Of Merlins and Spitfires

Btw, when are you going to do ‘Spitfire – Inside & out’? 😉

Cheers

Paul

When Crowood offer a better deal.

Many thanks for that Christer.

Don’t suppose you have any data for the 500 series do you?

You’re welcome …… 🙂 ……!

Not much about the 500 series but in the context of the Merlin 724:

Merlin 500/45:

Military engine similar to Merlin 724. 1-stage 2-speed supercharger, 8.15:1 and 9.49:1. Weight 2,128 lb (965 kg). 1610 hp/3,000 rpm/take-off with 66.4 in (1 686 mm) +18 lb boost.

Christer

Many thanks for that Christer.

Don’t suppose you have any data for the 500 series do you?

Melvyn,

I seem to remember reading that PT462 was fitted with a Packard Merlin 224 after a wheels up landing. And according to the G-INFO site, it still is.

Btw, when are you going to do ‘Spitfire – Inside & out’? 😉

Cheers

Paul

Btw, if anybody has a detailed power output data for the Merlin 35, I’d be more than happy to see it!

This is what “Aircraft Engines Of The World” had to say (don’t remember which edition(s), I only have xerox copies of a few pages):

Merlin 35 (in the context of Merlin 130, 140 series):

De-rated engine similar to Merlin 130. 1,280 hp/3,000 rpm/take-off with 54.3 in. (1 381 mm) +12.0 lb boost; 1,245 hp/3,000 rpm/11,500 ft (3 050 m) and 1,060 hp/2,650 rpm/9,250 ft (2 800 m) military ratings; 755 hp/1,100 rpm/6,750 ft (2 050 m) cruising rating. 100/130 grade gasoline.

and from another edition:

Merlin 35 (in the context of Merlin 724):

De-rated military engine. 1-speed supercharger, 8.59:1. Weight 1520 lb (690 kg). 1,280 hp/3,000 rpm/take-off with 12 lb boost.

Christer

Reading between the lines and guessing you are talking about the Charles Church Spitfires, I thought PT462 had a 66 to begin with but it wouldn’t work properly so a 25 was fitted very soon after its first few flights. EE606 also had a 25 as I remember but one that was modded to have injection and not the carb.

I could be wrong, stranger things have happened, but that is how I remember those ones.

Melvyn

Thanks for the info Mark.

I don’t have them to hand, but from some of the reports and charts I’ve seen, I don’t think there was too much of a margin in max speed at Sea Level between the MKIX and MKV regardless of which engine they had.

This site is useful for that kind of data:

http://www.fourthfightergroup.com/eagles/spittest.html

I guess that a clipped wing, light weight, four bladed Spitfire like ‘EE606’ could well be faster at low level than a two stage powered MKIX. 😮

Btw, if anybody has a detailed power output data for the Merlin 35, I’d be more than happy to see it! 😉

Cheers

Paul

Ahhh, that explains it a bit better! 🙂

Ultimate low altitude Merlin.

The Merlin 35 was one of the last iterations of the Merlin production and was specified and used for the Balliol and Athena.

It was built to the highest modification standard and therefore has great appeal to Spitfire engineers and owners. Longevity of hours etc.

I do not have the performance curves to hand but at low altitude, well under 10,000′, it may well induce greater performance when installed in a lightened Mk Mk V Spitfire airframe than that of a Merlin 66 fitted to a slightly heavier Spitfire Mk IX.

Mark

Glad you got the articles ok Daz!

Ummm, that stumped me too as I thought the Merlin 35 was a late production single stage, single speed and not an overly powerful variant used in the Boulton Paul Balliol, and is often used in some of todays airworthy Spits – BBMF Baby’s & HAC MKV for example.

I’ve never seen any power output data for it ( I’m guessing round the 1250 HP mark) but can’t see it giving as much grunt as a two stage, two speed example.

I wonder if he was comparing it to the restored PT462 (at the time though it had a M66), or wartime data which begs the question F,LF or HF?!

And I wonder at what altittude? :confused:

Cheers

Paul