Spitfire MkI unknown device

Amazing!

Thank you very much oldgit158,

Flavio

Hello

Courtesy of the Spitfire P9374 website here are a few photo’s of the early hydraulic tank

[ATTACH=CONFIG]234946[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]234947[/ATTACH]

Also here is a shot of the later type hydraulic tank fitted on the engine bulkhead.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]234948[/ATTACH]

Thank you Roobarb:)

Flavio

Hand pump gear = Hyd tank behind pilot on Stbd side and the shape is like a small cereal packet. On Engine driven hyd circuit, hyd pump is mounted on the engine rear stbd side. Hyd tank is totally different, and looks like a humbug in shape, mounted on the firewall/frame 5 and is that same on all of the later Spitfires.

Going by previous comments that sounds like the correct take on it to me.

Yes Roobarb,

so if I well understand, the presence of this device shows that the plane had a manual (hand pumped) undercarriage retraction system, while when it was replaced by a hydraulic system driven by a pump, this tank and the new pump were moved to the engine firewall.

Isn’t it?

Flavio

It’s only fitted to the early Mk1s with the hand pumped undercarriage.

Thank you very much Roobarb.

Flavio

It’s the hydraulic reservoir. Mounted on the firewall on later marks of Spitfire.

Roobarb

Thank you Mauld,

but I suspect this device was not a voltage regulator.

According to some sources “….on early Spitfire it was mounted low on the back of frame 11, directly behind the pilot’s seat [thus not visible]. Starting in the N30xx series this was repositioned higher on frame 11, appearing low in the rear transparency, and from N32xx it was mounted more higher, directly behind the pilot’s headrest”.

In addition, on some Spitfires both devices are installed:

Voltage regulator perhaps? The usual regulator doesn’t seam to be fitted here, so perhaps a different deign of regulator just a guess. I’m sure an forum expert will provide a more accurate answer.