Peter wrote:
this ingenious system
I like the “Sturtzflughebel” (Dive fight lever.)
If you’re really interested in that kind of stuff, check out:
http://www.daedalus-berlin.de/
They also rebuilt a fully functional pulsejet. That reminds me, Klaus insists it’s not a jet engine but a rather a piston engine. Maybe something for a really, really fast homebuild SEP? Might just a tiny bit loud and getting it to minimum working speed (IIRC around 100 kts) is also a challenge…
Reminds me of my Olivetti Divisumma calculator – you wonder who on earth managed to design things like this.
Based on experience with an airframe designed by ex-WW II era Messerschmitt engineers, I can assure you that over the following 25 years they didn’t forget their propensity to embody precision manufacturing in the product…. versus creating a simple, effective design that doesn’t require it. But it’s fun to fiddle with
Actually a lot of high power pre-jet hardware was remarkable in its complexity and cost of manufacture but some of it still manages to work pretty well. A friend who is caretaker for a P-51 has recently completed a Merlin engine swap and is flying it a fair bit. I was blown away that unlike every other older UK engineered engine I’ve ever known it doesn’t leak a single drop of oil. He’s got it at Oshkosh this year, having it flown it half way across the US to get it there.
I agree entirely about the theft of the word ‘tech’ by computer people to describe their support role in instrumentation and control of real technology. It demonstrates their inward looking world view.
Well, the Gipsy engines are nicknamed the Dripsy for very good reasons.
Peter wrote:
this ingenious system
According to Wikipedia, the pilot had a single lever power control where the Kommandogerät controlled fuel flow, propeller pitch, mixture, supercharging and ignition timing.
The cooling of the engine was complicated (and critical) enough that the cowling was as an integral part of the engine!
Peter wrote:
and found this ingenious system
Well that system is not really new. New is that has not been disclosed before
Peter, could you please share the title of that book? looks very interesting and definitely would like to have a look at it.
Thank you!