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How did planes not shoot through propellers?
A synchronization gear (also known as a gun synchronizer or interrupter gear) was a device enabling a single-engine tractor configuration aircraft to fire its forward-firing armament through the arc of its spinning propeller without bullets striking the blades.
Did Spitfires have guns?
The vast majority of Spitfires in use during the battle of Britain were armed with machine guns. The eight . 303in machine guns of the Mk I Spitfire had given it a great deal of punch when it was designed, but when the Germans began to add armour to their bombers the machine guns were found somewhat lacking.
How many seconds of machine gun fire did a Spitfire have?
The first Spitfires had the ‘A’ wing, with eight Browning machine guns firing 1,200 . 303″ bullets a minute. Each gun had three hundred and fifty rounds, so the Spitfire could fire for about seventeen or eighteen seconds. About ten to twenty seconds in total, though in reality it would be the total of several bursts.
How did ww1 planes not shoot their propellers?
There are many different types of synchronization gear, but the simplest involves an irregular-shaped disk that triggers the gun to fire once per revolution, at a specific point. This produces a high rate of fire without the risk of hitting the propeller.
Where were Spitfire guns mounted?
In June 1939, a Spitfire was fitted with a drum-fed Hispano in each wing, an installation that required large blisters on the wing to cover the 60-round drum. The cannon suffered frequent stoppages, mostly because the guns were mounted on their sides to fit as much.
What is a Spitfire gun?
The Spitfire was designed by Reginald Mitchell of Supermarine Ltd., in response to a 1934 Air Ministry specification calling for a high-performance fighter with an armament of eight wing-mounted 0.303-inch (7.7-mm) machine guns.
Who invented the synchronized machine gun?
…in the form of an interrupter gear, or gun-synchronizing device, designed by the French engineer Raymond Saulnier. This regulated a machine gun’s fire so as to enable the bullets to pass between the blades of the spinning propeller. The interrupter itself was not new: a German patent had been taken…
What kind of propeller does a Spitfire have?
Spitfires used a variety of propellers during their time in service. By the end of the war, the Spitfire had been through 13 different designs. At the very beginning, the prototype and the initial Mk1s that followed it had a wooden two-bladed, fixed-pitch prop, which was the standard of the time.
How many machine guns does a Spitfire have?
The eight .303in machine guns of the Mk I Spitfire had given it a great deal of punch when it was designed, but when the Germans began to add armour to their bombers the machine guns were found somewhat lacking. Accordingly experiments were made with the use of 20mm Hispano cannon.
What was the armament of a Mk 21 Spitfire?
Mk 21/24 wing. The wing used in the Mk 21 Spitfire was significantly redesigned. The leading edge lost its curve, running straight out to the guns. Armament was standardised at four 20mm Hispano Mk II cannon, with 175 rounds for the inboard gun and 150 for the outboard gun.
What was the shape of the wing in the Spitfire?
The wing used in the Mk 21 Spitfire was significantly redesigned. The leading edge lost its curve, running straight out to the guns. Armament was standardised at four 20mm Hispano Mk II cannon, with 175 rounds for the inboard gun and 150 for the outboard gun. In official documents this was referred to as the “new shape wing”.