Q&A

摘要

Q: Paul Stoddart asked in the Summer issue about the design of the Spitfire wing and why the designers did not go for a stub centre section which would ease moving the wingless aircraft? A: Simon Snape says that functional, aerodynamic and structural considerations were paramount in the design, and it is unlikely that ease of production and facility to wheel the fuselage around were significant design criteria. It was difficult to fabricate and this delayed completion of the initial production batch while solutions were devised to resolve it. There are many contemporary accounts of fuselages backing up for want of finished wing sets.