B-17 part on ebay. What exactly is it?

[Pat Carry]

item # 370568766120. Where on a B-17 would this be located?

[The Inspector]

The Sperry ball turrets were essentially the same model, just a matter of how they mounted, B-17 by a trapeze from overhead and the B-24 with a flange around the middle of the turret.

[RAMC181]

A NASA report, which I unfortunately can't read here in the UK, has Vickers part AA-16801 listed as a "Ball Turret Transmission".

In case anyone else can access it, the link to the .pdf is HERE.

All the best,
PB

[Taigh Ramey]

It is a hydraulic "Vickers unit" which was used on the Sperry upper and ball turret. There were two in each turret one for azimuth and one for elevation. The two units bolted onto a double ended 28 volt electric motor (one Vickers unit on each end) to make the power unit.

The Vickers units are pretty cool as they are very sensitive and you can control them easily from zero to full speed. The unit uses a variable displacement hydraulic pump to turn rotary mechanical power coming in from the constant speed electric motor into variable rotary mechanical power out to the turret gear boxes.

They aren't too rare as there are more of these Vickers units around than there are the turrets that they came from. When the turrets were scrapped often these units were saved and used for other projects.

Here is a Palleys ad for the pump from one of their catalogs:



The catalog is chock full of cool WWII aircraft parts and components. The pump is only $59.50 which is a lot better than the $1500 the guy wants in the eBay auction. In case you want to buy one from Palleys just call them up. Their phone number is Ludlow 8-1153. Sorry I couldn't find an email or web address on the catalog.

[The Inspector]

Don't tease the children! I'll bet the phone # isn't viable anymore as the address lists a 'postal zone' # which was displaced by 'Zip Codes' in 1963

[The Inspector]

RAMC181,
The pdf file opens to 'A study of programs for evaluation of component life' prepared by Matrin Marietta in Aug. of 1969 for NASA and includes 250 drool inducing and forehead bumping on the desk,pages written in governmentese bloviating bovine byproduct

[RAMC181]

Ta for that, I'm disappointed not to be able to read it now...

[The Inspector]

WHY? Suffering from insomnia? I read a few pages and that tome would put a Jack Russell Terrier in a coma

[17f]

It is a hydraulic "Vickers unit" which was used on the Sperry upper and ball turret. There were two in each turret one for azimuth and one for elevation. The two units bolted onto a double ended 28 volt electric motor (one Vickers unit on each end) to make the power unit.

Would anybody know the part number for the double ended motor? I have a couple photos of it but not clear enough to read the part#.

Thanks all,

[Pathfinder]

The address comes up on GoogleMaps Search...listed as True Religion Apparel....but when you go to ground view someone has cleverly "fogged" the entire front of the building----clever indeed! So we can't see anyone loading tons of surplus aircraft parts into a waiting 18-wheeler....! True Religion Apparel...yeah, right!