Originally posted by GtoRA2
I was just reading throuhg Graham Whites excelent book on the R-2800, he is the same guy who did the Allied piston engines of WW2 book.
In the last section he talks about the future and spends a little time talking about how it bothers him that most restored R2800 powered aircraft use the single stage CB 16 civilian version of the 2800 instead of the proper 2 stage engines or in the case of the P-47, the turbo.
I know most of this is for safety, and it helps the planes survive, but why the use of the civil engine instead of the originals?
one of the major reasons you see the CB-16 being used is the difference in carburetor problems that exist in the 18W and the CB 16. With a down draft carb, the problems of fuel collecting in it a start is a reality that can cause fires (it was a problem in the war) and can subsequently cause the loss of the aircraft if it gets out of hand, and / or cause irreparable damage to an already scarce source of spares. For todays purposes it is perfectly fine to run a civilian version of a 2800 especially considering that the 2800-18W (F4u-4) is so darn hard to find. As for super charging the engines, who gives a rats flug whether it is 1 stage or two. Very few of these aircraft fly above 12k (as most are NOT IFR certified) and so have no need to carry the extra weight or the added maintenance cost of the 2 stage compressors or the external turbos on the 47 and 38.
Originally posted by GtoRA2
Now, this made me think, and yeah it bothers me, another thing I do not like is the missing armor, or upgraded cockpits that are not like they where.
First off, to fly today, you need to have a way of communicating with other aircraft, the tower, and ground. That is just not possible with a stock military aircraft. They use to totally different frequencies. VHF and UHF. (I may have this prettythangbackwards) UHF is military freq, and modern day military carry both, but not back in the old days. So, you are faced with a choice, carry a hald held radio for talking... which is sketchy over distance, and unsafe in my opinion, OR you place modern electronics on board. When we do 100% restorations, we try to hide the modern stuff in places where t is not seen, and use remote heads to use it. We place the old avionics in, and hide the remotes in such a way, you have to know what to take off (usually false plates in old avionics) to access it. Now this works, but is VERY costly. Don't forget too, that you need a transponder if you plan on bebopping into any controlled airspace. All these new gadgets, require different type of antennaes, so those too detract from the final "original" appearence of the aircraft. As for armor, it is more personal choice, but it does add lots of weight to the aircraft, weight which increases fuel burn, causes longer t/o runs, and can be a hindrance to performance. So, I am for supplementing rolled steel plate for magnesium, or aluminum and no one is the wiser. Sure it is not "authetic" plate, but then again, we are not getting shot out or seeing flak either.
Originally posted by GtoRA2
The Merlin powered Mustang use the right merlins right?
Depends on the mustang, but for the most part, they are correct. One good thing for mustang owners is that there is a shop in the US that is now legal to make cylinder banks, pistons, rings, cranks, and do repairs on blocks. That shop, owned by Jack Rousch, is the reason that the Merlin is thriving these days. But, that same set does not exist for the Pratt, or Curtiss engines, and hence, we restorers are forced to horde parts and scrounge the globe to find these items. Sooner enough they will be non existewnt, and then, the era of the vintage radials flying along will end. Sadly, a lot of usable parts end up in the hands of private collectors (we call them kooks) that find it wonderful to have a usable valve, cylinder, or any variety of part sitting on their mantle, so they can point it out to visitors. This in itself is one of the biggest causes of the dry ups of spares, and is so sad.
Originally posted by GtoRA2
I find it inexscusable in museums, there is no good reason for not restoring a non flying to pure stock. Well as long as you can get the parts.
I think it kind of cheats us out of the history of the aircraft to have them not be "right"
What do you guys think?
I hate seeing a P-38 from the top when they do not bother putting the turboes back in, it just looks wrong.
I feel just the opposite. Why should museums dry up the source of airworthy parts and force aircraft to be grounded so a "staic display" can be authentic. I am in favor of stripping static displays of airworthy parts, and replacing them with worn out, cracked (repaired of course but unairworthy) castings and forgings, run out no good engines, and basically anything in the aircraft that cannot be seen by the public. This helps us as restorers to put flying examples back in the air, and allows flying aircraft to stay in the air longer. Soon enough as I said before, there will be no parts left to continue the era of WW2 "heavy iron" and then there will be very few who will be able to afford to fly these beasts. As for cheating the public out of history, that is bogus. John Q public can give a rats shreck about whether this stuff stays or goes. As long as they have their home in suburbia, a land rover discovery, and 50k in the bank, they are happy. The ones who should and DO have a say are the ones who are funding these restorations. They are the ones through cost to themselves are keeping this history alive and available to airshows. I know of only one government funded flying of vintage aircraft program, and thats the Brits, who are smart enough to preserve their history in a representative condition. If we left it up to our military, we'd have nothing but corroded hulks wasting away on a pole somewhere. As for 38's with no turbos, I know of two like that, and one is trashed. So, as the newer restorations come on line, you will see better and more accurate representations that are costing many millions to do, but are not as representative of the "racer" era stripped 38's. All in all I think the restorers worldwide have a hard enough job doing it, without JQ public chiming in to say it is not right, or telling us how to do it, because until you fork over $5000000, you really don't have the right. Just MHO though.
