P-51 with contra-props (1 Viewer)

Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules

From what I've read - and especially in conjunction with nations operating smaller carriers - slow throttle response time was also a major problem with early jets.

Taken from an interview with the first man to deck land a jet aircraft, a certain posters supposedly 'less than stellar pilot', drawn from 'a pool of very mediocre pilots' ;)

"Deck landing", Eric says, "all depends on lift control", given that the boat does not lie flat and still like a runway. "On a piston engine, throttle movement provides it". Should you need lift, just open the throttle and as the airscrew revs up, the pilot gets lift from the propeller's wash. If he needs drag, to reduce speed, he simply throttles back to achieve it. Landing the Vampire would require a whole new technique. The problem facing anyone hoping to land a turbo-jet aircraft on a carrier was that none of them could then remotely offer throttle reaction like that of a piston engine. When first flying jets, Eric had been surprised to find they had such slow acceleration due to their centrifugal compressors, taking fifteen seconds to go from zero idle to full power before the brakes were released. Yet if he needed more lift when landing the Vampire on the carrier, Eric realised he would need to increase its speed – and that option just wouldn't be there in an emergency. That's what made deck-landing the Vampire potentially so dangerous. The answer would lie in faster axial-flow engines but these were some years off."


.... The FAA continued with props and contra props for the time being until the operational issues had been worked through and jets improved- which lead to the Wyvern going into service and aircraft like the Firefly and Fury soldiering on until the FAA finally got what it wanted in the form of the Sea Hawk.
Even later, the throttle response wasn't that good.
For example, the Hawker Hunter's throttle slam test called for an 8 second response time.
 
US attempts to get around the poor throttle response of the Jet engines.

Ryan Fireball
fr1_21-jpg.jpg


and the Ryan Dark Shark
ajhxm46cilx71.jpg


And Air Force was keeping a paddle on each side of the canoe.

640px-Convzir_XP-81.jpg

First flown with a Merlin in the nose while they waited for the turbo prop.
This was a bit more on the improve cruise performance side rather than landing performance side.
 
Do you actually read what's posted?

The war was loooooong over before the first contra prop Spitfire/Seafire entered service

You need to think about what you post and not believe things learned in a simulator game. This forum is about the real world, not game sims unless so specified. There are guys in here who like sims, but they know that the sims are there for fun, not to be anywhere near accurate.
 
Correct, the higher powered Griffon engined versions had vicious torque issues - a small light airframe with too much power.
Took an age to get into service - and was already far eclipsed by jets - and quickly exited stage left
Most Spitfires had vicious torque issues. It's what happens when you put a powerful engine in an otherwise small aircraft. The Spitfire XII probably had more problems because it looked like an IX. You set the rudder to counteract the massive torque of your Merlin 61 and you get a surprise.

An XIV looks mean. You have no business not noticing that it is overpowered.
 
Another 'slower one'. May father's sixth Mustang,JANE VI 44-72253, purchased in 2019 in UK by Pacific Fighters, restored/re-built to this point and sold to Fagen Fighters to complete this project. This P-51D-20-NA was the last Mustang in which my father achieved victory credits - all four on the ground on April 13 1945. He received a new P-51D-25-NA, 44-72953 and named it JANE VII.

JANEVI was recoded to WR-L. It was lost in mid ai collision with WR-K flown by James Jabara.

Photo credit Fagen Fighters on their Facebook page.
 
Another 'slower one'. May father's sixth Mustang,JANE VI 44-72253, purchased in 2019 in UK by Pacific Fighters, restored/re-built to this point and sold to Fagen Fighters to complete this project. This P-51D-20-NA was the last Mustang in which my father achieved victory credits - all four on the ground on April 13 1945. He received a new P-51D-25-NA, 44-72953 and named it JANE VII.

JANEVI was recoded to WR-L. It was lost in mid ai collision with WR-K flown by James Jabara.

Photo credit Fagen Fighters on their Facebook page.
That's awesome, Bill!

The only surviving machine that any of my family served with during the war, would be my Uncle Fred's sub, the Cavalla (SS-244) which is on display at the Sea Wolf Park in Texas.
 
Looking at the rear end photo of the MkV, what are the four strakes inboard of the cannons?.
 
For those who are interested by aircraft with contrarotating props :



Premiers avions à hélices contrarotatives (in French, sorry)
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back