The Little World

I do not know enough about the differences between British and German aero engines to be able to debate their good and bad points. Suffice it to say I think the British practice of mounting the  Merlin engine upright seems to be a darn sight more sensible than the inverted Daimler Benz of the German bombers. The resultant radiators, scoops, and housings seem very much more streamlined.

I suppose it doesn’t matter too much if the power plant is capable of producing horsepower in excess of requirement – like the twin-row radials of the US fighters – and of course there is more forward resistance in the case of this sort of power plant…but that would be the nature of all radial installations. At least they should lead to a shorter-coupled design than a long bank of inline cylinders. Fewer pipes and hoses as well, though when you start to mix turbo superchargers into the mixture like the P-47, you still get an installation that looks like a furnace on a Milwaukee apartment building.

The interesting feature I found in building the engine nacelles for the HE 111 was that they are the same shape for both port and starboard – no handing for the exhausts or intakes. I daresay it made for quicker in-service replacement on the real things.The amount of lumping and bumping is surprising.