The answer to a question..?

The individual history for the Cosford survivor states that Campbell acquired the ‘spare start equipment’ from that aircraft, but yes, it may still have actually been from the uncompleted second example.

Well done Tim, hopefully your prize will be a go in a very fast boat powered by a jet engine and using air start!:D
Good news Mike, be interesting to see if the bits came off the uncompleted second prototype or the survivor at Cosford.

Woohoo that’s the first time I’ve ever guessed one of these cryptic ID queries right!…what’s the prize? 😎

Just to update everyone that’s tried to help us- the mystery diagram I kept referring to WAS the Hunting H.126, the spare starting gear from which Donald Campbell acquired in March 1966. We’re now talking to Cosford re. the H.126.

That would make some sense, getting a trolley acc out to an SR.A/1 would have been a nightmare!:D

This is why Christopher Cockerell invented the very rare HoverAcc 🙂

Still badly in need of a decent cutaway of the H.126- anyone, please?

The 707 engines are a bit different is size to an Orpheus though!
Another thought, could it be a an air start for an APU type turbine?

I think the problem here is that unless you happen to find the exact technical publication for what you have you will only ever positively know what you have got from part numbers etc.

Disregarding the hunt for the strangely-laid out aircraft for a minute, we’re now wondering if we have a start system from a Boeing 707…a long time ago, we were told that our start bottles were fire bottles from the Seven Oh; this turned out to be incvorrect, but we never thought to look at the start system on it too, but it’s the right production era and we’re told that it had an air start system provided by Lucas Rotax- just what we’re after.

So you know what’s coming now…can anyone provide drawings/piccies of a 707’s air start system please?

Thanks!

Last plea for a cutaway of the H.126 for the night..? :confused:

Wonder if these articles from Flight are of any use as they mention the air start system

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1959/1959%20-%200449.html

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1958/1958%20-%200305.html

B-M,`flightglobal archives ,1959,pages 0446-50 have detail on the Orpheus,and a Rotax airstarter; also shows a cartridge starter.
The Short SB5 also had an Orpheus in it`s late life..

Blast! Well, thanks for trying anyway.

Unfortunately the cutaway I had in mind only shows the engine ducting system

Pretty sure I have an H126 cutaway somewhere, I can visualise it in my minds eye. Time to hit the archive again………..back soon

Thanks Schneiderman, though I think we’ve moved on from the SR.A1 now.

Really in need of a decent full cutaway of the H.126…

Remember though- apparently the valves we are actually chasing were in manufacture from the mid 50s to at least 1970, so all suggestions of suitable air-starting types are welcome.

I can’t get hold of it for a couple of days, but if we’ve not cracked it by then I’ll get and post the mystery diagram we’ve got too, the one that’s made us chase the particular configuration such as the H.126 etc.

Really appreciating all the help guys.

I’ve checked all my reference material and can find no definitive description of the starting system although mostly the comments suggest electric starting. Air bottles are not mentioned at all

That is incredible stuff Schneiderman, the photos are amazingly clear and detailled, I wish all prototypes had this information available. The cutaway is excellent, and intrigueing as it appears to be a clean up and redraw of RE Poultons original by Roy Cross!
However it seems to confirm electric start.

I think Tim might have it, this Flight report on the 126, http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1963/1963%20-%200476.html, also mentions airstart (second para, second column), which I would read as internal. Not a cutaway but a good layout drawing is shown on the proceeding page

I guess it would have worked better if I had typed the correct address

www.seawings.co.uk The detailed photos and cutaway (from Aeroplane 1947) are under Walk-Rounds

Sorry about that

Have a look at the material on www.seaways.co.uk, there’s a cutaway plus a large number of AID photographs.

That link dosen’t seem to work, and would love to see the content.

Mike, re SR/A.1 I think the accumulators were to be used instead of onboard batteries when required.
There were air bottles in the nose area but for the pilot and cockpit use.

The Hunting does fit the description quite well. The blown-flap bit wasn’t in traditional sense (such as Scimitar & Buccaneer etc using high-pressure engine bleed off) the main Orpheus exhaust provided most of the thrust and lift through the flaps, and some running to the tail and wingtips to provide pitch, roll, and yaw control, like the Harrier’s control jets.
Maybe bits were scavenged off the uncompleted 126?

Mike,

See my earlier post. PM me with your e-mail address so that I can send the cutaway you requested

Cheers