Fly-Model SPITFIRE 120 ARF

The Spitfire is a real beauty. Anyone who likes the war birds is bound to love this airplane.
The kit includes a fibreglass fuselage, and is painted with in a dark brown and gray scheme..
The wings are built up and covered with Solortex cloth covering and painted.
All control surfaces have bevelled leading edges and the control horn mounts are preinstalled.
The leading edge of the wing is pre-shaped. Completely workable flaps are also built into this kit.
This kit can be fitted with either fix landing gear or 90 degree rotating retracts.

The first "unofficial" Spitfire was a total failure. Its designer, Reginald Mitchell named the first prototype the "Shrew".
His original design was a low cranked monoplane with a fixed undercarriage, all metal with an open cockpit and 2
machine guns mounted in the forward fuselage sides and 2 wing mounted machine guns, all synchronised to fire
through the propeller arc.
Designated the Type 224, it flew for the first time on 19 February 1934 in the hands of Vickers Chief Test Pilot
"Mutt" Summers. Originally designed to meet the Air Ministry's demands for a new generation of fighter, the
specifications were issued by the Air Ministry in 1931, specification number F7/30 and was designed around
the open cockpit twin gunned aircraft of the day.
The performance of this aircraft was much lower than anticipated, the cooling system failed on a regular basis.
On this basis, Reginald Mitchell's designs were turned down.

Mitchell persevered and developed his original plans further by designing the fighter with thinner elliptical wings,
a smaller span and a faired cockpit with a perspex cover. This became the Type 300. With a new engine, the Rolls Royce
Merlin 27 litre PV-12 and the Air Ministry then issued a contract on 3 January 1935. By March of 1936 the prototype,
K5054 completed its ground trials and so was ready to go on its first flight.
This prototype cost £14,637 and flew for the first time on 5 March 1936 which lasted just 8 minutes from 1635 hrs from
Eastleigh. "Mutt" Summers was the pilot and, when he landed, he told the ground crew of "no problems"
and "I don't want anything touched".

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