Improve That Design: How Aircraft Could Have Been Made Better

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One firm that desperately needed some design help was the fighter department of Martin-Baker.

The same country that made the Spitfire made this POS.

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What's so very wrong about the MB2? It offered reasonable performance, an air-cooled engine and was rugged and easy to maintain. Granted, it didn't have the looks of the Spitfire, or even the Hurricane, but I don't think it was that bad as a design. Other manufacturers would have done well to emulate MB's emphasis on ergonomics and ease of maintenance.
 
Really.

There is only 1 report on the MK.III of that site and two speed charts - for LF.III and F.III which have different FTH.
The LFIII tops out at 296 knots or about 340 mph,
Really.

There is only 1 report on the MK.III of that site and two speed charts - for LF.III and F.III which have different FTH.
The LIII max speed is 296 knots so 340 mph at 6000 feet, the FIII at 351 mph at 10500 feet. These would be the figures before the general cleanup, like individual exhaust stacks, close attention to badly fitting panels, and on Cunliffe-Owen built Seafires, flush riveting which increased speed on the LIII to 358 mph. If you believe the lower figures then why not use the FM-2 instead?
 
Why is the worst location for coolant/oil radiators under the engine?
 
IIRC this was found to be Photoshopped. Enhancement suggests that the leading edge radiators are still in place. I can't find the reference but it was in some modelling forum.
You could be right, but theoretically the performance is feasible given the way the radiator on the Mustang gave extra thrust and boosted performance.
 
You could be right, but theoretically the performance is feasible given the way the radiator on the Mustang gave extra thrust and boosted performance.

The Typhoon Mk I with wing leading edge radiators was significantly faster than the Typhoon Mk V with chin radiator. Albeit with a different spec engine.

The Mosquito was trialed with the Beaufighter/Lancaster engine power egg with the chin radiator, and was found to be no faster, slightly better radiator cooling, but worse oil cooling.
 
The problems with the Whirlwind are twin engine complexity, low diving speed and lack of a suitable engine, then there's cost; why buy the Whirlwind when you can a Warhawk or Mustang for half the price that does the job as well as or better.
The Whirlwind was being developed at the same time as the P-40 and first flew years before the P-51 was even conceived.
 
I believe Rolls Royce felt the chin radiator was a better solution for the Mosquito. That being said it may have been more difficult to implement with the two stage engines.
 
Really.

There is only 1 report on the MK.III of that site and two speed charts - for LF.III and F.III which have different FTH.
The F III used the Merlin 55, the LF III used the Merlin 55M. The difference being that the 55M had a smaller diameter impeller.
 
Hawker Typhoon. Fix the tail at the onset, get a reliable and mass produced Sabre or Centaurus engine into the Typhoon by end 1940. Send four squadrons to Malaya in early 1941, eight more by October 1941.
 
Centaurus production started in 1942 so it would be difficult to send four squadrons to Malaya in early 1941, eight more by October 1941.

And yes I do know it first ran in 1938 but is was not produced until 1942 because Bristol needed to improve the reliability of their entire sleeve valve engine line and it did not make it into any ww2 aircraft
 

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