kline · **Posted:** Wed Jan 15, 2020 7:18 pm

The Flaps are really down in the photo.

martin_sam_2000 · **Joined:** Sun Jan 08, 2012 10:05 am **Posts:** 397

Adam Kline wrote:

The Flaps are really down in the photo.

Spitfire flaps have 2 positions. All the way up or all the way down. Nothing else.

Sean

expat · **Joined:** Mon Aug 08, 2005 7:51 am **Posts:** 68

I helped with taking the wings off in 1984 at RAF Hereford,was a 16 year old YTS recruit

Dan Jones · **Posted:** Fri Jan 17, 2020 10:27 am

martin_sam_2000 wrote:

Adam Kline wrote:

The Flaps are really down in the photo.

Spitfire flaps have 2 positions. All the way up or all the way down. Nothing else.

Sean

That's true, but there was one exception to that. There were a couple of times when Spitfires employed partial flap for take-off. First correct answer wins the Friday morning trivia challenge. geek

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11324

Carrier ops?

Dan Jones wrote:

martin_sam_2000 wrote:

Adam Kline wrote:

The Flaps are really down in the photo.

Spitfire flaps have 2 positions. All the way up or all the way down. Nothing else.

Sean

That's true, but there was one exception to that. There were a couple of times when Spitfires employed partial flap for take-off. First correct answer wins the Friday morning trivia challenge. geek

martin_sam_2000 · **Joined:** Sun Jan 08, 2012 10:05 am **Posts:** 397

Dan Jones wrote:

martin_sam_2000 wrote:

Adam Kline wrote:

The Flaps are really down in the photo.

Spitfire flaps have 2 positions. All the way up or all the way down. Nothing else.

Sean

That's true, but there was one exception to that. There were a couple of times when Spitfires employed partial flap for take-off. First correct answer wins the Friday morning trivia challenge. geek

I would suspect they wired them down or something for when the launched the spitfires of the carrier when they were delivered the Mk.V. Trops to malta.

Sean

Sopwith · **Joined:** Tue Jan 19, 2010 2:49 pm **Posts:** 548

Apparently they lowered the flaps then retracted them with wooden wedges in place to stop them at the desired flap angle for the carrier take off when flying to Malta. Once airborne the flaps were lowered again to allow the wedges to drop away after which the flaps were raised again .

DH82EH · **Posted:** Fri Jan 17, 2020 7:43 pm

WINNER!!

Dan Jones · **Posted:** Fri Jan 17, 2020 9:59 pm

Sopwith wrote:

Apparently they lowered the flaps then retracted them with wooden wedges in place to stop them at the desired flap angle for the carrier take off when flying to Malta. Once airborne the flaps were lowered again to allow the wedges to drop away after which the flaps were raised again .

Exactly right! :drink3:

Sopwith · **Joined:** Tue Jan 19, 2010 2:49 pm **Posts:** 548

Cheers

LysanderUK · **Joined:** Sun Feb 21, 2010 2:01 pm **Posts:** 271

If I remember right, the wooden wedge idea wasn't just for Malta-bound Spitfires but it also applied to normal operation of most versions of Seafire. Only the later Griffon-powered Seafires had variable flap positions and even then it was only on the very late examples in the Mk.40+ range.

Congratulations to everyone involved with TE392, great to see it looking so good.

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