Originally Posted by
Flying Binghi
Engine looks a bit far forward for the power that the prop would indicate. The weight is too far forward.
I did some "back of the envelope" CG calculations. The Merlin I weighed about 1400 lbs and I was surprised to discover that the Hercules weighed about 1900 lbs.
To maintain an appropriate CG, the aft part of the cowling would have to have been slightly aft of the wing leading edge, giving an even more "pug-nosed" appearance than the DHC Beaver.
The reason for the Beaver's distinctive nose is for similar CG reasons. The originally proposed engine was the DH Gipsy Queen inline six-cylinder engine. When the Wasp Junior engine was used instead, due to its plentiful availability, it had to be mounted much closer to the cabin.