warbird1 wrote:
Oh, I agree with you, JDK! I'm all about originality and preserving the original engine, believe me! But from what little I know, it seems like the Bristol Mercury engine is exceedingly rare. Eventually, it will reach a point where one of those will have to be virtually scratch built, so I'm just thinking ahead 20 to 30 years in the future, when the then 4 or 5 flyable examples have burnt out the existing Mercury stock.
The working Mercuries are effectively major build projects - the number of airworthy examples dipped to near zero several times in the last 20 years or so. Despite the rarity, it's a growing number (rather like the flying Mustang count as a comparison). However the Shuttleworth Collection have been operating a Mercury (on the Gladiator G-AMRK) for the last 40 years or so. There have been fixes required, but I think that indicates a benchmark. The Mercury, when properly used, and on an underloaded aircraft doing low hours, such as these warbirds, should be good for a long time - decades of flying are possible.
I suspect the balance is then whether it's better to produce consumed parts or develop an engine conversion. As has been discussed, the Mercury in the types touched on, Lysander, Blenheim/Bollingbroke and Gladiator have an exhaust collector ring as part of the cowling forward of the engine. That, as well as the engine, contributes the sound to be heard around Hamilton at the moment. I doubt such an exhaust arrangement would be viable with an American engine, and would, therefore lose an important part of the aircraft's 'character'.
However the CWH have a Bollingbroke. They were all fitted with Mercuries, except for 15 (according to the CWH website) which were fitted with R1535 Wasp Juniors. The CWH, IIRC, and again according to the website, are planning to fit theirs also with Wasp Juniors.
http://www.warplane.com/pages/restorati ... pdate.html
In Australia, the Australian built Bristol Beaufort underway in Queensland will have P&W Twin Wasps, as per Australian production, instead of the (few Australian and) British production sleeve-valve Bristol Taurus.
http://www.beaufortrestoration.com.au/Index.html
In both those cases, they were W.W.II production conversions to use American engines on a British airframe. This means that these aircraft are certified factory designs rather than a modern conversion. The Hawker (Sea) Furies with R3350s can't be licenced to fly in UK ownership as they are not a CAA acceptable design modification - while I'm not an expert on the paperwork, importing such a modified type into the UK would require certification as a major conversion or new 'type', prohibitively expensive if possible. The UK does not have an 'experimental' or similar category to the USA. Australia does, but again, I'm not sure of the factors.
Just some further thoughts - corrections welcome.
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Sorry to hear that. It's a pity in a way that his aircraft was retired from flight, but at least it's on show in the Smithsonian to show there really is a different way of doing everything. 
project a/c.
Why not just fly (yet) another T-6? What's the point in being half-assed about preserving unusual warbirds?
