Recent content by Julian_S

Thanks for the replies regarding the Spitfire wing planform. (saves using the word 'ellipse!' ) Back on topic regarding wing size, I guess the 109 with it's leading edge slats had, in effect, a variable size wing. ie a wing that is good at the top end of the speed envelope but will 'hang on...

So, other that debating the exact understanding of the word 'elliptical' your answer is but one word - aerodynamics. Now, even with my limited knowledge I could probably come to that conclusion. Would you care to elaborate? I was hoping for a useful answer..... Julian.

Somewhat related to the subject of area, why did the Spitfire end up with an elliptical wing? It's a shape that no other fighter designer replicated and I'm sure it wasn't done to make it look pretty! Julian.

This is the best Griffon sound I've found on youtube, skip forward to about 50 seconds, has anyone found anything better? View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EcCYA68m_w Julian

Well OK, maybe they were up against production deadlines and had to engineer a 'fix' that worked, was guaranteed to work, and left the design team free to deal with other more pressing issues? There is a monumental amount of work involved getting a plane from the drawing board and into the air...

But plenty of other radials managed without a fan. I understand the comment about how tight the cowl is but it doesn't look that tight to me, but I know very little about such things and so it must be the reason as they wouldn't add a fan for no reason. I understand that it was the rear row of...

I've just been reading a bit about the FW-190 (on Wiki) and I never realised that the radial engine had a cooling fan gear driven from the engine inside the cowling! That sounds truly bizarre to me, the fact that air at 200, 300 or 400mph from airflow in flight wasn't enough - what happened...

I'm currently reading Robert Goebel's "Mustang Ace" book and he's just had a very close shave with two 190's down at tree top height chasing him. (with a 109 also there but coming a very poor 4th) It looks like he just about managed to keep ahead and out of range but was unable to pull clear...

Thanks chaps, as always, answers to my questions! I wonder what the Mustang would have been like in the war if there had been such a thing as a Packard Griffon? . I feel certain that it would be able to do things like outrun a 190 with ease :-) Julian.

I spotted one at a distance at Kissimmee a few weeks ago and didn't have the time to try and get a closer look. Does anyone know anything about it? Cheers Julian.

I was once at an airshow at Duxford and the commentator stated the differences between flying a Merlin Spitfire and a Griffon Spitfire. ''In the cockpit the sound a Merlin makes resembles an engine that's about to fail, with a Griffon it sounds like it already has failed.'' No doubt several...

Films: Fortresses sounding like Tiger Moths or Spitfires sounding like Texans etc etc, very annoying! One suspects the producers just dub any old aero engine sound onto the film.... Julian.

Thanks chaps, I shall be buying these books that you recommend. Julian.

Evening all. I've read a fair few books now (Stanford Tuck, Geoffrey Wellum etc) detailing the war as an RAF pilot in a British Aeroplane. I wonder if there are any good books out there featuring wartime exploits but in a Mustang? Any recommendations? Cheers Julian.

''centrficul'' = centrifugal? Not knowing about these things but would 'inertia starter' be better terminology? Julian.