Vickers-Armstrong Spitfire FR XIVe

[mauld]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3SyDtG6hhQ

[treadigraph]

I love the sound of the Griffon! That is quite my favourite Spitfire.

[Flybiker7000]

It's my perception that the difference of sound compared to the Merlin mostly is caused by the five-bladed propellar!

[treadigraph]

No, tis the engine - herewith Kennet Aviation's beautiful Seafire XVII with Griffon and a four blade prop.

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Thanks to Saab Dastard for info about posting YouTubes - tricky business this techie stuff, keep changing!

[skydiver69]

In the video Treadigraph posted the chocks are placed on opposite sides of the undercarriage which I presume is due to the torque of the Griffon. Is that the case?

[treadigraph]

Skydiver, no idea, but when I've seen chocks placed thus, I assumed it was to prevent the aircraft possibly creeping fore or aft particularly if there is a stiff breeze blwoing; then the rear chock would be moved in front for start up. Wouldn't have thought torque would come into play at low RPM?

[Fareastdriver]

It that the Spitfire that used to be at Aldergrove? I know they had a bubble canopied Spitfire there in the 70s that belonged to, I believe, 23 MU.

I lived on Aldergrove airfield in the 40s when the RAuxAF had Spifire 22s but it was not one of them. They probably all ended up at High Ercall.

[treadigraph]

The Spitfire XIV was recoverd from India by Ormond Haydon-Baillie or Doug Arnold in the 1970s and acquired by The Fighter Collection for restoration in the late 1980s - it first flew again in the mid-1990s. I do recall seeing it as one of four or five kits of parts in Arnold's hangar at Backbushe in 1978.

The Seafire is one of four - 2 Mk17s and 2 Mk47s - that Peter Arnold (no relation to Doug) recovered from a scrap yard 40-odd years ago. I think the other three are all potential fliers. Peter posts on here occasionally, he may pop up and give us a bit more info about their status.