# Happy birthday, Spitfire **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 4, 2008, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-spitfire/458847 "2008-08-04T22:22:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-spitfire/458847/1 "2008-08-04T22:22:05Z")
The Spitfire is 70 years young [today](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7540305.stm) (BBC video). Heaven only knows how we’d have fared in the Battle of Britain without it: it took on the fighters enabling the Hurricanes to go after the bombers. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2008, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-spitfire/458847/2 "2008-08-04T22:28:44Z")
That is one sweet aircraft, no doubt about it. Thanks to R.J.Mitchell ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-spitfire/458847/3 "2008-08-05T00:29:24Z")
My favorite all-time combat aircraft (followed closely by its distant cousin, the Mosquito). Of course it wouldn’t have been worth much without the brave men who flew it and the hardworking ground crews and radar operators et al. whose help was invaluable. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-spitfire/458847/4 "2008-08-05T08:09:09Z")
[Obligatory link of a reporter introducing the Spitfire.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvDDDKnNhuE) [Same pilot different setting.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf3UtmHLKUU&feature=related) This time filmed for the series “A Piece of Cake.” ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-spitfire/458847/5 "2008-08-05T11:03:09Z")
Definitely my favourite plane, in particular I think that the Spitfire Pr XIX is the most beautiful thing to ever grace the sky. It was also, probably, the last fighter built _on_ beauty, in the book The Spitfire Story (IIRC) it is narrated how Mitchel worked and reworked the plane’s lines until “they looked about right” or something to that effect. No wind tunnel, no calculations, it was made to look great and since to it’s designer beauty was not just looks but performance too a real pure breed was created. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-spitfire/458847/6 "2008-08-05T15:36:27Z")
[QUOTE=Ale] Definitely my favourite plane, in particular I think that the Spitfire Pr XIX is the most beautiful thing to ever grace the sky. [/QUOTE] Mine too, but I like the Mk.V and the Mk.IX. Spits are the most beautiful planes ever built. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2008, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-spitfire/458847/7 "2008-08-05T16:15:56Z")
Hurricanes were pretty handy as well. They were very sturdy- sort of like cat walk model versus country girl- but yes the Spitfire is the stuff of legends.