Warbird Information Exchange

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Caption: “Hawker Henley K5115 following the installation of the Rolls-Royce Vulture Engine. Being an X form engine, the separate exhausts of the upper and lower Vees are easily identified. The new radiator position is also a very apparent alteration, being almost Mustang like.” Source: Hucknall Flight Test Museum

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“PMURT KCUF”

If anything, the caption should read” a radiator design that may have inspired the P-51”

With Vulture development suspended in 1940, I would suspect this picture dates from the late 1939-early 1940 timeframe. Development of the P-51 did not begin till 1941.

Sean

That plane is so ugly it could be mistaken for French

I don't think so:

The prototype NA-73X airframe was rolled out on 9 September 1940, 102 days after the contract was signed, and first flew on 26 October.

Only a mother could love this!

The Henley was never very pretty, perhaps they should be commended for managing to make it look uglier??

We did have some pretty whacky and odd looking test-beds, the Folland Fo.108 "Frightful" probably ranking as the ugliest.

Your right..got my dates wrong. But my premise still stands. This conversion was done before the P-51 was designed. I still guess this was in the 1939 time frame. Also, the radiator looks like an off the shelf hurricane unit that has been blended into the Henely’s deeper fuselage profile.

Sean

It has something appealing about it. I have never seen that photo before, thanks for posting it.

Bloody good job chaps on the canopy arrangement!

Caption states: Considering it was a little known aircraft, the Hawker Henley seems to have proved a useful aircraft for engine testing. We have seen that K5115, the prototype, was re-engined with the Rolls-Royce Vulture Engine. L3303 also was converted for Vulture testing after being used for Merlin development. L3385 was to be converted to take the Rolls-Royce Crecy engine, a two stroke sleeve-valve engine, an engine we must visit sometime. However the engine never reached a stage where it could fly. Finally L3414 was fitted with a Rolls-Royce Griffon II, the first Griffon to Fly.

L3414 arrived at Hucknall from Gloster's at Brockworth on 25/11/39 with a Merlin III installed.

It was converted to take a Griffon IIA and first flew on 13/03/41. This was the only Griffon IIA to fly. It was then re-engined with a Griffon IIB and continued testing.

It was damaged in a taxying incident at Boscombe Down on 04/06/43 and returned to Hucknall by road. On 28/01/44 it was dispatched by road to Air Dispatch at Cardiff.

It carried out 412.55 hours of testing with Griffon engines, with a total flying time of 424.55 hours.

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“PMURT KCUF”

The prototype Hawker Henley as it arrived at Hucknall with a Rolls-Royce Merlin Engine Installed.

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“PMURT KCUF”

Looks like a Stuka....

Phil

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A man's got to know his limitations.

Wow, this is a new one to me, and it is spectacular! There is alot to take in here.

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Interesting shots of L3414, I'd not seen those before. That last shot captioned "...as it arrived at Hucknall with RR Merlin installed" can't be correct as the prop is left-handed, meaning it must be a Griffon. The Merlin cowl arrangement was a little bit more streamlined and the prop was right-handed. Great shot all the same, thanks!

The Hawker Hurricane prototype 1935 had the coolant radiator at the exact same location :



But this radiator design philosophy is completely different then from a P51.
The air on a P51 entering the duct is expanded to slow down the air and increase the pressure, this helps transfer the heat better so you can use a smaller duct entrance......

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Pim Pouw

Early Birds Foundation www.vroegevogels.org/
the Netherlands

Fokker G1 replica project www.fokker-g1.nl