JensOle
November 3rd, 2010, 13:40
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The use of the reconnaissance Spitfire PR.XIX over Malaya by No 81 Sqn and the last operational RAF Spitfire flight in 1954 are well documented, but a lesser know part of No 81 Sqn history is their detachment of two Spitfires which flew out of Kai Tak, <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place w:st="on">Hong Kong</st1:place> throughout 1951. They were used for clandestine reconnaissance missions over communist <st1:country-region w:st="on">China</st1:country-region>, operating mainly over Chinese costal areas, sometimes as far as the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType w:st="on">island</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Hainan</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>, at the extreme range of the Mk. XIX. One of the two XIX’s was “PS852” which was flown by F/Lt Edward ‘Ted’ Powles during many daring long range missions earning him the Air Force Cross. <o:p></o:p>
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During a metrological research flight out of Kai Tak in the same period Powles took PS852 to 51,000 ft when he experienced an malfunction in the cockpit pressurization and he needed to make a rather quick decent. He lost control of the Spitfire due to high subsonic Mach number and did not regain use of the flight controls before entering the denser air of lower altitude (having encountered locked controls due to compressibility near Mach 1), and did not managed to level out before close to the sea (sources say between 3000 and 1500ft). These numbers were more or less proved by the metrological flight instrumentation package which gave a top altitude of 51.550ft and a calculated true airspeed of 690 mph on the way down. The speed figure might be some off due to the fact that the instrumentation was not build to measure speeds in the near Mach 1 region, but Powles maximum altitude in Spitfire PR. XIX PS852 is still mighty impressive for a propeller aircraft. <o:p></o:p>
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It should be noted that the ordinary reconnaissance altitude for the XIX was between 30.000 and 40.000ft, making it safe from most interceptor fighters of the period.<o:p></o:p>
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PS852 initially carried a scheme of Medium Sea Grey upper surfaces over PRU Blue, with a black anti glare panel. D-type roundels on fuselage and top wings, with white serials on lower wing surfaces. During its stay at Kai Tak, the aircraft was later repainted in Aluminum with a red white spinner.<o:p></o:p>
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There is no Spitfire XIX for FSX to my knowledge and I have opted for the Realair Spitfire XIV as a stand in. The XIV was also the starting point for the XIX mark, but wings and cockpit were taken from the PR X/XI marks. To get the impression of the left oblique camera port and the two vertical cameras ports I have reworked both the alphachannel and bump mapping textures. The result is from most viewing angles quite satisfactory. <o:p></o:p>
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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JensOle/British/Scrshot11132.jpg<o:p></o:p>
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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JensOle/British/Scrshot10952.jpg<o:p></o:p>
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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JensOle/British/Scrshot10882.jpg<o:p></o:p>
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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JensOle/British/Scrshot11282.jpg<o:p></o:p>
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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JensOle/British/Scrshot11012.jpg<o:p></o:p>
</o:p>
The use of the reconnaissance Spitfire PR.XIX over Malaya by No 81 Sqn and the last operational RAF Spitfire flight in 1954 are well documented, but a lesser know part of No 81 Sqn history is their detachment of two Spitfires which flew out of Kai Tak, <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place w:st="on">Hong Kong</st1:place> throughout 1951. They were used for clandestine reconnaissance missions over communist <st1:country-region w:st="on">China</st1:country-region>, operating mainly over Chinese costal areas, sometimes as far as the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType w:st="on">island</st1:PlaceType> of <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Hainan</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>, at the extreme range of the Mk. XIX. One of the two XIX’s was “PS852” which was flown by F/Lt Edward ‘Ted’ Powles during many daring long range missions earning him the Air Force Cross. <o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
During a metrological research flight out of Kai Tak in the same period Powles took PS852 to 51,000 ft when he experienced an malfunction in the cockpit pressurization and he needed to make a rather quick decent. He lost control of the Spitfire due to high subsonic Mach number and did not regain use of the flight controls before entering the denser air of lower altitude (having encountered locked controls due to compressibility near Mach 1), and did not managed to level out before close to the sea (sources say between 3000 and 1500ft). These numbers were more or less proved by the metrological flight instrumentation package which gave a top altitude of 51.550ft and a calculated true airspeed of 690 mph on the way down. The speed figure might be some off due to the fact that the instrumentation was not build to measure speeds in the near Mach 1 region, but Powles maximum altitude in Spitfire PR. XIX PS852 is still mighty impressive for a propeller aircraft. <o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
It should be noted that the ordinary reconnaissance altitude for the XIX was between 30.000 and 40.000ft, making it safe from most interceptor fighters of the period.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
PS852 initially carried a scheme of Medium Sea Grey upper surfaces over PRU Blue, with a black anti glare panel. D-type roundels on fuselage and top wings, with white serials on lower wing surfaces. During its stay at Kai Tak, the aircraft was later repainted in Aluminum with a red white spinner.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
There is no Spitfire XIX for FSX to my knowledge and I have opted for the Realair Spitfire XIV as a stand in. The XIV was also the starting point for the XIX mark, but wings and cockpit were taken from the PR X/XI marks. To get the impression of the left oblique camera port and the two vertical cameras ports I have reworked both the alphachannel and bump mapping textures. The result is from most viewing angles quite satisfactory. <o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JensOle/British/Scrshot11132.jpg<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JensOle/British/Scrshot10952.jpg<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JensOle/British/Scrshot10882.jpg<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JensOle/British/Scrshot11282.jpg<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JensOle/British/Scrshot11012.jpg<o:p></o:p>
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