Spitfire, Merlin Variant
by Ron Mackay, Squadron Signal, Carrollton, Texas, 2013, $18.95
There is a little of the aeronautical engineer in nearly all of us who have caught the “aviation bug.” We marvel at the design, the details and the elegant mechanics involved in these flying machines. British designer R.J. Mitchell was no exception; his sleek and curvaceous Supermarine Spitfire is the very definition of an elegant design. It’s easy to understand why it’s on nearly everyone’s list of favorite airplanes. Squadron Signal has once again given us bolt-for-bolt detail on the early variants of this legendary fighter. Part of the “Walk Around” series, this volume benefits from the excellent restorations of two early Mark I fighters, plus two Mk. Vs and two Mk. IXs. Ron Mackay starts with P9374, a Mk. Ia that came to grief in France on a Calais beach on May 24, 1940. This painstakingly reconstructed fighter has taken to the air again, making it one of the earliest versions of the Spitfire flying today (see “Restored,” May 2013).
Mackay walks us through the development of the fighter via restored examples that illustrate each successive mark of the Rolls Royce Merlin–powered version— from early Battle of Britain veterans to the 20mm cannon–armed Mk. V (the most numerous variant to see service, with more than 6,000 built) and the sleek Mk. IX. It’s amazing that this much detail fits into a mere 80 pages.
The cockpit photos alone are enough to make any modeler swoon. Great effort has clearly gone into photographing every corner of these iconic aircraft. Looking at the workings of these beautiful fighters brings a new appreciation for all the thought, inspiration and engineering that went into Mitchell’s masterpiece.
Originally published in the January 2015 issue of Aviation History. To subscribe, click here.
