Warbird Information Exchange

Since Dave hasn't posted this fascinating article...

http://www.vintagewings.ca/VintageNews/ ... Years.aspx




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http://www.biplanerides1.com/

I'm a huge Model T Ford nut so that was neat to see!

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The nose art/aviation artist and general lunatic from Houston, Texas http://www.jasonbarnettartist.com

Thanks! Yes, the whole project was a huge victory for my Father. We weren't quite sure what would happen when we hooked up to the Rolls-Royce Kestrel. It's a geared engine, so of course you're driving the little gear with the big one -- like starting away in a car in 4th. But it all worked well, first time, each time. Nothing broke.

My internet access has been patchy for the last week, so posting photos has been cumbersome. I'll try to get some up soon.

Dave

Great article! Sometimes the support equipment is nearly as interesting as the plane itself. It really fills out the display as well.

The Soviets sued these long after everyone else had given up on them. Having a truck engine as your starter makes even more sense at -40.

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Lest Hero-worship raise it's head and cloud our vision, remember that World War II was fought and won by the same sort of twenty-something punks we wouldn't let our daughters date.

Beyond cool!!! Looks pretty risky for all involved-BDK is right, everyone ignores the 'yellow gear' until it either isn't available or won't operate.

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

This is another thing that Yagen has at MAM. Apparently this, too, is operational. You can sort of see it behind the Camel in this pic.



Here's something I found about this one on the a Model T forum on the interweb:

http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/179374/206106.html


August

Good article Dave! A few thoughts...

As well as the Russians, the Japanese Army also used Hucks starters well into W.W.II; you'll note how many of their aircraft (Ki 43 for instance) have the Hucks dog on the prop boss.

It's interesting to read the excitement over using it on new engines for the first times - neat! Funny thing is that the Shuttleworth one mentioned in the article was regularly used (particularly on their airworthy Hind) in the 1980s and 1990s, and like any form of machinery was used with panache by the thoroughly familiar Shuttleworth crews - it was always fun to watch, but hardly ever a fuss, as you'd expect! As is mentioned, it might've looked rather 'Heath Robinson' (Britain's Rube Goldberg) but it was clearly effective.

When the Fury replica (now with Yagen's collection) was being checked out by Tony Bianchi, they had problems getting the Kestrel to behave - or run at all, and the Shuttleworth Hucks was loaned to get it running, which it did. My colleague Gary Brown has photos of that, published in Aeroplane and forwarded to Jerry by me a while ago.

The other Hucks I'm aware of was at Duxford with one of the private organisations there, and was (is?) used on getting the Hawker Nimrods' Kestrels going.

One final thought - in the obit, there doesn't seem to be any mention that Hucks was normally known as 'B.C. Hucks' or 'Benny Hucks' - but given the source, I wonder if that's just a result of the formality of the obit, or that the 'Benny' was not really used, just a newspaper invention?

Oh, and Dave, if you want to give up the day job for writing, let me know, OK?

Regards,

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James K

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

www.VintageAeroWriter.com

That's very kind of you to say, James. Thanks!

Yes, the Russians bought Ford Truck production equipment in 1934, from Ford, and built them by the tens of thousands. Piston airplane engines are always dificult to start in the cold, and it's natural that they rigged up a Hucks-type unit.

Here's one photo off the internet...



The cab would have been very welcome in Siberia.

This fellow's modelling site has many photos of a Russian unit he has recreated, although none of the actual truck. http://vvs.hobbyvista.com/Modeling/Misc ... /index.php

I didn't know about Japanese Hucks units, but a quick internet search yielded this...



... which at first glance appears to be based on the Russian design. Another photo, with what appears to be a KI-27 Nate...



... and a photo of a KI-43 with a Hucks-type receiver protruding through the spinner.

More, this of a Ki-43 "Oscar"...



August, that Hucks in the photo of Jerry Yagen's collection is very interesting. If the extra PTO drive/transmission used in its construction had been available in Bentfield Hucks time he probably would have used it, because it does away with the big scary chain right beside the driver.

Dave

..and, no leaky, heavy batteries to keep up on, no lugging gallons and gallons of Sulphuric Acid around to service those batteries, no damaged batteries catching fire from enemy hits-Warm the oil if needed, a magneto delivers a full hot spark on the first impulse.
I believe the Russian FORD trucks were called GAZ as their 'brand name'

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-