mauld,
As I'm quite possibly the only living man who trained (75 hrs) on Spitfires (Mks.I and II), 74 years ago last summer, thank you most sincerely for the You Tube clip of a chap having huge fun with one of them. I didn't know there were any Mk.1s left flying still, though of course there are plenty of the later marks about, several being the strange IX(T)s, although only 20 (I believe) of these were built; the RAF had nothing to do with them apart from supplying the Mk.IXs for the conversion.
I hope you don't mind if I add a few words of comment and gentle reproof from long, long ago: (all written without reference to 'Pilots Notes' - although these can probably be called up from the "Jever Steam Laundry") - but wholly from memory. Here goes:
No chocks ? Funny colour scheme !
0.19
Where is his "jemmy" which should be Terry-clipped inside the cockpit flap ? There is
something there bottom left, but not enough to break out of an eggshell. Can't even see the clips,
0.36
Has started on internal battery, bad practice as internal not intended to carry starter load. Should have waited for a trolley acc. But in this case, engine obviously still hot from last flight ? (as evidenced by the start without any "Ki-gas" fuel inject, otherwise would have had normal mini-coflagration from stacks). Opened cooling rad flap fully immediately on start-up, and left it open while taxying, good practice for that's when you need maximum cooling,
1.00
Shut your cockpit flap ! - (on the first catch, you'll need it there soon, and in any case you don't want it banging about in the gale).
1.38
Takes off with canopy shut. (so, if it goes wrong, and he finishes up on his back, he's trapped - must jemmy his way out. Oh, dear - no jemmy !). Drill we were taught is on: "Military Aviation>Gaining an RAF Pilots Brevet in WWII", Page 158 #3145.
4.01
Puff of rich mixture when power returns after the Merlin II or III gravity-fed carb has momentarily stopped supply under negative 'G'. (It was this that gave the Me109s the advantage of being able to 'bunt' away from a Spitfire, as their fuel-injected engines kept going).
4.05
Very nicely on three points now (but what happened in the previous 5-10 seconds ?) Would like to see that, pity they don't show it. Has landed with hood closed; see 1.38 above.
4.10
Don't remember a landing light (but then we didn't fly them by night).
5.00
Good view of the little "fingers" which popped up on the upper surface of each wing to confirm u/c 'down' (in addition to the cockpit indicator). I think only the Mks I and II had these. The patch on the port wing, I'm told, is a gas-detector.
Finally - No chocks !
In all, a lovely vignette of an incomparable little machine, the lightest of the series and the nicest thing I ever flew. (But what is a "Type 300" ?)
Eheu fugaces.... !
Danny42C.