Steve Nelson wrote:
I admit I know little about the technical side of things, but I think I read somewhere that on British aircraft the throttle moved in the opposite direction as American (or was that French throttles that were "backwards?") I know this is a US-built aircraft, but did Lend-Lease planes have the controls configured to Brit specs?
To elaborate on Mike's answer, French throttles were 'pull for power' not push. British preferences matched US.
However some US-built aircraft intended for French service were diverted to British use with 'pull' throttles, as per French requirements - for instance Grumman F-4 'Wildcat/Martlet' (Actually the G-36A export version), for certain, and probably Martin 167 Marylands, and others. I suspect the throttle system was changed as soon as possible, but the metric instruments remained initially at least.
Before anyone gets sarky about French preferences, the rudder bar & control column system familiar to all today was a Bleriot concept.
None of that has anything to do with Curtiss P-40 family in Commonwealth or RAF service. All the throttle boxes worked the same way, varying only by model. I'd also be wary of drawing any conclusions about control positions - fiddling with the throttle is one of the first things someone would do on encountering such an aircraft.
Pathfinder wrote:
Looking at the prop hub....I see two (2) blades. One is bent backward and one is bent forward with what appears to be equal bend.
Is that the third blade at the starboard wing/forward fuselage root...pointing up at the exhaust manifold?
I'd say the prop is balanced on two blades, one obscured by the angles and the third pointing up. One of the most misinterpreted elements of crash damage is prop blade positions. If the engine is under enough power, it is quite common for blades to be bent
forward as the aircraft decelerates; most famously when an aircraft hits the water but gets away with it, the blade tips can often bend forwards. In a crash like this (and I'd agree with your sand /rock analysis) the prop blades could end up pointing in all directions. As to the root and pitch mechanism, you'd expect shear breaks, not unplugging following mechanical structural junctions.
Just a few thoughts,