Warbird Information Exchange

that's cool! I've seen plenty of Allison puller Tractors, but never a radial.

Why does it smoke so much though?

It's one of Gary's old engines

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Don't touch my junk!!

Awesome

WAY, WAY TOO COOL!!!!!!!

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

Did'ya read the comments? A whole load of people on youtube got really upset about warbird engines being "abused" and yet on here, where we maybe should feel the same way, we all loved it!! Ain't nothin' like that noise

Over here in England we now have a growing number of guys running Merlins and Griffons on trailers at airshows, and the public love to see them. Several of the engines have come from crash sites, so of course they would be unusable in an aircraft. This way they get a whole new life.

Back during the time that the Lynnwood Rotary sponsered the now long gone Washington State Air Fair @ KPAE they brought in an SR-71 for static display. The aircraft was considered to be 'on alert' so they brought along the ground support equipment, including the start cart which used 2 401 C.I. Buick engines with dual carbs and open headers. To keep the start cart ready to goi, about once an hour they ran it for 5 or so minutes. It was amazing to see the number of airplane people (myself included) who hung around the cart to hear those big inch BUICKs run at full throttle.

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

I think the Museum of Flight had a similar thing next to their F-4 with a Nailhead (maybe 2, not sure.) Pretty cool.

Wait till you guys hear the noise we'll make to get our A4 going. It's an airshow all of its own.

Display runners are fine, in fact it may be the only way some of these engines will ever come to life again. And they are pampered by those who've invested a lot of resources to get them in running shape. (Thanks, MerlinPete!)

But I think you'll find more of the the opinion that giving these engines "new life" in a puller means they will have a very SHORT life and go out with a bang.

No disrespect, of course.

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"They done it, they done it, damned if they ain't flew." December 17, 1903

I suspect the reason it is smoking so badly is be cause it has probably been way over heated many times. I highly doubt that the folks wanted to waste the horse power to run a cooling fan of any sorts. And then there is the small thing of dirt ingestion, since it is in a tractor and there is alot of dirt and dust at those events.

Just curious, if someone had an old aircraft engine would any of the events pay to have them display and run it? You know that fuel and oil costs a bunch nowadays.

The ones around here have twin Chevy 454's in em...

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Those who possess real knowledge are rare.

Those who can set that knowledge into motion in the physical world are rarer still.

The few who possess real knowledge and can set it into motion of their own hands are the rarest of all.

Does it sound like it 's running Nitro Methane?

Nah, that one ran waaaay too long for it to be one of those.

Gary

I guess with gas so expensive there are fewer cars so they are finding new ways to keep up the ole carbon footprint.
Rich