Author Topic: Karnak, how big was Spitfire fuel tank?? (Read 725 times)

F4UDOA · « **on:** September 15, 2003, 01:53:47 PM »

HTC has it listed as 133 gallons.

I have found references to 102 and 110 gallons. Nothing close to 133.

Any idea?

Nashwan · « **Reply #1 on:** September 15, 2003, 02:11:11 PM »

85 imperial gallons was the basic, in 2 tanks ahead of the cockpit. Some later ones had 92 or 95 gallons in these two tanks.

Some Spit IXs had wing tanks of 24 - 36 gallons total, and some added a rear tank of up to 75 gallons.

All figures are imperial gallons.

For a Spit F IX with Merlin 61, as in AH, the total should be 85 gallons. All the other options were only used on later Spit IXs, with Merlin 63, 66 or 70.

The AH Spit IX is a hybrid, with 1942 performance, but 1944 armament options, and probably 1944 fuel tanks as well.

Guppy35 · « **Reply #2 on:** September 15, 2003, 02:48:47 PM »

Sounds like they went with the 57 gallon upper/35 gallon lower tanks that were fairly standard on the IX as well as the leading edge wing tanks in the AH hybrid Spit IX.

Personally I wish they'd have the 1942-43 FIXC that was there for Dieppe etc. with the small rudder, no tropical filter, no wing hardpoints. Then add a clipped wing LFIX/XVIE with the larger pointed rudder and increased fuel tankage and wing hard points that was standard for the 1944-45 era.

But thats just me

Dan/Slack

Staga · « **Reply #3 on:** September 15, 2003, 03:46:13 PM »

110 U.K gallon = 132 U.S Gallon.

Edit: For the rest of the world it's 500 liters...

Karnak · « **Reply #4 on:** September 15, 2003, 05:27:12 PM »

F4UDOA,

Nashwan beat me to it.

F4UDOA · « **Reply #5 on:** September 23, 2003, 09:31:44 AM »

Stega,

Could you please show me a reference for that?

I am finding 88imp gallon tanks equaling between 102 and 110 US gallons on the Spitfire testing website and the weights of those A/C correspond with our A/C.

Also all of the Spits have 130+ gallons tanks in here. If the larger tank is a late war mod why are the Spit tanks so large??

Staga · « **Reply #6 on:** September 23, 2003, 10:54:10 AM »

Convert.exe

F4UDOA · « **Reply #7 on:** September 23, 2003, 12:45:49 PM »

Hehe,

Sorry Staga. I meant guppy.

Nashwan · « **Reply #8 on:** September 23, 2003, 03:00:12 PM »

Quote

Sounds like they went with the 57 gallon upper/35 gallon lower tanks that were fairly standard on the IX

I'm not 100% sure about this, but I think the forward tanks were 48 gallon upper, 37 gallon lower in early Spits. Later on, when the Griffon was fitted, the upper tank had to be reduced in capacity, and so the lower tank was increased to 47 (or 44) gallons to compensate. These enlarged lower tanks were often fitted to late Merlin Spits as well, giving them 48 gallons upper, 47 or 44 gallons lower.

If the AH Spit IX has 133 US gallons, that's 110 or 11 Imperial gallons.

If you take the basic 85 gallon forward tanks, that means 25 gallons elsewhere. Enlarged forward tank would add 7 or 10 gallons, leading edge wing tanks anywhere from 24 to 36 gallons.

The only likely way a Spit would have 110 gallons Imperial is with normal forward tanks, and the smallest wing leading edge tanks.

HoHun · « **Reply #9 on:** September 23, 2003, 03:12:19 PM »

Hi Nashwan,

>If you take the basic 85 gallon forward tanks, that means 25 gallons elsewhere. Enlarged forward tank would add 7 or 10 gallons, leading edge wing tanks anywhere from 24 to 36 gallons.

From A.P. 1565J, P & L - P.N.:

"The capacities of the main tanks are as follows:

Top tank ... 48 gallons
Bottom tank ... 37 gallons or 47* gallons
Total ... 85 gallons or 95* gallons

* on some aircraft, generally those which have 'rear view' fuselages"

However, from the same source:

"Later Mk. IX and all F. Mk. XVI aircraft mount two additional fuel tanks with a combined capacity of 75 gallons (66 gallons in aircraft with 'rear view' fuselages); they are fitted in the fuselage behind the cockpit. These tanks should be filled only for special operations at the discretion of the appropriate Area Commander and normally their ***** should be wired OFF. If fitted to aircraft with 'rear view' fuselage, they must not be used in any circumstances."

(I couldn't find any mention of the leading edge tanks for the Spitfire IX, XI and XVI.)

Regards,

Henning (HoHun)

HoHun · « **Reply #10 on:** September 23, 2003, 03:13:59 PM »

>These tanks should be filled only for special operations at the discretion of the appropriate Area Commander and normally their ***** should be wired OFF.

Are you mad?! Charlie Oscar Charlie Kilo Sierra!

Staga · « **Reply #11 on:** September 23, 2003, 03:57:03 PM »

Romeo Oscar Foxtrot Lima Mike Alfa Oscar

Guppy · « **Reply #12 on:** September 23, 2003, 09:57:17 PM »

http://www.fourthfightergroup.com/eagles/rb141weights.html shows, for early production Spitfire XIV RB.141:

Fuselage tank: 85 gallons
Wing tanks: 27 gallons

for a total of 112 gallons. (Weight is 7.2 lbs / gal, so this is definitely in Imperial gallons.)

The Spitfire XIV Pilot's Notes give the following:

Top tank: 36 gallons
Bottom tank: 49 gallons
Wing tanks: 26 gallons

for a total of 111 gallons.

The wing tanks appear to also have been standard on the Spitfire VIII, but I can't find any references to IXs being fitted with them.

F4UDOA · « **Reply #13 on:** September 24, 2003, 01:29:22 PM »

Guppy,

You just made my point kind of.

First that is a Spit XIV not IX and it definitely has 112 Imp Gallons in it equalling 134.5 US gallons.

But guess what, the weight of that airplane is 1,000lbs heavier than the Spit IX in AH which is supposed to weight 7,400lbs with the same fuel load.

I still want to see some loading data for the IX with 137 gallons and a loaded weight.

Guppy · « **Reply #14 on:** September 24, 2003, 06:59:57 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by F4UDOA
You just made my point kind of.

Yeah, I know.

Like I said, I couldn't find any reference to IXs with the wing tanks. The closest thing I found was the takeoff weight of a Spitfire VIII (which was a very similar variant, but with the wing tanks) given as 7,770 lbs.

It's interesting to compare this with the weight of a Mk IX with 30-gallon external tank - 7,775 lbs.