DB vs Merlin vs ??

[Gnomey]

Nice info helmitsmit!

 

[wmaxt]

Good stuff Helmit!

The radials had a hard time getting past 3,000hp even when they doubled the engine size. Probably cooling issues.

wmaxt

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Wow that was some good info.

 

[schwarzpanzer]

Great info there helmitsmit.

I've often wondered why Rolls-Royce didn't use sleeve valves, before BMW bought 'em that is.

 

[helmitsmit]

I think the same thing. However, Rolls royce were experts at supercharging and they probably thought there was no call for it. Would have been interesting though.

 

[pbfoot]

[You can also ask Flyboy just how encourging the services are about going beyong the Tech Orders. I know things were a little different in WWII but they were pretty careful what they did.
i asked my father who is getting close to 90 and was a fitter rigger starting in 1936
rcaf from 39 -46 and he came out with all the items mentioned in your tweeks and said it was not common but it was done but the best thing he said to do to upgrade performance of a/c was clean it removing all the dirt and dust that had accumulated in and out of a/c. It was common practice he said for the ground crew to go on flight test (not single seaters)

 

[FLYBOYJ]

[You can also ask Flyboy just how encourging the services are about going beyong the Tech Orders. I know things were a little different in WWII but they were pretty careful what they did.
i asked my father who is getting close to 90 and was a fitter rigger starting in 1936
rcaf from 39 -46 and he came out with all the items mentioned in your tweeks and said it was not common but it was done but the best thing he said to do to upgrade performance of a/c was clean it removing all the dirt and dust that had accumulated in and out of a/c. It was common practice he said for the ground crew to go on flight test (not single seaters)

That give incentives for the maintainers to do thing right!

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

LOL

Maybe I should make the mechanics go and fly with me sometimes.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

LOL

Maybe I should make the mechanics go and fly with me sometimes.

I would! It seperates the plugs from the real mechanics!

i asked my father who is getting close to 90 and was a fitter rigger starting in 1936
rcaf from 39 -46 and he came out with all the items mentioned in your tweeks and said it was not common but it was done but the best thing he said to do to upgrade performance of a/c was clean it removing all the dirt and dust that had accumulated in and out of a/c.

pb brings up a good point. An aircraft, any aircraft while in service actually "gains weight" as it gets older (sounds like me). Dirt accumulates in cavities of the aircraft and you really notice it when you accomplish a "weight and balance" check after major maintenance. I seen DC-10s gain anywhere from 150 - 300 pounds over a 20 year period!

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

That is true. Infact we just pulled 50lb of dirt out of my aircraft.

 

[pbfoot]

paint weighs a great deal also something akin to the weight of 10 pax on 747 and those older combat a/c also did not usually fly into pristine spots
north africa must of been brutal

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I know that 1 ounce of paint on the tip of one of my rotor blade is equal to 1lb of weight at the hub. A bird shitting on my blade can put my track and ballance out.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

I know that 1 ounce of paint on the tip of one of my rotor blade is equal to 1lb of weight at the hub. A bird sh*tting on my blade can put my track and ballance out.

Yep, I remember those days...

The A Star has two steel blade pins holding each blade. Sometime the pilots would complain about the blades feeling a little out of track. Sometimes it just took pulling out a pin and removing excess grease...

But I have had blades go out of balance becuase of a "Bird Strike" (bird crap)...

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

We have 2 pins per blade on the Hawk and we have to pull them every 120 hours to clean them out.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

We have 2 pins per blade on the Hawk and we have to pull them every 120 hours to clean them out.

The A Star called for 100 hours (if I remember).

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

It used to be every 100 hours on ours but they changed the whole maintenance program. At 40 hours we dont pull them but we unseat them and look for cracks.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Yep - did the same thing - used this graphite grease for "nomal lubrication" and this graphite spray at the 100 hour intervals.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

The spray is solid film lubricant right? That is what we use also.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

The spray is solid film lubricant right? That is what we use also.

Yep - same stuff! Pretty amazing!

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

The stuff is a bitch to clean off!