Spitfire at the USAF Museum Dayton

[dave-the-diver]

Had a spare hour in Dayton during the week and rushed around the WW2 hall at the National USAF Museum.

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/index.asp

Fabulous place, could have spent days there, and free entry!

This Spitfire confused me. Have never seen one with the huge air intake before.

According to the blurb:

"The Spitfire on display is a Mk. Vc (Trop) built for Supermarine under license by Vickers-Armstrong in June 1943. Shipped to Australia in September 1943, it served with the Royal Australian Air Force, and the museum acquired it from the Imperial War Museum in March 2000."

Is the intake a Tropical mod, or something else?

As an aside, B29 Bockscar is in the same hall. Quite an eerie feeling peering up through the glass in front of the bomb aimer's sight.

Apologies for the poor quality iPhone pics, bit dark in the hall.

David

Edited by dave-the-diver on Friday 11th November 12:28

[dr_gn]

dave-the-diver said:

Had a spare hour in Dayton during the week and rushed around the WW2 hall at the National USAF Museum.

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/index.asp

Fabulous place, could have spent days there, and free entry!

This Spitfire confused me. Have never seen one with the huge air intake before.

According to the blurb:

"The Spitfire on display is a Mk. Vc (Trop) built for Supermarine under license by Vickers-Armstrong in June 1943. Shipped to Australia in September 1943, it served with the Royal Australian Air Force, and the museum acquired it from the Imperial War Museum in March 2000."

Is the intake a Tropical mod, or something else?

As an aside, B29 Bockscar is in the same hall. Quite an eerie feeling peering up through the glass in front of the bomb aimers site.

Apologies for the poor quality iPhone pics, bit dark in the hall.

David

It's a larger air filter for the supercharger intake.

[Simpo Two]

Yes, that's the tropicalised version as used in North Africa. I believe it has extra filters to keep sand out of the carbs.

[dr_gn]

From the O/P's link:

"Also, to protect the engine in the desert climate, the RAF tropicalized (Trop) the Spitfire Mk. Vs by adding either a Vokes or a smaller Aboukir air filter to the aircraft. "

[Mr_B]

The Mosquito is in US markings, do you know if it was with the USAF ?

[Junior Bianno]

Mr_B said:

The Mosquito is in US markings, do you know if it was with the USAF ?

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsh...

[Mr_B]

Junior Bianno said:

http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsh...

Thanks. Interesting that it was flown to the museum. Seems rather a sad day when they go in airworthy for static display.

[Mr_B]

Kinda odd they have 4 big classic British( 2x Spits 1x Beaufighter 1x Mossie )WW2 aircraft all painted up as USAF aircraft.

[Ginetta G15 Girl]

Not really, given that Wright Patt is the USAF National museum and all 3 types were operated by the USAAF.

[Mr_B]

True, but none of those on display did serve with the USAF,is perhaps more what I meant. If you have an aircraft that did see war service, would be nice if it was painted as orginal. Not mega important, just nice I would have thought.

[Ginetta G15 Girl]

Styrangely enough there is a Spitfire MkVII in the Smithsonian that actually did fly with the USAAF but is painted in British markings - Go figure!

[blueedge]

I stopped at the Museum last year and spent the day there, there's so much to see. I took an almost identical photo to you of that Spitfire:

[davepoth]

Mr_B said:

True, but none of those on display did serve with the USAF,is perhaps more what I meant. If you have an aircraft that did see war service, would be nice if it was painted as orginal. Not mega important, just nice I would have thought.

That said, the museum needs to be relevant to Americans, and the best way to do that is paint stars and stripes on everything.

[Simpo Two]

davepoth said:

That said, the museum needs to be relevant to Americans, and the best way to do that is paint stars and stripes on everything.

Americans not being averse to bending history (think Enigma), we should be grateful they haven't claimed to have designed the Spitfire!

[Eric Mc]

Mr_B said:

The Mosquito is in US markings, do you know if it was with the USAF ?

Don't forget that the USAf did not yet exist during World War Two. The land based armed service of the United States was the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF).
The United States Air Force came into being in 1947.

[Hooli]

Simpo Two said:

davepoth said:

That said, the museum needs to be relevant to Americans, and the best way to do that is paint stars and stripes on everything.

Americans not being averse to bending history (think Enigma), we should be grateful they haven't claimed to have designed the Spitfire!

Spitfires can do corners, no-one would believe they are american

[Eric Mc]

They did provide a few engines (the Packard Merlins for the XVIs).