Unusual Uses For Engines

Photos unearthed – interesting little thing…love to hear her running. I believe she may have been on show at ILA that year, but after that – it’s anyone’s guess.

Alan

I photographed these two Tupolev ‘Aerosans’ at Buadors, Hungary, a few years back…

They are now in an ‘aeropark’ near Budapest….. AFAIK.

The modern aerosan was photographed at a MAKS airshow.

Ken

Jacob Radials mounted sideways on trucks in Fresno, California to harvest Figs by blowing them off the trees, then just pick em up

I like that!

Bri 😀

Jacob Radials mounted sideways on trucks in Fresno, California to harvest Figs by blowing them off the trees, then just pick em up

Not an aircraft story but an unusual engine use one.

There was a water pumping station in Ballarat, Australia driven by two WW 1 era J-Class diesel submarine engines, i cant remember the exact location although i do know that both engines are still in place and one is still regulary run, not bad for a 90+ year old diesel that was last rebuilt in 1922!

Another one was an island in Port Philip Bay having an entire J-Class sub tied up at the jetty for many years after theyre withdrawal from service in the mid-late 1920’s for use as a power station! IIRC that sub was eventually scuttled somewhere in the bay.

Yes.

Old thread…Beaufighter at Halton pic

post No 31 by Mark12

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=48360

ps..was still there in 1970 when I joined up 😀

I believe Creaking Door may be referring to the Tupolev TU-A, a pretty little sledge-type machine with contra-rotating propellers at the back. It was put to use in polar regions, and Interflug had one, if not two. I noted one in 1992 at the BSF (Berliner Spezialflug) base in Schoenefeld (photo to be unearthed yet!). I tried to get it to a museum (successful with a KA-26 and Mi-2) but someone with bigger bucks came along. Believe it’s still in Germany somewhere. A landing craft as such with a non-submerged propeller I am unaware of.

Photos unearthed – interesting little thing…love to hear her running. I believe she may have been on show at ILA that year, but after that – it’s anyone’s guess.

Alan

Many thanks to WV-903 for sharing your Halton memories, my question pretty well answered!!
AJ…..will see if there are any other Halton pix amongst the cllection.

Cheers, Chumpy.

Isn’t this Beaufighter X7688 (3858M / G-DINT) that is now under restoration / in storage with Skysport Engineering?

Yes.

I never found out the Beaufighter No. or it’s history either…

Isn’t this Beaufighter X7688 (3858M / G-DINT) that is now under restoration / in storage with Skysport Engineering?

Haltons Beaufighter Ground running Engine Rig.

Anyone know what this was all about…A Beaufighter-powered shed at Halton 1957!

Cheers, Chumpy.

Hi Chumpy,
I was a Halton Apprentice, ( 88th. Entry Airframes ) down there between Jan 1958 and Dec. 1960 and that Beaufighter Rig took pride of place down in it’s little compound on ” The Airfields “.

Standing close to far hanger from entrance gate, this wonderful piece of WW2 nostalga was regularly run up to speed by Engine Fitter Apprentices under instruction from NCO’s. The noise on full song was marvellous and even back then, when she was being ground run, folks would emerge from everywhere to see it in operation.

The hut fitted to rear of Fuselage was set out like a small 1950’s classroom, even the instructors pointer stick was stood in corner and on the Fuselage side wall was a complete Homemade set of Engine operating instruments and controls. ( Big Sized items ) Instructors serviced and generally looked after the rig and the U/T engine fitters were co-opted into this scheme as well.

I managed to persuade the instructors to let me sit in on a few sessions and it was a great experience. In fact, of a w/ends when I wasn’t playing in the Halton Pipe Band, I would leg it down to “The Airfields” to examine and rob bits off the 3 Mosquitos being scrapped, same again on this big pile of scrapped Swifts and Meteors that had a brown Brigand ( As I thought,) or now I know to be a Buckmaster sitting right on top of pile.

I was the only one around at W/ends, not a guard or soul in sight and this was a magic place to be. Soon after I left RAF Halton, I beleive all this stuff was removed and scrapped, but rumour control says that the BeauFighter Ground rig went to Staverton and parts of it are possibly still around.

I would like to think that she is still all together somewhere, any one else heard anything ?

I never found out the Beaufighter No. or it’s history either. RAF Folks weren’t too bothered about that then.

I have seen references to this rig here in the Forum in past threads,including another pic.

😀

Bill T.

Anyone know what this was all about…A Beaufighter-powered shed at Halton 1957!

Cheers, Chumpy.

A way of training fitters to ground-run a/c?

Several museums use them to as a gravitational aid to hold aircraft to the ground.. 😉

Anyone know what this was all about…A Beaufighter-powered shed at Halton 1957!

Cheers, Chumpy.

Didn’t the Russians use jet engines to snuff out Oil well fires after the first gulf war?, I might be wrong but i think
they did something like that.

Over here in Canada, it was very common for farmers to use aircraft engines for various duties.
many would be perched on pedestals about 20ft above grapes or various crops. By running them it would disturb the air around the field and keep away the frost.
There were also used by chicken farmers to blow air on the trucks to keep the chickens cool while the small cages were being loaded.
Many of these farmers would use WW2 Anson props. For many years after the war, you could by them by the dozens. We had tons of them.
Most farmers now use electric set up so most of the engines, props etc that our business sold years ago, have eventually come back to us at a reduced price from our original selling price.:)
The engine in turn get bought up by homebuilt aircraft builders and the props get bought by collectors and by diners etc that use them for decoration.

Courtesy of Ray Deacon…..A Meteor snowblower at Kemble in the 1960’s!

According to a list I have dated 3 Oct 1966 it could have been T7 WF826
rgds
Alan

The late Honourable Patrick Lindsay was reported to have a pencil sharpener powered by a Merlin Engine.

A good story. Can anybody confirm?

…and the Boremwood film studio wind machines. Ex Mosquito Merlins.

Mark

Courtesy of Ray Deacon…..A Meteor snowblower at Kemble in the 1960’s!

I believe Creaking Door may be referring to the Tupolev TU-A, a pretty little sledge-type machine with contra-rotating propellers at the back. It was put to use in polar regions, and Interflug had one, if not two. I noted one in 1992 at the BSF (Berliner Spezialflug) base in Schoenefeld (photo to be unearthed yet!). I tried to get it to a museum (successful with a KA-26 and Mi-2) but someone with bigger bucks came along. Believe it’s still in Germany somewhere. A landing craft as such with a non-submerged propeller I am unaware of.

I can add to the strange uses column and corroborate VX927’s comments. A Hungarian firm was touting a fireblower at ILA Berlin in, I guess, 1992, with a Tumansky mounted on a tank. Bit late though, the Kuwaiti fires were all out by then.

Here she blows:

Does anybody know anything about the German landing-craft powered by aero-engines complete with aircraft propellers?

(Apart from the fact there is a mock-up of one in a scene from the Battle of Britain film!)