Electra 10-E carburators

[Agent153Orange]

Hello all, I'd like to know some technical details about the Electra 10-E (that is, if anyone here is old enough to remember those :)). In particular, did the carburators on the Wasp engines in that model use needle valves for mixture control (like many carburetted aero-engines do), or did they use some other kind of valve? Also, what type of linkage did that model use from the pilot's mixture control lever to the valve in the carburator? Thanks in advance!

[SNS3Guppy]

AO,

I have to go out of town for a few days. Hopefully someone can provide that info. I can discuss it with you when I get back.

The Bendix pressure carburetor functions a little differently than the float carburetors with which you may be familiar.

[Agent153Orange]

Thanks, Guppy -- now that you've provided the type of carburators used, I think I have a fair chance of finding that info on Google (but of course, any posts to this thread that answer the question will still be appreciated). Now, what about the linkage? That happens to be the more important question for me. Any takers?

[Agent153Orange]

As an aside, Guppy, what's your destination, and are you going there as a pilot or as a passenger? I'm just askin'; if you'd rather not tell me, that's OK with me.

[MX Trainer]

The R1340 used in the 10E used various Bendix/Stromberg float carburetors, NA-Y9B, NA-Y9C, NA-Y9E1 and NA-Y9H.
All were updrafts.

IIRC this is a back suction type mixture control and most likely used a needle valve to accomplish the process.

I will have a look in my old books and see if I might possibly have a schematic of the carb.

A couple of aircraft with the R1340 had PD-9D1 Bendix/Stromberg pressure carbs. These were the Curtis SOC-4 and the North American SNJ-2 and -3 aircraft.

There is a very detailed report on the 10E that Amelia used on her ill fated round the world attempt. There is no mention in the report of what Carburetor was used but at the end of the day it probably didn't matter as she used a combustion analyzer to set the mixture.

Report link is here: http://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/Documents/Report_487/Report487.pdf

I have no idea as to what the control run consisted of but in most cases aircraft of that era used 3 mechanical systems:

Control cables wrapped around drums in the cockpit and connected to a bellcrank on the firewall with a push/pull rod to the carb control lever.

Push/pull rod control all the way.

Wire in conduit type controls. A lot of different varieties here.

Another option that was in use was hydraulic controls but that seems a bit of overkill for an aircraft like the 10.

Just out of interest why are you looking for this info?

Just curious.;)

Mx

[Agent153Orange]

Just out of interest why are you looking for this info?


Well, even though I haven't yet published my first novel (due to be published sometime in Jan. or maybe Feb.), I'm already making serious plans to write at least two sequels: the first sequel will be about an avalanche rescue, while the second one (which is where this info becomes important) will have Heather (my heroine) make a flight around the Equator with two other people in an Electra 10-E a la Amelia Earhart/Ann Pellegreno/Linda Finch. In fact, I'm already doing some serious research for both of the sequels, and for the second one I've already planned a few "adventures" for my characters (heh, heh... :E) One of these "adventures" will probably start out with the mixture control linkage on one of the engines breaking soon after takeoff from Addis Abeba on the way to Ahmadabad... which will result in excessive fuel consumption... which will require them to divert to Karachi to avoid running out of fuel... but when they arrive, they can't get the right replacement parts at the airport... so they have to go to the town bazaar to buy the parts... and while on their way back to the airport, they get assaulted/arrested/raped by the local mutaween b/c one of them is a Jew and the other two are women who disregard the Islamic dress code... but they fight back and escape from the mutaween... and eventually this part will culminate with them trying to escape from the country by flying down a mountain canyon in the Hindu Kush mountains (at treetop level, AT NIGHT, without lights:eek:) with the Paki jet fighters chasing after them. (What an imagination, huh?)

[Agent153Orange]

BTW, MX Trainer, thank you very much for all the other info you provided. As it happens, I'm also trying to build an Electra 10-E for Microsoft FS2004/FSX that would be as historically accurate as possible. The thing is, I'm a hardcore flight-simmer and I have the FCS add-on "Around the World in 80 Flights", but after test-flying the FCS Electra, I've realized just how lousy their model is, and made a bet with myself that I could do a better job than they did using just the Design Studio. (Could you believe, for instance, that the FCS Electra 10-E requires a whoppin' 12,000 feet of runway -- yeah, you've read the number right -- to take off with a full load of fuel?!:mad:) The info you gave me (especially about takeoff performance) will be very useful, I'm sure.

[SNS3Guppy]

AO,

Neither pilot, nor passenger, for the moment, but poor internet. I'll be home in a couple of days.

You might have some geographical issues to work out with the story for that later novel, and some cross-cultural things to work out, but it sounds like quite an adventure.

I had a Stromberg pressure carb on an R2600 develop a problem once that nearly doubled the fuel consumption. No broken cables, but we ended up with a lot less fuel than we should have, on one tank. Given glass sight gauges for fuel quantity, located at the back of the flight deck where they did us little good, the decrease wasn't apparent at night.

I don't know how much success you'll have finding information on the carburetor or linkage online, but you can order maintenance or flight manuals for the airplane (maintenance manuals will provide better information; flight manuals of the era are somewhat lacking).

I can't tell you anything at all about simulations of the airplane (or simulations in general...the last computer game I played was the original atari games: pong, asteroids, that kind of stuff).