Supermarine Spitfire Mk XIV

Supermarine Spitfire Mark XIV

Even thoroughbreds are clumsy when they're not in their natural element!

Taxying on the grass in preparation for takeoff, the spitfire dug a wheel into the mud, spun itself around and stayed resolutely stuck until pushed out by the maintenance crew.

Now we see this beast's true colors. Cutting its ties to the ground, the spitfire leaps into the air.

The left wheel didn't retract properly after takeoff, but the plane still landed safely.


Perhaps you noticed that the photographs above show this same plane in both a rounded wingtip and clipped wingtip configuration - here's some more photos which highlight the clipped configuration.