Spitfire MkII Landing Lights?

[Pilot Ben 28]

Hi All,

 

I wonder if anyone can help me please. I know that mkI and mkII Spits had landing lights, and from 1943 they were abolished on those and the newer marks after the Spit was deemed a strict day fighter only. However, I can't seem to find any pictures anywhere of where these lights may be, other than pictures of the landing light handle, leading me to believe that the Spit had a retractable light.

I only ask as the Spit that I am currently "upgrading" has two white LED landing lights in the l/e about 1/3 in from the tips, and my inner plane freak is telling me this is wrong. Can anyone suggest any suitable alternatives that could go in their places, as they will leave two holes in the yellow covering that I can't hide too well?

Thank you!

 

B

[Bravedan 106]

Can of Worms.

Basically, the design allowed for landing lights which swung down under the wing near the inner ammo box (so NOT anywhere on or near the leading edge).  However, there were several wing types (of internal structure layout, not things like clipped tips or extended tips), and of course lots of differing Mks.

Almost immediately the plane flew it and night use was trialled it was found that the flames from the exhaust stack position rendered the pilot blind, and masking was impractical.

It seems to me (opinion) that they tried several times during its service life to widen its use into night operation, probably forgetting the previous bad experience!

As they were generally regarded as a "worse than a chocolate teapot" idea, I suspect few were fitted or remained fitted and even fewer used, though the controls if OE were likely left "in case".

Early Mks did have a downward facing single identification light in the sbd wing underside flush mounted and well outboard.  Whether this helped with dusk landings seems lost in time.

 

The Chinese in particular seem very confused with plane lighting, the Canadian Swing Wing from HKing has the nav lights the wrong way round, and the Dynam Marauder has the twin (white) landing lights coloured as nav lights!

 

P.S.  Are the "holes" anywhere a gun would have been?  Could then hide with a patch of yellow in not perfect match and a "red doped fabric" gun port cover to fool the eye?

[Pilot Ben 28]

Thank you Dave!

Think they’re a bit to far out for the gun port covers TBH, and I couldn’t live with myself with putting them that far out. I’ll have to get some dark yellow solarfilm and hope for the best!

I’ve actually witnessed the Merlin make said flames whilst throttling back. Friend up in Scotland knows a guy with a Merlin! Went up there in th evening and witnessed the thing fire and spurt flames from the exhaust when throttling back. I guess that if you were sitting in the pilots position they wouldn’t help landing!

BTW I take it that if a hinge pulls out then I can just glue it back in?

B  

[Bravedan 106]

4 minutes ago, Pilot Ben said:

BTW I take it that if a hinge pulls out then I can just glue it back in?

B  

Many years experience has led me to the inescapable conclusion that they don't glue themselves back, and are unlikely to complain .............................. 😜

(Put a tiny amount of oil on the hinge proper first in case the glue spreads)

 

[Pilot Ben 28]

 Suppose so, but 2 of the 3 rudder hinges have pulled out of the Spit so I think I may have to re glue them.

I have some surgery to do on the flap actuators too as one is a bit loose, and I also need to find a way to fix the slight warping in the “wing above the flaps” 

I’ve removed the old wasps nest from the fuselag, the 170g of lead, and a huge old rx battery voltage meter inside the cockpit.

The pilot is a wee bit small, but I don’t want to move him so I think he’ll be fine. Have to put some gun port covers on the wing and find a way of either covering up the lights or just leaving them be.

All that is left to do is to strip and clean the airframe and engine, tighten all the baggy covering and install my radio gear, including the 3 rx batteries, put it all together and I’m done!

B  

[Bravedan 106]

Loosened hinges can be secured in a balsa wing by pinning through the complete wing/hinge, and running in some thin CA to fix the pin. I use model railway track pins. (OR done when new of course, not that you could in this case)

[Pilot Ben 28]

Cheers Dave! Interestingly, all of the surfaces have the pin method in them apart from the rudder. Guess its time for that to change!

B