Spitfire Floatplane sighted over African skies - FSIC Messageboard

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Spitfire Floatplane sighted over African skies

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Author	Topic: Spitfire Floatplane sighted over African skies
mace: Pilot	posted 05-27- 07:06 PM Progress pictures can be viewed at: http://members.nbci.com/sdoe_mace/spitfloat2.html This plane operates from a purpose built seaplane base and can land anywhere in open water thanks to the terrain-covering seaplane landing zone. Hoping to release the 'Beta' in a week or so. cheers mace P.S. members.nbci.com is a bit cranky so you may need to copy and paste the URL into your location box Aircraft Background: At the time of the invasion of Norway work was started on converting Mk I Spitfires to use floats and act as escorts for Blackburn Shark torpedo bombers. (since the Royal Navy lacked any modern fighter aircraft) However this work was stopped after the fall of France. When war with Japan started a new set of floats were designed and fitted to the Spitfire Mk V with a view to using the aircraft in the Pacific and Indian Ocean. Spitfire seaplanes had an enlarged rudder, underside fin extension and a four blade propeller. These float fighters flew for a time with a large tropical 'beard' filter but this type of filter was eventually replaced by a much smaller one. Spitfire Mk Vb seaplanes operated in the Eastern Mediterranean from the Great Bitter Lake in Egypt and despite their large floats they had a top speed of 324 mph at 19,500 ft. (compared to 367 mph of the original Mk V Spitfire) Armament: Primary : 2 Hispano-Suiza 20mm Cannons Secondary : 4 Browning M1 .303cal Machine Guns Ordnance: Up to 500lbs of bombs and 8 five-inch rockets under wings IP: Logged
Aladar Pilot	posted 05-27- 07:23 PM SWEET!!!!!!!! Is this something you made? http://members.nbci.com/_XMCM/sdoe_mace/spitfloat1a.jpg IP: Logged
mace: Pilot	posted 05-27- 07:47 PM Yes, the seaplane base is a simple structure which allows the floatplane to be started on it at the beginning of a mission. You then retract the beaching gear and slid down the ramp into the water. The fuel truck moves back and forth to add a little realism and gets in the way when you're trying to power up the ramp and beach the floatplane at the end of a mission. The control tower is a standard one although there is a turret on it to defend the base. AI does seek and try to destroy this target. cheers mace IP: Logged
Nat JAG	posted 05-27- 08:01 PM excellent Mace! I'm even happier because I never was realy sure that the base plate was working properly, so hearing this means I must have gotten it right. Sweet looking plane you realy are the man when it comes to these babies. On another side, do you mind me stealing your floats from the Spit? they are the same system as my Arado AR196 uses but I never got them working right, but you obvioulsy have IP: Logged
Nat JAG	posted 05-27- 08:06 PM Hey I didn't mention.. love the sea plane base! And I know that with that you're gonna put a smile on Snickers face aswell How is it placed? as a unit that can be put anywhere or is it part of a terrain SM? I reckon it would be very cool to have them fixed on terrains and set as airfields... damn I wish I knew more how to do that, but I reckon WTG or Ren could do it IP: Logged
Dinga Pilot	posted 05-27- 08:10 PM Far out Mace looking good.Mitchells early designs in the Schneider Trophy were flying boats which Supermarine won in 1931 with a record breaking 407.5 mph.powered by a RR producing 2350 hp. IP: Logged
mace: Pilot	posted 05-28- 12:10 AM The seaplane base is a ground object so it can be placed anywhere although I've put it by the lake in the Africa terrain since the 'real' float fighters flew from the Great Bitter Lake in Egypt. The seaplane base has a landing plate that extends 10,000' around it so the spitfire can land in the lake. The seaplane landing zone is used as well to allow the plane to land in the 'open' sea. cheers mace IP: Logged
Snickers Pilot	posted 05-28- 11:31 AM Going to have to try this out..... Hopefully it will work with the 5-a (lower the floats, drive down the ramp into the water, retract the gear, take off and then raise the floats.....) If not I see a model 5 (or maybe 4 as it is closer to the GST) in the future... Just make sure the abuttments(sp?) are wide enough to handle the wingspan of a PBY (104')... (No little plane here.... ) [This message has been edited by Snickers (edited 05-28-2001).] IP: Logged

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