Anatomy of the Spitfire Cockpit
The seat in the Spitfire was made of the early composite material called SRBP, or Synthetic Resin-Bonded Paper, hence its characteristic red-brown colour. The leather backing shown here conforms to the wartime production standard. The recessed seat pan provided room for the RAF seat type parachute pack. The seat height could be adjusted by raising or lowering the lever with a lock button visible to its left. A typical feature of the Spitfire was also the flare cartridge rack mounted along the front of the seat's forward edge, with room for eight cartridges.