Warbird Information Exchange

Hello Rich and All,

I have been refered here by Dudley Henriques for a couple of bits of information. By way of introduction, I am a low hours pilot but the majority of my flying has been aerobatics. My only "warbird" time is a little on the Nanchang and Tiger Moth but I also have aerobatic time on the Super Decathlon, Extra 300L, C152 and Fuji (the latter two being marginal aerobatic aircraft at best, in my opinion...but you take what you can get).

I have long had a love for Spitfires and have recently finished a 2 1/2 year project to build a full scale cockpit section linked to MS Flight Simulator and fully functional as to controls and instruments (within the limitations of FSX).

Anyway, to the questions at last:

1. I have film of the Spitfire flaps coming down at a million miles an hour on the ground and I know the mechanics of that but when airborne, do they also deploy at that rate or is it more slowly / how slowly.

2. I believe from a maintenance manual, which I have, that they are held down by a spring arrangement and will begin to retract by themselves if left extended at anything above 120 mph. Could you confirm this? If so, does this do damage to the mechanism?

3. Retraction is reported (in the performance trials done by the RAF) to take 6-8 seconds does this occur more slowly on the ground?

3. The early marques (I to V - I believe) used a boost cutout override operated by a red thumb switch forward on the throttle quadrant. This switch being wired against inadvertant use (and its use was a reportable event in the aircraft's maintenance log). However the Mk II is listed as 9lb Rated boost, 12 1/2 lb Takeoff Boost and 12lb "emergency boost".
So it would appear that every takeoff would "break the wire", clearly making the wire pointless in the first place.
So, did the engine somehow deliver 12 1/2 boost at sea level (or near it) without "breaking" the wire or was Takeoff Boost synonimous with Emergency Power and Rated Boost the actual "normal" Takeoff Boost?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.


Darryl

Welcome to WIX. This is in the wrong forum to get these answers; suggest you post it over in the 'Main' WIX Hangar.
Cheers,

_________________
James K

"Switch on the underwater landing lights"
Emilio Largo, Thunderball.

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

Thank you James for the welcome and the heads up!!

I see now the NON-Military...sorry.


Darryl