Radial piston engine oil leaks, DC-4 thru DC-7 and Constellations
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You got that right. Got my first Rating on the DC6/7.
So...you are welcome.
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Reliability of R2800CB16/17 was related to installation. Plus the 'scope on which a good F/E could tell you the health of any cylinder on any engine.
411A remember "oh sh*t, #4 engine, double secondary short #9 cylinder"? or similar?
On CV240/340/440, the tight cowl resulted in quite a few heat related problems. When I moved onto DC-6B I was pleasantly surprised at how much better/(happier?) the engine was.
Main dislike on Diesel 6 was Janitrol heaters sporting 100/130 or even 115/145 fuel for hot wing deicing. Them things continuously banging on and off near hundreds of gallons of Avgas always scared me. Fortunately I used them very little.
BTW a lot of the oil under 2800s was from bottom cylinders that tended to have oil drain down from sump into them via valve train and past cylinder rings.
Hence the old 12 blade count on start-up, to avoid hydraulicing the bottom cylinders. When the engine started, that oil was in all the bottom exhaust pipes, and produced spectacular clouds of smoke.
If the throttle/prime relationship was misjudged, you either got a series of spectacular bangs, or a pretty impressive fire.
Until you had quite a few starts under your belt, starts were rarely boring. Due to tight cowling, CV 440 was even worse for start fires.
411A remember "oh sh*t, #4 engine, double secondary short #9 cylinder"? or similar?
On CV240/340/440, the tight cowl resulted in quite a few heat related problems. When I moved onto DC-6B I was pleasantly surprised at how much better/(happier?) the engine was.
Main dislike on Diesel 6 was Janitrol heaters sporting 100/130 or even 115/145 fuel for hot wing deicing. Them things continuously banging on and off near hundreds of gallons of Avgas always scared me. Fortunately I used them very little.
BTW a lot of the oil under 2800s was from bottom cylinders that tended to have oil drain down from sump into them via valve train and past cylinder rings.
Hence the old 12 blade count on start-up, to avoid hydraulicing the bottom cylinders. When the engine started, that oil was in all the bottom exhaust pipes, and produced spectacular clouds of smoke.
If the throttle/prime relationship was misjudged, you either got a series of spectacular bangs, or a pretty impressive fire.
Until you had quite a few starts under your belt, starts were rarely boring. Due to tight cowling, CV 440 was even worse for start fires.
Last edited by ZQA297/30; 3rd Nov 2009 at 21:35.
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Back in "the day" (1962) I was attending Embry Riddle (then located in MIA) and we visited the Eastern maintenance facilities and the guys were wearing white shirts. The idea was no leaks allowed.
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R985 & Dhc-2
Last flew a Beaver(DHC2) in the late 60's on the west coast, Vancouver; correct me if I'm wrong but I don't remember any oil filler between the front. seats
Just remembered that's 49 years ago!!!!
Just remembered that's 49 years ago!!!!
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When you walked up to the Old´C-46 the first thing you would look for was, any oil underneath those P&W 2800 radial engines. If so, all was ok. I think if, I can remember she took up 36 Qts per engine. Fine old bird, many fond and scary moments though!!!
It's a Lufthansa Connie at Fantasy of Flight. Once they have finished stripping it of spares for their other one, apparently there is hope that it will receive a new coat of paint.
You can see it on Google Earth at 28°10'9.57"N 81°48'28.52"W
You can see it on Google Earth at 28°10'9.57"N 81°48'28.52"W
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I used to operate alongside the Beverley Transports of the RAF. It was said that navigation was halved on the Bev.
Having navigated there, all you had to do was follow the oil slick back!
Having navigated there, all you had to do was follow the oil slick back!
When people ask if I have glass cockpit time I tell them "sure I was not too bad at interpretting the engine scope on the DC6"
. I went right from a Piper Navajo to the right seat on the mighty Douglass. I remember on my first day of ground school I realized that the DC6 carried more gallons of oil than the Navajo carried gallons of gas.
I loved it but with no FE to mind the engine room, the FO sure was a busy boy It is still my all time favorite airplane... a true gentlemans carriage.
. I went right from a Piper Navajo to the right seat on the mighty Douglass. I remember on my first day of ground school I realized that the DC6 carried more gallons of oil than the Navajo carried gallons of gas. I loved it but with no FE to mind the engine room, the FO sure was a busy boy It is still my all time favorite airplane... a true gentlemans carriage.
Hey MPH, I think you need to move up a unit of measurement, how about 36 GALLONS in a 39 GALLON tank.
BPF, could you operate a Six in Canada without an engineer? Down south here, he rode on the jumpseat and reached up to do that F/E stuff. Of course, you're the folks who would operate a DC-8 without an F/E. Poor F/O should have recieved both paychecks.
BPF, could you operate a Six in Canada without an engineer? Down south here, he rode on the jumpseat and reached up to do that F/E stuff. Of course, you're the folks who would operate a DC-8 without an F/E. Poor F/O should have recieved both paychecks.
Markerinbound
I think MPH was talking about he quantity of oil on the pavement under each engine. 36 qts sounds about right
Yes we had a 2 crew STC for the DC6. it was not quite a bad as it sounds because we used the aircraft for firebombing. The aircraft were pretty striped to reduce weight (no deicing, pressuriztion, air conditioning, or hotel systems) but you had to be on the ball to keep the engines happy. I sure loved the beautifull manly low rumble the engines made in cruise.... and how quickly they could humble you on a hot start.
I think MPH was talking about he quantity of oil on the pavement under each engine. 36 qts sounds about right
Yes we had a 2 crew STC for the DC6. it was not quite a bad as it sounds because we used the aircraft for firebombing. The aircraft were pretty striped to reduce weight (no deicing, pressuriztion, air conditioning, or hotel systems) but you had to be on the ball to keep the engines happy. I sure loved the beautifull manly low rumble the engines made in cruise.... and how quickly they could humble you on a hot start.
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The DC-6 was originally intended to be certified as a two FD crew airplane, that is until the Flight Engineers union had a go at the CAB (before the FAA).
Then, three crew it was, on revenue flights.
Ferry, two FD crew only necessary, in FAA-land.
Then, three crew it was, on revenue flights.
Ferry, two FD crew only necessary, in FAA-land.
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MarkerInbound: Yep, you are correct. Gals not qts, thats in the engine. Anybody´s guess how much could be on the ground. From oneday days flying to the other we added, about 1-3 gals average of oil depending how many hours we had flown. After 1400hr on this bird, only had 3 engine problems.One an oil leak the hose on the radiator bust, shut down the engine. And the other two were piston failures with one of them actualy exiting the engine through the cowling!!
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CP 104 - RCAF Argus with 4 Wright Turbo Compounds. (It was actually a Britannia, but fitted with the piston engines to give it the endurance required of a Maritime Patrol Anti Submarine aircraft.) I was told it was the only piston engine with more HP than cu inches? (3,700 vs 3350. The power recovery turbines in the exhaust glowing red - and even white - at night.) Longest flight ever was I believe around 27 hours when it had to land for oil. Only managed 20 myself - but that was in the spare when we returned to base with a problem having done 7 hours first. Over 60 US gallon per engine. Normal patrol was 18 hours with 3 pilots and two FE.
On a visit to a US Navy base in Florida we checked before the visit and they said "Yeh, plenty of oil in the reserve store and no problem with the 130/145 Avgas". However, on arriving the oil was in quart tins and they had only enough to get us back home to Nova Scotia - so five days enjoying the recently built Disneyworld and other entertainments of Florida: Apart for the FEs who had to open the tins and fill up the oil tanks!
To start the engines in the extreme cold of northern Canada the FE was able to add a few gallons (?) of Avgas to the oil to thin it up - it soon burnt out.
Yes they leaked and if you wanted to dump oil on someone you overflew at low level and selected idle, so I was told.
On a visit to a US Navy base in Florida we checked before the visit and they said "Yeh, plenty of oil in the reserve store and no problem with the 130/145 Avgas". However, on arriving the oil was in quart tins and they had only enough to get us back home to Nova Scotia - so five days enjoying the recently built Disneyworld and other entertainments of Florida: Apart for the FEs who had to open the tins and fill up the oil tanks!
To start the engines in the extreme cold of northern Canada the FE was able to add a few gallons (?) of Avgas to the oil to thin it up - it soon burnt out.
Yes they leaked and if you wanted to dump oil on someone you overflew at low level and selected idle, so I was told.
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411A -
Maybe 'legal' but we always had three when on a ferry flight.
Actually, with the Engineer sitting right there between the pilots [on Douglas aircraft], there wasn't anything the FE could do that the Captain or Co-Pilot couldn't. Now on the Connie, that was a different story. The Captain and Co-Pilot couldn't feather a prop without getting out of their seat !! Nor could they reach the '260' panel.
Ferry, two FD crew only necessary, in FAA-land.
Actually, with the Engineer sitting right there between the pilots [on Douglas aircraft], there wasn't anything the FE could do that the Captain or Co-Pilot couldn't. Now on the Connie, that was a different story. The Captain and Co-Pilot couldn't feather a prop without getting out of their seat !! Nor could they reach the '260' panel.