The Supermarine Spitfire Mk VB (ICAO: SPIT / WAKE: LIGHT) is single-seat vintage fighter. Created in Second Life by E-Tech, the plane is a replica of the real-life Supermarine Spitfire, an iconic British fighter aircraft used during World War II, with later variants being used in other conflicts.
Background
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used into the 1950s both as a front line fighter and in secondary roles. It was produced in greater numbers than any other British aircraft and was the only Allied fighter in production throughout the war.
The Spitfire was designed as a short-range high-performance interceptor aircraft by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works (since 1928 a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrongs). Mitchell continued to refine the design until his death from cancer in 1937, whereupon his colleague Joseph Smith became chief designer. The Spitfire's elliptical wing had a thin cross-section, allowing a higher top speed than the Hawker Hurricane and several contemporary fighters. Speed was seen as essential to carry out the mission of home defence against enemy bombers.
After the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire became the backbone of RAF Fighter Command and saw action in the European, Mediterranean, Pacific and the South-East Asian theatres. Much loved by its pilots, the Spitfire served in several roles, including interceptor, photo-reconnaissance, fighter-bomber, carrier-based fighter, and trainer. It was built in many different variants, using several wing configurations. Although the original airframe was designed to be powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine producing 1,030hp (768 kW), it was adaptable enough to use increasingly more powerful Merlin and the later Rolls-Royce Griffon engines; the latter was eventually able to produce 2,035 hp (1,520 kW).
Features
- Pilot's heads-up display (HUD) with:
- Engine on/off, canopy, lights, airbrake, flaps, gear, camera control, military power, and VICE on/off switches.
- Generation 2 flight system with options for extreme manoeuvres.
- Exterior lighting (navigation lights).
- Animated components (control surfaces, landing gear, propeller, canopy etc.).
- VICE combat system with: 8 x 7.7mm machine guns.
- Optional smoke trails (x6 colors).
- Permission modes: Owner, Group or Everyone.
Images
.png "Supermarine Spitfire Mk VB (E-Tech).png (311 KB)")
_2.png "Supermarine Spitfire Mk VB (E-Tech) 2.png (1.17 MB)")