Well the figures people have been asking for the Spitfire, 285-290 mph or so at SL, are strikingly similar to those achieved with the Spitfire prototype. Which if I got the spiriti of the thread right, means that our Spitfire should realistically do about 250-260 mph tops. It's a PROTOTYPE and all that you know...
I am also asking that because N3171 trials did not measure speed near SL (or under 8000 feet) at all.
So on what are complaints about the lack of SL speed of the Spitfire as based again? A trial that did not even measure SL speeds or that infamous crayon curve?
I am very cynical here of course, but in that context, it's a somewhat difficult to understand the extremely demanding attitude displayed by some for the 109E performance on the other hand.
I mean if a crayon drawing will do for the +12 Spitfire
surely four seperate timed runs on a record course with calibrated and recorded instruments, a bench tested engine, with the results being corrected for Normaltag and the nominal engine output and guaranteed by manufacturer will do for a 109, would it not.