Thoughts about Friday's update

[fruitbat]

Originally Posted by ATAG_Snapper

No, you're right. Actually, I just flew that mission yesterday -- it is the 2-speed Mark 1 that's used. Don't shoot me if I'm wrong, but I believe that many Spitfire squadrons hadn't yet been retrofitted by May, 1940, with the CS props (DH or Rotol? Can't remember offhand which was field mounted and which was factory-installed later). IIRC Al Deere of 54 Squadron flew a Dunkirk mission in a Mark 1 with 2-speed prop (and got shot down and had to take a boat home with the evacuees).

Re-reading Alex Henshaw's "Sigh for a Merlin". Early on he mentions that the BoB pilots quickly discovered that the 2-speed prop pitch lever could be carefully manipulated at the center of travel to adjust the prop's pitch between Full Fine and Full Coarse -- which gave huge obvious advantages in performance if done skillfully. This was strictly variable pitch though, NOT Constant Speed. Neither DH nor Rolls Royce countenanced this, fearing serious damage to engine and/or prop governor -- but neither Company's reps were in the cockpit with the pilot at 20 angels with a 109 on their six! This aspect is not modelled in CoD, but IS modelled in A2A's Wings of Power 3 Spitfire 1a.

It is correct that during Dunkirk it should be 2 stage, but between the end of BoF and BoB DH fitted CSP's in the field, it was one of the few times that something was actually done quickly, and is well documented in both Alfred Prices "The Spitfire Story",
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spitfire-Sto.../dp/1854095145
and also in the even more encompassing work, Morgan and Shackladys "Spitfire the History" (a must read for all things Spitfire, look in the library or buy if you can)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spitfire-His.../dp/0946219486

Unlike the fitting of metal ailerons, which took and age for them to finally do from when it was recommended (during bob, fitted may ish 1941 iirc)