P-51 fuselage fuel tank (3 Viewers)

MIflyer said:

One thing I have wondered about is just how interchangable the different tanks were. For example, the P-47 had that "flat" 108 gal belly tank that I do not think that was used on any other aircraft. Of course its design was to accommodate that low hanging belly of the P-47.

Also no mention of the 165 gal steel drop tanks Lockheed was building. That Av Week article is dated June 1943, so presumably they were in full production before then. Perhaps they were reserved for the Pacific?

The early drop tanks used on Hurricanes had built-in pumps to get the fuel out. I wonder just when the approach of using the exhaust from the the vacuum pump was adopted? Since we had drop tanks long before the RAF I assume it was a US invention.

I have often thought that I'd like to write a book on The Other Stuff:

1. Drop Tanks
2. Radios
3. Oxygen Systems
4. G-Suit Systems
5. Environmental Control Systems
6. Automated Controls

The collective impact of all that Other Stuff was enormous.

Click to expand...

The 108gal was cylindrical paper composite Bowater, the 110gal steel tank and 115gal flat top were all hung on C/L - later the 108gal Bowater was hung on pylons. Also, the 150gal flat top was self sealing and designed for c/L or pylon - both with std 14 1/2" center to center lugs. Also made were 150gal steel tanks which may or may not have been self sealing - but the 165s dominated.

The Lockheed 165 was often referred to as the 150gal steel (same as 330/300gal Ferry tank). I am not sure what the pressure test threshold was, nor do I recall whether the P-38 adopted the vacuum pump exhaust slave to pressurize tanks from P-38J-15. The earlier P-38models IIRC were Not pressurized.

The P-38 pylons were home grown (ditto Republic and North American) but all imbedded B-10 until S-1 was adopted in 1945.

I finally found a reference in Fifth Air Force Huon Campaign to booster pumps immersed in the 200gal 'so called Brisbane tank' but I am near certain that Ford did not produce beyond the 4000 originally ordered - consequently 5th AF began conversion to B-7 centerline and modifying wings in December 1943.

Source FAREP Rpt No. 6 dated 20 November, 1943 Memo to the Chief of the Air Staff --------.> MG Barney Giles

MIflyer said:

One thing I have wondered about is just how interchangable the different tanks were. For example, the P-47 had that "flat" 108 gal belly tank that I do not think that was used on any other aircraft. Of course its design was to accommodate that low hanging belly of the P-47.

Also no mention of the 165 gal steel drop tanks Lockheed was building. That Av Week article is dated June 1943, so presumably they were in full production before then. Perhaps they were reserved for the Pacific?

The early drop tanks used on Hurricanes had built-in pumps to get the fuel out. I wonder just when the approach of using the exhaust from the the vacuum pump was adopted? Since we had drop tanks long before the RAF I assume it was a US invention.

I have often thought that I'd like to write a book on The Other Stuff:

1. Drop Tanks
2. Radios
3. Oxygen Systems
4. G-Suit Systems
5. Environmental Control Systems
6. Automated Controls

The collective impact of all that Other Stuff was enormous.

Click to expand...

The first attachment lists drop tank interchangeability in late 45 and the the P-39 and P-40 used the same 52 gallon tank but that is about my limit. The second attachment is a summary of the orders which may have more details.