Spitfires!!!!

http://www.uasvision.com/2018/03/23/spitfires-at-flying-legends-2017/

 

Super!

 

Just as with Mustangs, there are more Spitfires flying in the world today than for at least 70 years.

 

That might be true, but the RAF did operate them until the mid to late 1950's. The last operational Spitfires were in the Irish Air Corps up to 1961. Compared to what the IAC is flying now Spitfires might be an upgrade

 

You guys probably already know this but you can go to YouTube and watch an excellent original film of how the Merlin was built, from casting to assembly/testing. I wish there was one of the DB series or Jumo.

 

Haynes also has an "Owner's Workshop Manual" for the Merlin!

 

Thanks Jim.....now my ocd personality has to order the manual Next posting from me "cam timing on the Merlin"....it's all going to be your fault

 

Rob- Probably possible to find a manual on the DB 605, too, if you can read German. I have manuals on a bunch of WW-I German aircraft engine manuals, not much on WW-II.

 

The problem with the Haynes manuals is that they are not really workshop manuals in the same sense as a workshop manual for, say, a Ford or GM engine; I always thought that they should use the term "Enthusiast Manual" instead.

Maintaining a Merlin engine based solely on the Haynes manual is almost certainly out of the question, since the book is mainly intended for historians, modelers and other laymen rather than for aircraft mechanics. You'd need a manual from Rolls-Royce (or Packard) if you were a mechanic.

Here's the link to the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Rolls-Royce-Merlin-Manual-construction-maintenance/dp/0857337580/

 

Thanks for the link Jim. Terry, I've been tempted to purchase repro manuals for the DB series...they are available. I will go on eBay once in a while and purchase memorabilia. True story and I'm not proud of it...got really drunk many years ago and decided to go online to purchase a Halloween costume (my group of friends are pretty competitive with this stuff). Woke up in the morn and honestly couldn't remember what I purchased. Two weeks later, a Waffen SS field combat uniform arrived from the UK "Band of Brothers" film set. I did my face up as a zombie when we went out to the bar for Halloween as I didn't want anybody thinking I was a neo-nazi. Dumb purchase and super expensive. Our local military museum wouldn't even take it.

 

Rob- I found out a long time ago beer and E-Bay do not mix. Made some dumb bids that luckily were not accepted.

 

Yes Terry...I've learned. Many years ago, I woke up one morning, checked the computer and found out I had purchased a Ducati sport bike. On a crap note, around the same time, I put a deposit on a Isuzu cube van and was ripped off....some Russian mob scam. I don't drink and have my credit card by the computer anymore (for a very long time now).

 

Rob- Unfortunately, I have my credit card numbers memorized.

 

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