Recent content by wuzak

https://youtu.be/CSm1bMT_R6g?si=hwjy7DiSG4YJaJNr

It seems relatable, because everyone has hands and feet. But the inch was originally defined as the length of 3 barleycorns end-to-end. Is that relatable? The metre was defined based on the circumference of the Earth. For centuries the official metre was an object held in a vault in France...

What is an average hand? I am about 1 foot taller than a coworker. My foot is not a foot long, hers isn't even close. Prior to adopting the metric system, the French had their own foot, which was slightly longer than the UK foot. Which is why the British mistakenly thought Napolean was short...

The later definitions replace physical objects that were the standard measure. The METRE was based on the distance from the equator to the North Pole through the line of longitude that passed through Paris. While the Earth isn't perfectly round, there were also small errors made in the...

I still say push Handley Page's unarmed high speed bomber proposal from 1937. 3 crew, no defensive guns, maximum bomb load 8,000lb for shorter raids. Vulture engines are a week point, but the bomb load could be reduced to suit reduced power. Quite a bit lighter and aerodynamically efficient...

This doesn't fit the required timeline, but what if there was a parallel development for the P-61 as the fast light/medium bomber "B-61". No radar (except H2X, for pathfinder bombers), lose the turret, and the belly guns, add bomb bay doors under the wing section and create a bomb bay. Possibly...

The Spitfire XVI was a IX but with a Packad built engine.

The USSR was not an ally in 1939/1940.

There was, at one point, a proposed version of the B-26 fitted with Allison V-3420s. Early V-3420s would have given a sizeable power boost, going from 1,800hp (in early B-26s) or 2,000hp to 2,300hp. Later V-3420s would have produced 2,600hp. The B-26 also missed out on more advanced and...

If it is half the bomb load then you need twice the missions to deliver the same amount of bombs. And if you are doing twice the missions, then you woudl want a loss rate less than half, or better. But the bombs themselves are important. The B-26 could carry 2 x 2,000lb bombs, which tend to...

Perhaps another type that could have been pushed into a high speed bomber role is the Martin B-26. Its speed dropped with the increase in wing area and change in wing incidence angle, plus weight from additional equipment. Lose some weight (fewer guns/crew) and keep the smaller wing. Change to...

The V-1710 offers weight savings and drag reduction compared to the R-2600. The V-1710 was paired with the B-series turbo in the P-38, as was the R-1820 in the B-17. Could an R-2600 use the B-series turbo, or would it need an upgrade to the larger C-series (as was paired with the R-2800 in the...

The weight helps. Save at least 1,000lb from halving the crew. Another 1,200 - 1,300lb from removing the ball turret 180hp to get rid of 3 M2 brownings and ~500lb for ammunition. Also improvments in drag without as many bits hanging out. The B-17E with belly turret, tail turret and upper turret...

Did it get to 330mph? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_XP-77 My understanding is that the XP-77 was supposed to use a supercharged Ranger, and with that the expected performance was 330mph. Still, that's not very good for an aircraft that was being developed in 1944.

I did some calculations based on BMEP and piston speeds for the Peregrine years ago. For the standard Peregrine I with 100 octane fuel: 885hp @ 3,000rpm, BMEP 1,244kPa/180psi, piston speed 13.97m/s. For same BMEP and piston speed of Merlin (15.24m/s) I get 966hp. For Merlin XX BMEP of...