Replies
`No need to apologise , Andy for mentioning the word fighter. I mentioned the word politician, and I’m still here. Very interesting the article on Sutton harness, brought it all back.
Spartacus. Still thinking about ‘remembering for sixty five years. Could it be remembering remembering remembering ?. That is discussing it with other engineers from time to time or having similar problems later in civvy street ?
Steve , Replies do not spoil the thread, If it wasn’t for the replies this thread would have stopped long ago, and are very welcome.. Good try Steve, but not dieseling ,sometimes called preignition, or running on, or due to heat soaked engines. We had very definite instructions that on reaching the dispersal, we must run all engines at fast revs for a few minutes to allow the engines to cool down. This also ensured that the sodium filled valves could cool off. Which some valves would not do, owing to being off their seats when stopped. After switching off the magnetos, we then switched off the four I.C.O switches which cut off the fuel completely to the carburettors, be they Solex fitted to the British Merlins or Strombergs fitted to the Canadian/ Packard Merlins. These switches can be seen , top right on my previous instrument panel drawing. My historic Beetle (71) also has an ALMOST similar I.C.O but they call it an electromagnetic cut off valve. It is the slight difference in the two designs that is part of the answer to my question.
You mention the costs of maintenance, one , never mentioned is the cost of all the back up tools and aircraft spares which were slowly moved up in trailers, as the front advanced into Germany. When I ‘Went redundant’ ( a phrase used by many aircrew), I finished up in charge of the mechanical stores at R.A.F Wunsdorf, (Near Hanover) and was amazed at the amount of stores still in trailers.
Blacksheep I wondered whether the Merlins on single engined aircraft had an I.C.O fitted, I would think so. Any Merlin mechs, flight engineers out there . If so OVER.