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Enjoy.
Power!!!!
- Thread starter Nickodell
- Start date
skywords
Donation Time
Fastest motor sport in the world. Pushen 500 mph. Never could understand why it doesn't draw a larger following. That looks like the the Evergreen
P-51D that I got a ride in. Now let me wipe the drool.
Used to be one parked on the ramp at San Jose airport Calif, sitting on flat tires rotting in the Bay Area salt air. Probably owned by some idiot that keeps saying "gunna fix er up someday".
That picture Nick makes me wish I had my medical back.
P-51D that I got a ride in. Now let me wipe the drool.
Used to be one parked on the ramp at San Jose airport Calif, sitting on flat tires rotting in the Bay Area salt air. Probably owned by some idiot that keeps saying "gunna fix er up someday".
That picture Nick makes me wish I had my medical back.
RootesRooter
Donation Time
The first time I ever heard a Merlin was in one of the Unlimiteds. I was about 10 and had no idea what it was. Fast forward about 30 years. Attended an Indy air show, heard a P51 idle into the parking area and was immediately tranported back to that sunny day on the Ohio. The same thing happens when I watch "101 Dalmations" as Cruella idles through the village, looking for the pups. The mind is a funny thing.
What a sweet sound.
Bill
What a sweet sound.
Bill
Jeff Scoville
Donation Time
I remember I had a "Testers" model gas powered version of this. The kind where you stand in the field and it flies in a circle around you on a string. With the handle you could control the rear wing to make it climb or dive.
Unfortunately one of my most vivid memories is of flying it in circles on hot summer days to the point of losing my lunch from all the spinning in the center I was doing!
Man I had some cool toys as a kid, now they don't even make most of the stuff I had.
Does anyone remember "Spin Welders" Now that was a cool toy!
Unfortunately one of my most vivid memories is of flying it in circles on hot summer days to the point of losing my lunch from all the spinning in the center I was doing!
Man I had some cool toys as a kid, now they don't even make most of the stuff I had.
Does anyone remember "Spin Welders" Now that was a cool toy!
Nickodell
Donation Time
Sensations other than sight can indeed transport one back decades. A whiff of someone smoking a Galloise takes me back to Paris in 1952 when I was an exchange high school student. The sound of a Merlin takes me instantly back to the war (WWII, that is) when all sorts of Merlin-powered stuff was constantly going overhead. A lot of the fighter boys amused themselves by flying down the valley and over the village where I lived, maybe 100 ft up, and the bellowing of those 12 exhaust stacks echoing up and down the valley made all us kids cheer and jump up and down. The part of the movie A Bridge Too Far where the photorecce Spit flies over the Dutch boy on his bike always makes me smile in recognition.
On one memorable occasion the crew of a Lancaster decided to do the same, although more like 200 ft up. The sound of four great Merlins is something never to be forgotten. It was low enough to see the crew at their stations, and the rear gunner moved his guns up and down in a kind of wave, or salute, to us. Some old biddies probably took their number down and reported them, and the likely got a stiff reprimand, but hey, what were they going to do, ground them? They probably were going to be dead in a few weeks in any case.
On one memorable occasion the crew of a Lancaster decided to do the same, although more like 200 ft up. The sound of four great Merlins is something never to be forgotten. It was low enough to see the crew at their stations, and the rear gunner moved his guns up and down in a kind of wave, or salute, to us. Some old biddies probably took their number down and reported them, and the likely got a stiff reprimand, but hey, what were they going to do, ground them? They probably were going to be dead in a few weeks in any case.
Nickodell
Donation Time
This was taken at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, which is where the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight of a Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane are based and maintained. It was also one of the bases of 617 Squadron ("The Dam Busters") in WWII, and from which they operated with the 12,000lb Tallboy and 22,000lb Grand Slam bombs. I was based here in early 1960 while doing the Bombing portion of my Navigation/Bombing course.
TURN YOUR VOLUME UP FOR PROPER APPRECIATION!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eszRXRnOA8
TURN YOUR VOLUME UP FOR PROPER APPRECIATION!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eszRXRnOA8
Talk about memories, I am almost telling my age now.
As a pup I lived on a hill overlooking Carswell air force base and General Dynamics (then Consolidated Aircraft).
Fast forward,
In 1971 I was camping in the Mojave Desert when in the morning we had an AM radio tuned to WFAA radio in Fort Worth (back when they had clear channel radio stations) and I heard a sound I could never forget, all 6 4360 at 3500 each hp running on a B-36. The folks in Fort Worth were trying to get the old B-36 that was sitting on display at Amon Carter airport ready to start a flying tour of the US. They eventually ran out of money(long story, long fight) and dismantled it and moved it back to the old factory entrance where it still sits today on display.
Those big pushers had a distinct sound with the exhaust hitting the prop blades.
New info, shows how long it has been sense I have been back to the old Air Force plant 4.
http://www.cowtown.net/proweb/last_one.htm
The B-36 was moved to the Pima Air Museum in Tucson.
Paul
As a pup I lived on a hill overlooking Carswell air force base and General Dynamics (then Consolidated Aircraft).
Fast forward,
In 1971 I was camping in the Mojave Desert when in the morning we had an AM radio tuned to WFAA radio in Fort Worth (back when they had clear channel radio stations) and I heard a sound I could never forget, all 6 4360 at 3500 each hp running on a B-36. The folks in Fort Worth were trying to get the old B-36 that was sitting on display at Amon Carter airport ready to start a flying tour of the US. They eventually ran out of money(long story, long fight) and dismantled it and moved it back to the old factory entrance where it still sits today on display.
Those big pushers had a distinct sound with the exhaust hitting the prop blades.
New info, shows how long it has been sense I have been back to the old Air Force plant 4.
http://www.cowtown.net/proweb/last_one.htm
The B-36 was moved to the Pima Air Museum in Tucson.
Paul
Mustang Envy
I had a friend who owned a house just off the "Valley of Speed" here in Reno/Stead. We'd BBQ and monitor the radio. When the race was to begin we'd walk down the street and watch them go past. Rare Bear (Yeah, I know it's a Bearcat but I like the sound of Radials.), Voodoo, Dago Red, Strega.... Tons of fun.
I've mentioned it before (at least 100 times) but my shift knob on my V6 is a grip from a P51 Mustang.
Ya'll come by to visit now, ya' hear?
I had a friend who owned a house just off the "Valley of Speed" here in Reno/Stead. We'd BBQ and monitor the radio. When the race was to begin we'd walk down the street and watch them go past. Rare Bear (Yeah, I know it's a Bearcat but I like the sound of Radials.), Voodoo, Dago Red, Strega.... Tons of fun.
I've mentioned it before (at least 100 times) but my shift knob on my V6 is a grip from a P51 Mustang.
Ya'll come by to visit now, ya' hear?
I'm with you Nick, when it comes to the sound of a radial engine. I love to hear that staggered idle. It reminds me of a top fuel engine, when it cackels on nitro. LOVE IT!!
Jose
RootesRooter
Donation Time
I posted a period photo, circa 1965, previously of the Miss Bardahl hydroplane. (see bottom link). Directly below is a link to a photo of the same boat, taken yesterday, at its restoration debut. The driver did several close passes to several hundred spectators on the shore, its mighty V-12 Rolls-Royce Merlin roaring, at about 135mph. At that distance, the unmuffled thunder reverberates through every cell in your body to your very core. There simply isn't a more magnificent engine sound on the face of the earth.
Dick Sanders
Kent, WA
http://jimclark.smugmug.com/gallery/2924818#P-11-9
Dick Sanders
Kent, WA
http://jimclark.smugmug.com/gallery/2924818#P-11-9
Nickodell
Donation Time
Rolls-Royce had no idea what they were starting when they designed the Merlin, three quarters of a century ago! Strange to think that their original cylinder head design was all wrong, too, as were the hypoid reduction gears. Both turned out unsatisfactory in testing and were replaced.
skywords
Donation Time
The hydroplanes are neat. I believe they have gone to turbines putting out crazy amounts of power.
The tractor pulls I used to see when I was a kid using merlins and allisons sucking in huge amounts of dirt made me cry. I just could not see why anyone would put such beautiful engines through such abuse. Sad, I suppose they thought there was a unlimited supply of them. At that time they probably paid a hundred dollars each for them. Now a hundred dollars might buy a rotor for the magneto. My Dad owned many airplanes and several at once, I kept telling him to buy a Mustang or P-40 and he would reply "who the hell wants one of those things they burn to much fuel" Now he says he wished he'd listened to me. Mustangs were selling all day long for 20K. They were a better investment than MicroSoft stock was in the early 90's even stored like Uncle Sam did at Kingman AZ stand em up on their snoot and let em rot in the weather they would still appreciate ten times faster than they corrode.
The tractor pulls I used to see when I was a kid using merlins and allisons sucking in huge amounts of dirt made me cry. I just could not see why anyone would put such beautiful engines through such abuse. Sad, I suppose they thought there was a unlimited supply of them. At that time they probably paid a hundred dollars each for them. Now a hundred dollars might buy a rotor for the magneto. My Dad owned many airplanes and several at once, I kept telling him to buy a Mustang or P-40 and he would reply "who the hell wants one of those things they burn to much fuel" Now he says he wished he'd listened to me. Mustangs were selling all day long for 20K. They were a better investment than MicroSoft stock was in the early 90's even stored like Uncle Sam did at Kingman AZ stand em up on their snoot and let em rot in the weather they would still appreciate ten times faster than they corrode.
Nickodell
Donation Time
At the end of WWII you could buy Spitfires, the latest marks like the 22 (R-R Griffon engine) for little more than scrap. Complete except for the guns. As petrol was virtually unobtainable for private use, people bought these lovely machines for the petrol that was still in their tanks.
Alpine Bob
Donation Time
I was sitting there, number 1 for take off, waiting for a P-51 coming in for a landing. The P51 came in hot, right down the runway, then turned straight up and out of sight, WOW what POWER!
RootesRooter
Donation Time
Today's turbines (Lycoming L-7B's - a Vietnam-era Chinook helicopter motor)put out between 2500-2800hp. There's still one Allison-powered hydro racing full-time on the circuit. Turbo-charged, it also puts out about 2500-2800hp, at all of 4300rpms. The turbo-charger tends to act as a muffler though. Too bad...