SPAD XIII Armament Q

[lackstone]

Researching the SPAD XIII Vickers guns has taken me a bit of time sorting out. There's much documented about the Vickers 7.7 machine gun but relatively little on the actual guns fitted to the SPAD XIII. So far I've learned that the Colt company produced the gun in 11mm for the French who had developed that round as an incendiary to bring down the German observation balloons. Evidently the standard 7.62 (7.7, .303) ball ammunition was ineffectual to that end. So, around 800 guns were (rebuilt) by the Colt company from the .303 version they made for the Russians (contract) that fell through with the Russian Revolution.

In a video I watched about the 11mm Vickers gun the host stated that Rickenbacker's airplane (and others) were fitted with one of each gun (.303 & 11mm). The 11mm gun differed outwardly from the .303 due to the firing mechanism and synchronizer configuration between the gun and the Hispano-Suiza engine vertical camshaft operated worm shaft fitted between the engine and the gun. All sighting features were remove as well as the charging levers. Anyone familiar with the Vickers series machine gun may note the major differences between the ground and aviation iterations in the various videos available.

My specific need at the moment is to find visual illustrations of the actual synchronizer shaft that ran between the engine and the gun. I bought 2-each 1/4 scale plastic gun kits from Zirroli Models that are very good representations of the aviation gun. But, I had to modify the charging mechanism to match the visual details and add the tubular compression spring housing to the aft side of the guns. Other minor changes were needed but, overall, these guns have adequate accuracy for fitment to a 1/4 scale SPAD RC airplane I'm building. All that's left is completing the fitment of the actual interrupter mechanism that mounts to the top of the gun.

Thanks for any help you might have to offer.

 

[lackstone]

My first post, bearing a link to a youtube video of the subject gun, was edited by a moderator citing it for spam. He removed the Youtube link I placed in it necessary to give visual cues beneficial to the reader's familiarization of the gun fitted to the SPAD. I don't understand the thinking by that moderator that the Youtube link was spam but there you have it. I expect I will be contacted directly explaining the link removal, as a courtesy.

 

[A.G. Williams]

You might find this of some use: https://www.quarryhs.co.uk/Synchro.pdf

Note that there were various synchronising gears used by different air forces at different times. I don't know which one would have been used by the aircraft in question.

 

[Wurger]

My first post, bearing a link to a youtube video of the subject gun, was edited by a moderator citing it for spam. He removed the Youtube link I placed in it necessary to give visual cues beneficial to the reader's familiarization of the gun fitted to the SPAD. I don't understand the thinking by that moderator that the Youtube link was spam but there you have it. I expect I will be contacted directly explaining the link removal, as a courtesy.

PM sent...

 

[MiTasol]

I do not know if this is any use to you. From the Polish air museum. They may have more Spad stuff there.

 

[Barrett]

When I worked for the late-great Doug Champlin at his world-class fighter museum here in Arizona, he commissioned a superb SPAD XIII reproduction (as distinct from a look-alike replica) that had 11mm guns. It bore the commonly-seen markings of Frank Luke although I believe that FL's last mission was flown with a new machine lacking the 27th AS emblem and number. The guns on Doug's SPAD were operational to the extent they had the synchronizing mechanisms installed. You could turn the prop by hand and watch the mechanical show at work. And yes, as I understand it, frequently dedicated balloon-busting SPADs had one-each .303 and 11mm. Doug's entire collection went to the Seattle Museum of Flight except for the Fw 190D, acquired by Paul Allen for his Washington State museum, which I believe closed last year.

 

[Akuma]

Researching the SPAD XIII Vickers guns has taken me a bit of time sorting out. There's much documented about the Vickers 7.7 machine gun but relatively little on the actual guns fitted to the SPAD XIII. So far I've learned that the Colt company produced the gun in 11mm for the French who had developed that round as an incendiary to bring down the German observation balloons. Evidently the standard 7.62 (7.7, .303) ball ammunition was ineffectual to that end. So, around 800 guns were (rebuilt) by the Colt company from the .303 version they made for the Russians (contract) that fell through with the Russian Revolution.

In a video I watched about the 11mm Vickers gun the host stated that Rickenbacker's airplane (and others) were fitted with one of each gun (.303 & 11mm). The 11mm gun differed outwardly from the .303 due to the firing mechanism and synchronizer configuration between the gun and the Hispano-Suiza engine vertical camshaft operated worm shaft fitted between the engine and the gun. All sighting features were remove as well as the charging levers. Anyone familiar with the Vickers series machine gun may note the major differences between the ground and aviation iterations in the various videos available.

My specific need at the moment is to find visual illustrations of the actual synchronizer shaft that ran between the engine and the gun. I bought 2-each 1/4 scale plastic gun kits from Zirroli Models that are very good representations of the aviation gun. But, I had to modify the charging mechanism to match the visual details and add the tubular compression spring housing to the aft side of the guns. Other minor changes were needed but, overall, these guns have adequate accuracy for fitment to a 1/4 scale SPAD RC airplane I'm building. All that's left is completing the fitment of the actual interrupter mechanism that mounts to the top of the gun.

Thanks for any help you might have to offer.

Just an aside. Pilots whose aircraft carried the 11 mm gun were required to carry documentation on their person in case the were brought down and captured by the German Military. The 11mm was illegal for normal usage but was allowed provided that the pilot had paperwork to show that shooting down balloons was part of his assigned duties. This was a legal technicality tied to the Hague (Geneva) conventions. A book titled "The Stand, the Final Flight of Lt. Frank Luke" goes into some detail about this.