Hunter 'blue note'

I think perhaps what is being got at, is the reasons for the sound being made? where the vulcans tradmark “howl” when accelerating on takeoff, is caused by air resonating with the intakes, and the blue note on the hunters, being caused by resonation with the gun ports, the canberra makes her noise for a different reason? just my opinion 🙂

Ben

i can certainly hear some howling that sounds fairly unique here, is this what you are getting at SB?

Nope, the Canberra doesn’t – it’s confined to the Hunter F6 or FGA9 and only if they have the right mod. state of gun ports.

Having been around Canberra’s since the mid sixties and flying in them to the present day I can asure you they make a wonderful blue note. Terry Cairns final PR9 display at Marham was a fine example.

The PR.9 could make the blue note noise, I have seen video footage to prove it and boy did it sound good 🙂

Nope, the Canberra doesn’t – it’s confined to the Hunter F6 or FGA9 and only if they have the right mod. state of gun ports.

The Canberra, irrespective of mark, also produces “the Blue Note” they have no guns but similar Avon engines to the Hunter, the noise becomes appearent at fairly high speed with the engines throttled back.

Two seat hunters generally only have one gun so struggle to make a blue note.

i read somewhere that, only The F.6 variants make this noise and that for example the twin tub examples dont make this noise/ can anyone clarify?

Cheers 🙂

The wonderful J79 howl was down to the rather unique design of having the stators of the compressor variable. If you have seen the engine from the outside, you can see all the complex linkages around the compressor casing

Chox has hit the nail on the head, the Hunters particular ‘blue note’ is mainly caused by the high speed airflow over the raised gun ports, with a little bit of that low Avon note.

That low engine sound is also very present in the RR Nene (sometimes sounds like a Centaurus at full chat) and Meteor with raised gun ports and Derwent engines.

The sounds of the other aircraft mentioned are made for all different reasons, especially the older turbojet types. The Starfighter did indeed produce a glorious sound. A fave of mine is the sound of Victors and VC-10s when they were landing and taxing, with that distintive Conway whine.
Of course the the sound of any aircraft is more than engine derived, I remember when Buccs were detached to Mawgan they sounded different than any other Spey engined type, almost like you could hear the ancilleries running aswel.

Blue Note

Thanks ET

Looks like there’s a lot of confusion here about the old Blue Note business. The term was coined to describe the Hunter’s noise, caused (as has been said) by airflow around the gun ports. Likewise, as others have said, the Swiss machines don’t make the same noise and XE601 is your best bet for hearing the distinctive Hunter sound in the UK these days.

The other characteristic noises made by other Hunter variants and other aircraft, fascinating though they can be, are distinctly different topics!

As for the comments about the Starfighter, well I’m amazed – how can anybody not miss the sound of an F-104G – just fantastic, a real old-fashioned howling J-79. I could listen to it forever!:)

Dak
The blue note is definately gun based, not engine. Kennets F6A produces the classic note (original gun barrels fitted), Swiss Hunters less so (same engine, different gun muzzles). Meteor F8 Winston, again a classic note (guns in place). NF11, no note (same engines, no guns). Apart from the actual barrels (obviously disarmed!!), the cartridge ejector chutes also contribute as “organ pipes”. Fantastic noise!!

I would hardly call it noise. To most airshow goers it is close to being music. I remember a similar effect when the Vulcan used to power up to climb away after a low pass. In the case of the Vulcan it was produced by the intakes and I always thought that was the cause on the Hunter but had never noticed that the T-Birds were different.

That,s strange. It still had an Avpin starter when I did the last annual servicing!!:rolleyes:

I throught she’d been changed years ago

I know the two hha’s at Bournemouth and 601 are still Avpin but i throught 515 had been changed

That,s strange. It still had an Avpin starter when I did the last annual servicing!!:rolleyes:

I throught she’d been changed years ago

I know the two hha’s at Bournemouth are and is 601 but i throught 515 had been changed

XF515

That,s strange. It still had an Avpin starter when I did the last annual servicing!!:rolleyes:

Mark G
I think you will find that XF515 has a full gun pack and barrells.No electric start so full Avpin effects and full blue note!:)

no its got elec start not Avpin

Hunter blue note

Mark G
I think you will find that XF515 has a full gun pack and barrells.No electric start so full Avpin effects and full blue note!:)

The Mark 68 is a twin-gun job, so I wonder if that makes a difference with the T-birds? Can’t explain G-VETA though, unless the boys at Exeter have been drilling holes in strategic places so it makes nice noises!:D

G-VETA has modified bleed vales on the engine and hence the “blue note” its not really a blue note in the sense as a MK6 or 9

Just you wait till we get the old BE going!

Eight interplane struts, eight sets of flying wires, eight landing wires, plus a load more around the cabanes and undercarriage.

Blow me she should ‘um like an ‘arp 😀

But that Boomerang sounds unbelievable!!
http://www.oldcmp.net/Audio/Boomerang.mp3

Thanks James!!

Don’t thank me, thank Matt Denning who basically spent his whole life rebuilding it, and Keith Webb’s excellent sound man recording it.

It’s a pleasure to have seen it, and met Matt.