Supermarine Spitfire Mk I

Supermarine · United Kingdom · first flew 1938 · fighter

The founding production Spitfire, blooded in the Battle of Britain with a slim Merlin II or III and the distinctive framed canopy that later marks abandoned.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Low-mounted, elliptical
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	9.12 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Two-blade wooden Watts propeller (earliest production) or three-blade de Havilland metal prop — far fewer blades than any later mark
Tall, uncut spine and framed 'birdcage' canopy with pronounced fairing behind pilot's head
Single narrow chin intake under the Merlin — thinner and shorter than Mk V's deeper supercharger intake

Against the Mk V, look for fewer propeller blades and the full uncut spine. Against the Hurricane, the elliptical wing and narrow-chord fuselage are conclusive.

Specifications

The Supermarine Spitfire Mk I has a length of 9.12 m (30 ft).
It has a wingspan of 11.23 m (37 ft).
Its maximum speed is 582 km/h (362 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Entering RAF service in August 1938 with 19 Squadron, the Mk I bore the brunt of the 1940 fighting over Britain. Early aircraft flew with the two-blade wooden Watts propeller before urgent conversion to constant-speed units that restored a critical rate-of-climb advantage.

Variants

Mk IA carried eight .303 Brownings; Mk IB substituted two 20 mm Hispano cannon under each wing, creating prominent blisters. A handful survive as museum pieces; none are believed airworthy.

Where you'll see it

Several Mk Is fly today — N3200 and AR213 among them — with Duxford the best place to see one; the Battle of Britain film fleet made the mark famous.

Related aircraft

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