What is wrong with the Merlin engine?
 

A very, very long time after its introduction, the powers that be have decided there are issues with the Merlin engine, apparently serious enough to ground the BBMf fleet.
Engine issue grounds Battle of Britain Memorial Flight planes - BBC News

Piston engines that old go u/s all the time.

A more likely explanation for the grounding is that an issue has been found with the engine on one of the Spits (or maybe the Hurricane/Lanc) that's considered potentially serious enough to merit an immediate check of the rest of the fleet.

If the check involves complete stripping of the engine and/or precautionary replacement of a part that has to be specially manufactured then it's almost inevitable that the fleet will be grounded for a while.

Unfortunate time of year for it to happen given the number of events they are booked into. That DC3 they have could be very busy ! Does this also cause an issue with the "Packard Merlins" on the Mustangs which are over here from US currently as well ?

During my apprenticeship at Halton we covered the Merlin engine. All the examples we practised on were Packard engines, built under licence. This begs the question, are the Merlins in the BBMF Packard Merlins or RR Merlins?

Wasn't it camshafts that caused the Hurricane crash many years ago? I think they are like hen's teeth. Friend of mine broke his leg trying to force land it.

Brilliant forced landing. Not a lot of fun trying to land something with a serious fire. A lot of admiration for your friend.

Thanks Jem. He's not too good at the moment so I am sure all his pals will wish him all the best.

The Lancaster, Hurricanes, MkII, MkV and MkIX Spitfires should all have RR Merlins, the MkXVI should be a Packard.

Ciderman, best to your mate as well. I seem to recall his next outing in a Hurricane, a tech problem during the display led to a very hurried and skilled landing; happily with a much better outcome for him, the aeroplane and the heart rates of those of us watching!

Is it just BBMFs Merlins that have been grounded ? Or have all RR built Merlins been grounded in the U.K. ?
Does it apply to civil Merlins too?
Thanks for your time and trouble.

Just BBMF at the moment...

Is it therefore a question about servicing/maintenance rather than component integrity?
Thanks for your prompt reply treadigraph.

Post elsewhere suggests metal in the oil from one of the Hurricanes but I guess that isn't confirmed.

The Lancaster I/III during war time was produced with the RR Dash 22, or Packard Dash 28/Dash 224. Canadian built Hurricanes similarly had Packard (Dash 29).

It was said a Lancaster you were flying could have each engine produced by a different manufacturer - RR, Packard, Ford, Continental.

What manufacturer/version the BBMF airframes are actually fitted with would require someone in the know. Restored Spitfires have been fitted with commercial versions of the engine. Interestingly the original Buchon was fitted with a commercial version of the Merlin.

I should imagine there are quite a few aircraft flying with Merlins that are not entirely appropriate to the Mark but what the hell!

I believe one of the two-seat MkIXs in the UK has a Packard so technically it should be a TR.XVI I guess.

I seem to remember that the BBMF's Griffon Spitfires have Shackleton engines with the contra-prop gearbox replaced.

Keep 'em flying! :ok:

Moderator.

Surely this should be merged with BBMF Grounded in Military Aviation.

treadigraph, I trawled through the records for British registered Merlin/Griffon powered aircraft to see what Mark engines were fitted. Some records didn't include Mark, so I ignored. Lancaster was one of those. Sent the list as a PM as it doesn't seem like the attachment process will display it here.

BBMF Spitfire XIX PS915 performing at nearby Biggin as I type!

Thanks Megan, there seem to be three TR.IXs with Packards, a PR.XI and two XVIs. The Griffon RG 30 SM-S are the modified Shackleton engines in the XIV and XIX owned by Rolls Royce.

The Spitfires with no engine types listed are all still under restoration.

Interestingly, P-51D G-SHWN is listed as having a RR Merlin rather than a Packard...

Of the three Lancasters on the register, G-LANC is preserved at Duxford, G-BCOH is in bits at Kermit Weeke's place and G-ASXX has four newly rebuilt Merlins ready for when she becomes airworthy - hopefully!

PS915 has returned to Southend for the display there.

During WW2 there were several reports of uncommanded feathering of all four engines in Lancasters that resulted in the loss of crews. In April 1996, I talked to a Lancaster crew member Chris Jarrett who was in a Lancaster that lost all four engines after the pilot ordered his flight engineer to feather the propeller of an engine that failed in flight. The crew member managed to bale out through the front hatch and was later captured and spent the remaining war days as a POW.

Circa 1958 I experienced this phenomena on one occasion in a Lincoln Mk 31 (RAAF) during an engine run as part of a propeller change. On feathering a propeller as part of the testing required before removal of a propeller during scheduled servicing, the adjacent engine experienced an uncommanded feathering. In other words two propellers feathered instantaneously by the press of one feathering button. The fault was traced to a short circuit between the day/night switch on each of the feathering buttons and its protective metal cage.

The book "Flight of the Halifax" by Captain Geoff Wilkner, who was a ferry pilot during WW2, describes his experience flying a Lancaster in England on a delivery flight. He was feathering each propeller one at a time en route Strathaven to Scampton when multiple uncommanded featherings occurred.
He later learnt that four Lancasters had crashed at different times and all the crews killed. Investigators found the airscrews in the feathered positions.

G-INFO lists it as having its proper Packard V-1650-7. A non anorak is still correct in saying its a RR Merlin I feel.

treadigraph and others,

This old puzzle in my log entries may deepen the confusion !

(20 Sqn, Valley):

1950 April 17...Spitfire IX .TD254
...........18...Spitfire IX .TB379
...........20...Spitfire XVI RW 351
...........27...Spitfire IX .TD254

......July 25...Spitfire XVI TD254

This was not queried either by Flight or Squadron Commander on the Monthly Summaries. As I remarked earlier in "Pilot's Brevet in WWII" (Military Aviation Forum): "I would certainly have known the difference, or had it sharply pointed it out to me !"

All subsequent Spitfires were logged as XVIs. It would seem that nobody bothered with the difference any more.

Possibility: if a Merlin Spit were re-engined as a Packard Spit, would a IX turn into a XVI ?

(Just asking). Danny.