Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules
On September 20, 1942, two months after the Zero's capture, Lieutenant Commander Eddie R. Sanders took the Akutan Zero up for its first test flight. He would make 24 test flights between September 20 and October 15. According to Sanders' report:
These flights covered performance tests such as we do on planes undergoing Navy tests. The very first flight exposed weaknesses of the Zero which our pilots could exploit with proper tactics ... immediately apparent was the fact that the ailerons froze up at speeds above 200 knots so that rolling maneuvers at those speeds were slow and required much force on the control stick. It rolled to the left much easier than to the right. Also, its engine cut out under negative acceleration due to its float-type carburetor [emphasis mine]. We now had the answer for our pilots who were being outmaneuvered and unable to escape a pursuing Zero: Go into a vertical power dive, using negative acceleration if possible to open the range while the Zero's engine was stopped by the acceleration. At about 200 knots, roll hard right before the Zero pilot could get his sights lined up.[29]
Akutan Zero - Wikipedia
By 1937, Nakajima was successful to cope with not only the negative G but zero G and excessive +G by adopting a slide valve. The slide valve is balanced with a coil spring. In +1G, it slightly downs by its own weight to allow the fuel stream. In 0G, it rises to close the hole to shut the fuel flow but a small bypass which is drilled inside the valve allows minimum fuel flow to run the engine. In minus G, it totally shut the fuel flow like a ball valve but a small bypass again allows minimum fuel flow like in the 0G. In the excessive +G like air-combat, another acceleration valve is activated by the increased fuel weight itself to run the engine.
Point is Nakajima did not rely on the ball valve like Americans.
Like serious negative.Greg,
It's negative G flight they are looking for.
Cheers,
Biff
I have already read somewhere on the internet that the Americans installed the carburetor incorrectly during the evaluation of the Akutan Zero, so it did not behave as it should, as according to what I have read the plane could do 0 and negative G maneuvers without losing power (have read this in a forum years ago, don't have the link anymore).
Since I did not find any answer with a reliable source, I have decided to send a message to Shinpachi, our very helpful member from Japan, who kindly reply and give me an explanation of how the carburetor from Nakajima works. The answer follows:
In 0G, it rises to close the hole to shut the fuel flow but a small bypass which is drilled inside the valve allows minimum fuel flow to run the engine. In minus G, it totally shut the fuel flow like a ball valve but a small bypass again allows minimum fuel flow like in the 0G.
No, you got it right. Best explanation yet.Or am I reading this incorrectly?
General Technical Data and Flight Characteristics of the Japanese Zero Fighter Plane. 6 February 1943.
Tests carried out at Kunming China. Page 8: 9. c. "The engine will not run under any conditions of negative acceleration, inverted, or in a steep skid. A Zero is unable to follow any airplane which does a sharp pushover unless it rolls and it cannot roll at high speed."
The Navy-version T-34B we had in the flying club had a 90 second inverted limitation based on engine oil scavenging, not fuel feed. Its Bendix pressure carb would run inverted as long as the fuel system could feed it, and through an ingenious network of header tanks, boost pumps, and gravity pickups, that was more or less indefinite.For discussion, the 1,350 HP R-1820 in a Navy T-28 has a 5-second negative g limit
Ours had the stock Continental 0-470-4. It had a fairly large oil header tank with a gravity pickup and scavenge pumps in both the bottom and the top of the crankcase. The inverted rating was based on how long the oil pressure pump took to empty the header tank, assuming both scavenge pumps would become starved for oil and not replenish the header.I didn't know it had a 90-second inverted rating. I also have seen several sporting bigger Continentals and Lycomings. Several around here have 285 HP Lyc 540s in them.
Are you sure those 285 HP T-34s have Lycomings in them? I know the 285 Continental O-520 is a popular conversion, and Lyc O-540s usually come in 260 and 300 HP flavors. I think the O-540's oil pan/induction manifold arrangement has some sort of conflict with the T-34's nose gear support structure. Some tidbit from the mists of memory.I also have seen several sporting bigger Continentals and Lycomings. Several around here have 285 HP Lyc 540s in them.