“THE prototype weighed 5,250lbs loaded and had a speed of 349mph. When production ended in November 1945, the final version of the Spit, the Mk 24, weighed twice as much and flew 200mph faster.”
A wonderful and historic and graceful airplane by any standard, but I don’t think prop planes can fly 550 mph because propellers either cavitate or break the sound barrier or both at those speeds. I don’t think even turbo-prop planes can fly 550 mph. I think the author means “100 mph” faster.
Exactly. I would give him the benefit of the doubt and say it was a simple typo, but...one never knows!
To me the Spitfire is the the most aesthetically beautiful aircraft that has ever existed!
Second most is the Chance - Vought F4U Corsair.
They achieved that speed and more in DIVES. It is officially recorded, so you can look up the pilots and the dates and records. Spitfires were used for research that later resulted in breaking the sound barrier.
The only aircraft capable of that speed was the ME-262. The Germans were also using rocket planes that only had enough air time to blaze through a formation, then nose down for another pass. Apparently these craft were more hazardous to the German pilots than the Allied bombers.
“The record for the fastest single-engined piston plane is held by a modified Grumman F8F Bearcat, the Rare Bear, with a speed of 850.24 km/h (528.31 mph) on 21 August 1989 at Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America.”[8][9]