Battle of Britain Film – Victory Roll Engine Cut-Out

As to never haveing seen/heard this at an air show, perhaps it has something to do with age. I remember hearing this on occasion at shows, but then again I’ve been attending since a babe in arms (56 years), not sure how long ago I last heard this, but I always assumed that fuel is fed differently nowadays (fuel injection?).

I actualy spotted this phenomenon in 2007 at the Eastbourne airshow with a Hurricane…So it’s for real Cracking Door;)

That’s interesting; I’ve seen a fair few Hurricane displays and never heard it.

It is probably not advisable but it must be possible to produce the famed negative-G engine cut-out during an air display. I wouldn’t want any risks to be taken, so can appreciate that deliberately cutting the engine at low-level would probably not be wise, but it would be nice to actually experience it, if it were safe.

I dunno if it was a true story or not (as im not familier with the 109 engine) but i recall reading that the 109 had fuel injected engine and could do a negative “G” dive if needed…

Yes, it is absolutely true; most of the front-line German aero-engines of WW2 were fuel-injected, fighters and bombers, with Mercedes-Benz, Jumo or BMW engines. What is more, they were direct fuel-injected; a system where the fuel in injected directly into the combustion-chamber rather like a diesel engine. As a consequence of this they didn’t suffer the same problems with negative-G that the Spitfires and Hurricanes did.

Amazing how old much of this technology is; the first production car to have it was in about 1955, the Mercedes-Benz (;)) 300SL and it wasn’t common until Mitsubishi mass-produced a system in about 1995.

I actualy spotted this phenomenon in 2007 at the Eastbourne airshow with a Hurricane (first time i ever saw more than 1 in an airshow ;)) I was asking myself if there was an engine problem… BUT… Now i know it what it was… So it’s for real Cracking Door;)

Innovation might possibly be necessary in order to create something out of the box and be able to cope up with the modern times.

Miss Tilly Shilling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatrice_Shilling

It’s all to do with Mrs Shillings orifice.

It is a well – known fact that the Merlin would cut out momentarily when early Spitfires and Hurricanes were inverted. Later Spitfires were fitted with carburettor modifications to stop this happening but it is my understanding that Hurricanes never received this mod thus the engine would always cut out briefly when a Hurricane was inverted.

In the film “Reach for the Sky” there is a scene where Bader apparently flies his Hurricane upside down at low level over his airfield but this effect appears to have been achieved very simply by inverting the film!

Colin

Any prolonged negative “G” would cause the fuel to stop flowing as the floats would “rise” and shut off the flow of fuel to the bowls…. Its possible he may have unloaded a bit too much while inverted?

I dunno if it was a true story or not (as im not familier with the 109 engine) but i recall reading that the 109 had fuel injected engine and could do a negative “G” dive if needed, while the Spitfire had to roll inverted.

One wonders though how much blood rushing to the brain one could handle before red out?

I always thought it was “added” or featured to lend weight to the rollicking he got from Christopher Plumber when he landed ?

The pilot could have closed the throttle, I heard something similar on the BBMF’s Mk.IIa Spitfire P7350 after a hangar break into the circuit at Coningsby. As a mater of interest she was being flown by Grp/Capt Mark Swan.

Not mechanically minded – someone else has to service my car – but I was told that the “crackle” was something to do with lack of fuel to the carburetter whilst inverted.

As to never haveing seen/heard this at an air show, perhaps it has something to do with age. I remember hearing this on occasion at shows, but then again I’ve been attending since a babe in arms (56 years), not sure how long ago I last heard this, but I always assumed that fuel is fed differently nowadays (fuel injection?).

I’m sure someone will come up with the perfect answer soon.