No, not a trick question – and I know I ask some silly questions, but hey… what is the forum for?
I’m trying to figure out who developed underwing pressure refueling, so as to do away with climbing up onto wing surfaces.
At the moment indications I have say it was UK immediate post-war, but I may well be wrong – any suggestions?
By: JT442 - 28th November 2011 at 21:50
Underwing refuelling seems to be an Americanism for any kind of pressure refuelling…. I think it’s fair to say the Comet was the first with pressure re-fuel points actually under the wings, and as well as Bruce’s FW190, we could be looking at beating a 1938 Modified HP Harrow for the first aircraft pressure refuelling system…….
After all that research, I need a lie down. (I’ll stop taking over now 😉
By: Bruce - 28th November 2011 at 21:39
FW190 had pressure refuelling, but it wasn’t underwing.
By: JT442 - 28th November 2011 at 21:31
http://b377.ovi.ch/brochures/esso/
gravity…… I can’t think of any piston / AVGAS aircraft which used pressure refuelling….
B47 – Pressure. First flight 1947, In service date 1951 – so that beats the comet… http://schenectadystore.frontex.com/transportation_other_g51-at_a_united_states_air_force_base_at_fairford_gloucetershire_england_a_ground_crew_refuels_a_boeing_b47_stratojet_bomber._plane_is_powered_by_six_ge_j47_jet_engines._p8351.html
By: J Boyle - 28th November 2011 at 21:28
How about the Stratocruiser/KC-97?
As a tanker, I’d think they would have wanted something fast to fill all the tanks.
If not the 377 series, how about the B-47?
The B-47 had a single-point system located just forward of the right main langing gear hinge. As you might expect, it was connected to the in-flight refueling system.
The B-47 ff in Dec of 1947…
By: GrahamSimons - 28th November 2011 at 19:55
The Comet 1 certainly had them – two underwing points that allowed pumping at 150 gallons a minute.
I got a memory somewhere something like a SAAB was earlier… but I cannot find my note.
Oh well!
By: JT442 - 28th November 2011 at 17:42
Well the 1-11 used a pressure refuel point at the forward edge of the wing root – much easier to get to than Boeing’s under wing access. I would imagine the 707 has underwing refuelling rather than fuselage mounted.
DH Comet appears to have underwing refuelling too: http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/online-exhibitions/dehavilland/images.cfm?PageNum_rsDeHavilland=6
Swift and Hunter were the first RAF fighters to use pressure re-fuelling http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1954/1954%20-%200318.html so under-wing fuelling would be later than that. My guess is Comet has another first… 😀 In the same article it refers to a HP Harrow having a Refuelling Valve (ie. pressure refuelling) in 1938, BUT chances are, this would be upper wing mounted.
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November 28, 2011 at 5:33 pm