Spitfire Canopy Question

[maninblack]

On photos of the Mk1 Spits there is usually an ovular panel on the port aspect of the Malcolm hood that was deleted on later aircraft. It appeared to be riveted into the perspex.

What was it for and why was it deleted?

[Zlin526]

I think you're talking about the DV window (Direct vision)

[Lowtimer]

The very first Spitfire canopy sliding sections were basically flat-topped and slab-sided. The second version had a curve in the top to provide increased headroom, but still had flat sides in the region of the DV panel. The third version was a "blown" canopy which have curved sides as well as well as a curved top. The direct vision panel was fitted to the first and second types but not the third. I haven't examined the DV panel on a Spit close-up, never had the opportunity as they are now very very rare (happy to be proved wrong but I *think* all the surviving flying Spitfires have the blown sliding section or the later bubbletop canopy). However, the DV panel would not be easy to implement neatly on a compound-curve perspex blown canopy section, and in any case by that stage it was quite clear from experience that the Spit could be flown comfortably at quite high speeds with the canopy slid fully back (as those of us watching AR501's elegant display last evening at Old Warden will have noted, for example). So the DV panel was of little practical benefit. Don't blame them for putting one in at the start though, when the Spitfire came in there was very little practical experience of flight at such speeds.

[DSR10]

If you want further research you could contact Suntex
01753 653011 who still mould Spitfire canopies should you need one!

[Mark22]

Didn't Suntex go out of business a few years back?

When the the Medway Group totally refurbished the oldest Spitfire extant, K9942, for the RAF Museum back in 2000, they replicated the clear view panel on the port side of the canopy.
The aircraft is currently displayed at Cosford.

Mark22

[maninblack]

Thanks for that, chaps. I thought that it was some kind of visibility panel but didn't know where to start finding the answer.

Suntex were a strange company, typical small scale aviation bods, I visited them years ago but failed to sell them anything.