Looking through my Spitfire books I came across information about the damage control system for the radiator introduced when the Spitfire went to double, symetrical radiators.
On page 312 of Spitfire: The History:
The McLaren scheme showing the front and side grids in position. These grids were of bakelised line sheets with electro-depostited copper moulded between the sheets. The grids were connected to the gunsight switch so that when a pilot was about to go into action, and there was a possiblity of a radiator suffering damage, the protection scheme would operate. If the radiators were damages a red light showed in the cockpit (see photo above) indicating the grid had been pierced. Soleniod relay switches then operated valves which cut off coolant flow through the damaged radiator and switched it to the undamaged unit. Photo below, shows the coolant pump inlet equipped with special valves.
I doubt a Spitfire that needed the symetrical radiators to cool the engine could fly at MIL power for long without overheating, let alone WEP, but it could probably nurse itself home on a cruise setting.
I am sure that people here who are very familiar with other aircraft know about some of their systems and could suggest things. Kurfurst, anything for the Bf109 series? Widewing for the P-38s?
