Warbird Information Exchange

I'd say I'll be the gear being twisted, folding forward, bent ect and of course it's support structure within the wing.

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Don't touch my junk!!

Spot on Jack.

Tearing the u/c pintle off the spar web is heavy but manageable if you don't clip a spar boom. The spar web is supposed to be frangible but the added complication here will be the modifications made for the extra fuel bowser wing mod.

Puzzling the the News video shows the aircraft close to the numbers. It either landed very short or very long. I am not sure which.

PeterA

That is a shame to see a nice airplane like that, but good that the pilot is safe. If anyone locally there obtains any details of the cause please post them. What is the background, of this plane, is that the one Dick Melton rebuilt as a two seater and was at Lakeland for awhile, or is it a later Harry Stenger built one? Whichever, good luck to the folks down there in getting her back in the air.

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

Bill,

This basically new Spitfire was initiated by Dick Melton, his second two seater, but was sold on and completed by Harry Stenger.

PeterA

First: Very glad the personnel are OK.

Second: That news reporter deserves some kind of award for the following direct quote from an eyewitness:
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Mac McCarthy, a plane enthusiast who lives at Hood Aerodrome, was outside on his deck when the plane crashed.

"It's right in front of my house. I didn't see it but I actually heard it. I was talking to someone and we heard an almighty bang and there it was."

He also lamented the destruction of the plane. "It's a Spitfire, man, and there's not many of them flying, eh. It's a crying shame, it's a beautiful aircraft."
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PeterA, I would like to propose you change your signature line to the following:

It's a Spitfire, man, and there's not many of them flying, eh.

Comedy friggin' gold... are we sure this didn't happen in Canada?

Lynn

OK...I'm gonna show my ignorance here. I didn't know that Spits (or any warbird for that matter) still used wooden props.

Mudge the igrant

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Land of the free because of the brave

Gary,
It is a wood prop, it is not ground down, it is now splinters

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Matt Gunsch, A&P, IA, Warbird maint and restorations
Jack, You have Debauched my sloth !!!!!!
We tried voting with the Ballot box, When do we start voting from the Ammo box, and am I allowed only one vote ?
Check out the Ercoupe Discussion Group on facebook

Mudge, if wood was good enough for God to make trees out of, then it is good enough for R J Mitchell and Dowty Rotol to make Spitfire props out of. They are a spruce, I think, laminate and quite a work of art. I like the wood prop better than the metal ones that I have flown in a Spit as well as a P-51. The wood prop has less mass so accelerates and decelerates faster. Some of the Mustang props are smooth in cruise, but the wood prop can be also when properly balanced. And the wood blades have an interesting shape, halfway between a curve and a point, take a close look next time you see one.

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

Cool...I learned something today. I can take the rest of the day off.

Mudge the educable

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Land of the free because of the brave

Hey Mudge, no charge for that info. Lot's more to tell, but no sooner do I find something of interest to relate than the weny whiners come on and complain that all those words are scaring them.

You might not have noticed the wood grain in Spitfire blades since it is covered with sort of an epoxy coating called Jablo, and then painted over that. It also has brass leading edges. Also the blades from Dowty have numbers on them of degrees and minutes. This refers to the angle the blade should be set in the hub to make it be aerodynamically the same and pull the same as the other blades in the set. I think I have this correct,Peter may know more.

There are several elements involved it the balance of the wood props. If one blade is not tracking true, if it is not following the same path as the others it can be rough. Then if you have them all in the same track, and set in the hub at the proper degrees to customize the pull of each blade the same, then comes the normal balance of the rotating mass or weight of each blade done by a strobe light and dynamic balance analyzer. Nothing better than a smooth Merlin.

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

is anyone currently making the wood blades?

You'll like this.

For a good number of years now all Spitfire blades have all been made in Germany by Hoffman.

PeterA

Although this sounds great I don't think so.
These prop blades are designed to absorb brutal forces and not fail. Running into the ground isn't one of them.
Even with a wood blade the engine is subject to a ground strike inspection.
There are also inspections on parts that are known to have failed in the past in the MLG systems. The pintle or trunion the gear pivots on, the studs that bolt the trunion to the wing and an fork that holds the down lock pin are among those parts known to fail. Any could have caused this type of accident or have failed during any kind of load. Judging from really a lack of damage this looks like a slow speed event, maybe even while turning on the runway something broke.
Rich

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Rich Palmer

Remember an Injured Youth
benstear.org
#64- Stay Strong and Keep the Faith

BOOM BOOM, ROUND ROUND, PROPELLER GO

Don't Be A Dilbert!

Thanks Hairy, I snagged your picture for the write-up in Warbirds-Online, hope thats okay?

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Scott Rose
Editor-In-Chief/Webmaster
Warbirds Resource Group - Warbird Information Exchange - Warbird Registry

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What is the difference in price between the 4 blade and 5 blade ones? How much for each?