SUPERMARINE 224
FS 2004 MODEL
FSDS DRAWING AND TEXTURE BY JRLUCARINY
Supermarine 224
Issue of Specification F.7/30 in 1930 for a single-seat fighter led Supermarine to build its first aircraft intended for this role.
Designed under the direction of Reginald J Mitchell as Type (or Drawing) 224, Supermarine's proposal was one of three to gain Air Ministry backing for prototype construction (along with Westland and Blackburn), an order for one aircraft being placed in 1932.
Based on experience gained with the Supermarine float seaplanes designed for participation in the Schneider Trophy contests, the Type 224 was of all-metal construction with fabric covering of the wing aft of the mainspar and of the tail surfaces.
Its 600hp Rolls-Royce Goshawk II engine had an evaporative cooling system, which was to prove to be a major reason for the eventual failure of the Type 224 to gain acceptance.
Armament comprised two 7.7mm guns in the fuselage and one in each mainwheel fairing.
First flown on 19 February 1934, the Type 224 failed to achieve its performance estimates, and, after a prolonged sojourn at the RAE Farnborough, went to the A&AEE and eventually ended its days as a gunnery target.
Specification
WEIGHTS
Take-off weight 2151 kg 4742 lb
Empty weight 1552 kg 3422 lb
DIMENSIONS
Wingspan 13.97 m 45 ft 10 in
Length 8.97 m 29 ft 5 in
Height 3.63 m 11 ft 11 in
Wing area 27.40 m2 294.93 sq ft
PERFORMANCE
Max. speed 367 km/h 228 mph
Ceiling 11825 m 38800 ft
Supermarine Type 224
The first Supermarine 'Spitfire' (the Type 224 design) first flown in 1934 didnt satisfy expectations. After their success with the the high speed S Series of monoplane racers, Mitchells team thought that designing a fighter to Air Ministry specification F.7/30 would be a relatively simple affair.
The design was also hampered by the evaporative cooling design of the 660 horse power Rolls Royce Goshawk engine. The fighter contract was eventually awarded to the Gloster SS 37 (Gladiator) biplane because of it's climb rate advantage over the monoplane designs.
In 1934 the Supermarine 224 design was subsequently cleaned up and succesive specifications sought from the air ministry to cover the refinements, eventually leading to the superb Type 300 that followed.
