A Merlin moment

[Mike7777777]

Out and about on Sunday, roof down (of course), elderly V8 idling at a junction when the unmistakable Merlin symphony overwhelmed anything TVR could offer, I expected a Spit or two, looked up to not one but four Merlins directly overhead. Female passenger could not understand the need to park and watch BBMF Lanc trundle off into the distance over the Essex/Suffolk borders.

Unexpected encounters with Merlins are always the best.

[dakkg651]

And a darn sight more reliable than anything TVR had to offer.

Wish I hadn't sold mine though. :{

[603DX]

Mike7777777:

I'll see your four (Merlins) and raise you two. Before your encounter on Sunday pm, the Lanc plus Hurricane and Spitfire had also delighted thousands of us at the Eastbourne airshow.

Although we all knew they were on their way, there was still that spine-tingling, eye-moistening moment when the distant drone became a sudden roar of six Merlins immediately above our heads, and the three precious artefacts had arrived from over the town behind us. This being Eastbourne, a bastion of seemly behaviour, no Vuvuzelas honked, no vulgar shouting broke out, but all around me polite and hearty applause showed the emotion and approval that those three 'old ladies' inspired.
I was glad just to be there.

[chevvron]

Ah what a pretty noise!!
Mind you for an awe inspiring noise, a Donovan on 65% nitro methane/methanol takes some beating.(not as pretty though)

[mr fish]

err, whats a DONOVAN??

whatever it is, i can top it!!

serviced the petrol strimmers last month, tankful of "liberated" avgas and a good squirt of silkolene and they started second pull.....in the kitchen!!!


the noise the wife made was like nothing on earth:eek:

[Mechta]

Starting the strimmer in the kitchen? - Respect!

At RAE Farnborough I once started an ME Heron model diesel engine in our workshop, and either the noise or the whiff of ether had all the modellers past and present pouring out of their offices for a look.

I was fortunate to see the BBMF twice this summer. At Farnborough, viewed from the hill by Windy Gap (Laffan's Plain end) and again at the Odiham Families Day. I'm still trying to catch the Spitfire close by in a power dive and pull up for the perfect ringtone.

At Airbus we used to have the Griffon powered Spitfire outside our window on a regular basis. Allegedly it was only allowed to fly at lunchtime as too many people stopped work for a look. I must say that Griffon sounded like a bag of nails in comparison to the Merlin. I was told that it was because the particular engine was intended for a Shackleton and not a Spitfire, but I can't vouch for that.

[PPRuNeUser0139]

According to this link, the growl of the Griffon - as opposed to the magical thrum of the Merlin - is due to the different firing order (http://avroshackleton.com/rolls.html).

[chevvron]

At RAE Farnborough, a colleague got permission to test his drag bike after the end of flying one day. We started it up on 'K' Tarmac (near the Black Shed), and I noticed people pouring out of the workshops near the medical centre to see what it was - we didn't know there was anyone in the workshops after 5.30 pm. By the way it was a single cylinder 500cc J.A.P. engine burning straight methanol.
A Donovan is an american engine loosely based on the Chrysler 426 cu. in. (7 Litre) hemispherical combustion chamber V8 (usually referred to as a 'hemi'). Running a mechanically driven supercharger and burning a nitromethane/methanol mix, it produces about three thousand hp.

[barit1]

A Donovan is an american engine loosely based on the Chrysler 426 cu. in. (7 Litre) hemispherical combustion chamber V8 (usually referred to as a 'hemi'). Running a mechanically driven supercharger and burning a nitromethane/methanol mix, it produces about three thousand hp.

...until the coolant has boiled off (several thousand milliseconds) :}

[barit1]

I have a soft spot for the R-985: YouTube - Howard DGA-15 Takeoff and Flyby (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nztQ1Ar8JRg)

But the audio would be better on portside (This ship was delivered to the Navy as a GH-1) where the exhaust stack is.