Polikarpov I-16 Cowl vents (2 Viewers)

[SirFrancis]

Hey guys, I'm trying to establish if the front cowling vent internal cover was open or closed when the aircraft is parked. AI said closed which kinda makes sense to keep dirt / dust etc out. However the pics of parked aircraft I see online, the vents are open. So was it just a wartime protocol or AI is wrong.

cheers

 

[Wurger]

Actually I doubt there was any protocol for leaving of the frontal shutters open or closed when parked on the ground. These were for regulating of the cooling air inflow. When the engine was going to be started the pilot closed these vents in order to allow the engine getting the temperature quicker. All that depened on the air temperature though. In many pics of the I-16 it can be noticed that these could be either open/closed fully or open/closed partially . So no rule there rather. The control of the shutters was manual using the cables and the lever on the right side of the cockpit. For the protection of the engine against the dirt / dust while parked was the canvas cover mostly.

 

[SirFrancis]

Actually I doubt there was any protocol for leaving of the frontal shutters open or closed when parked on the ground. These were for regulating of the cooling air inflow. When the engine was going to be started the pilot closed these vents in order to allow the engine getting the temperature quicker. All that depened on the air temperature though. In many pics of the I-16 it can be noticed that these could be either open/closed fully or open/closed partially . So no rule there rather. The control of the shutters was manual using the cables and the lever on the right side of the cockpit. For the protection of the engine against the dirt / dust while parked was the canvas cover mostly.

View attachment 901747

Ok that makes it easy then. Open, closed or partially open....anything goes! ....cool thanks

 

[bf109xxl]

Actually I doubt there was any protocol for leaving of the frontal shutters open or closed when parked on the ground.

According to the manual, on the Li-2 - which had a similar cowling and engine - the cowling shutters should be closed after the engine was turned off when the cylinder head temperature reached 80°; if the engine cooled too quickly, cracks could form. I think there were similar instructions for the I-16.

 

[SirFrancis]

According to the manual, on the Li-2 - which had a similar cowling and engine - the cowling shutters should be closed after the engine was turned off when the cylinder head temperature reached 80°; if the engine cooled too quickly, cracks could form. I think there were similar instructions for the I-16.

I've kept looking at photos online. So the modern working replicas and old wartime photos, there is great variation with shutters closed, open and partially closed. If they had to close them to cool down slowly, why are they open again on many of these parked birds? Modelers seem to prefer open, probably so you can see some of the engine which otherwise is completely hidden. So after seeing all those photos I don't think any position is incorrect. cheers

 

[bf109xxl]

why are they open again on many of these parked birds?

Possible reasons:
0. Instructions are not always followed.
1. The plane is being prepared for flight / ready for takeoff.
2. A staged photo.
3. Hot weather.
4...
If you wanted to know how it's supposed to be, my answer is: according to the instructions, the cowl shutters _must_ be closed. But even when the shutters were closed to the maximum, a small gap still remained.

 

[SirFrancis]

Possible reasons:
0. Instructions are not always followed.
1. The plane is being prepared for flight / ready for takeoff.
2. A staged photo.
3. Hot weather.
4...
If you wanted to know how it's supposed to be, my answer is: according to the instructions, the cowl shutters _must_ be closed. But even when the shutters were closed to the maximum, a small gap still remained.

I like 0. Instructions not always followed. Haha. I'm building a model and like the open look but AI stated as you say that they should be closed. So I was curious as to so many photos showing the shutter open. That will do me, my ground crew / pilot were sloppy...Hahaha.

 

[bf109xxl]

I like 0. Instructions not always followed. Haha. I'm building a model and like the open look but AI stated as you say that they should be closed. So I was curious as to so many photos showing the shutter open. That will do me, my ground crew / pilot were sloppy...Hahaha.