Urgent help needed: Flame Suppresors / Dampeners on RAF aircraft – C-47

Glad your perseverance has paid off, FP 🙂

Thanks FP – we never knew what it was will see if I can dig it out – does the original poster want it?

TT

That is the Douglas designed FS, however it has some issue, which I forgot what it was.

In the end the RAF design was deemed better and the other was not used.

Thanks for showing, however!

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Hmmm wonder if we still have this… always wondered what it was looks like it may be what you need… if I can find it!

TT

An update from Keegan of CAF on the search.
He found a mechanic stationed there during preparations and basically said he talked with the chaps on the RAF side and acquired a pair, a bunch of them, to equip on the C-47’s

So my assumption was correct, it was UK made stuff fitted on US planes.
Another great example of teamwork!
(cant say much with todays politics 🙁 Wow, over 3 years since posting! How much has changed!)

Believe it or not, we STILL unable to find anything about those flame dampeners!

Lots of pictures and stories of those involved with TA-B are pouring in, but nothing on the stack.

Anyone take a second look?

The fact that they are referred to as barbed or Christmas tree suggests they may well be similar to the RAF ones as used on the Beaufighter and other types.

Someone else mentioned the names, not I.
We do not even know the name of the ones on the C-47

The fact that they are referred to as barbed or Christmas tree suggests they may well be similar to the RAF ones as used on the Beaufighter and other types.

The kickstarter project ended with a phenomenal $328,736 pulled in!
Talked with the lead and they are getting a great start on the restoration.

The thing is we are no closer to finding the answer about the dampeners than when I first posted!!
I suggested and he agreed the answer must be in England somewhere, and need to open every hangar door to find it!
(he already found 2 original radomes in UK too)

Anyone have some leads to pursue??

3 weeks and we are not any closer to finding the answer!

This is becoming a major challenge to find something!

To nit-pick on a possibly relevant point, that’s an Australian-built and -operated example, isn’t it?

True but still based on RAF design by looks. Thanks for pointing it out anyway.

I realise it isn’t the type you are looking for but, just in case you wanted a better view of the Douglas dampener than my earlier weak attempt, there are a couple of pics very near the bottom of this page –

http://www.ramsburyatwar.com/Ramsbury_Airfield.htm

Welcome non-the-less! An over looked part of aircraft and mission!

That is a very interesting design of flame dampener! However, not what we are looking for.

I realise it isn’t the type you are looking for but, just in case you wanted a better view of the Douglas dampener than my earlier weak attempt, there are a couple of pics very near the bottom of this page –

http://www.ramsburyatwar.com/Ramsbury_Airfield.htm

Does anyone have knowledge on the dampeners the RAF used?

Here is a Beaufighter example.

To nit-pick on a possibly relevant point, that’s an Australian-built and -operated example, isn’t it?

there is image here that seems to show them.

http://www.americanairmuseum.com/media/4826

and this
http://www.charleston.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/020930-O-9999G-009.jpg

Thanks for links! Helps!

More info for tread:
Greyman heard them referred to as ‘Barbed’ or ‘Christmas Tree’ exhausts.

and on Sterling

there is image here that seems to show them.

http://www.americanairmuseum.com/media/4826

and this
http://www.charleston.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/020930-O-9999G-009.jpg

Does anyone have knowledge on the dampeners the RAF used?

Here is a Beaufighter example (RAAF make of RAF model)

Manual is not numbered but dated 1944 with 1948 revisions. Here is the small, simple illustration of dampener in it. Sorry for poor quality – it’s a pretty weighty book to control for scanning/photographing!

Edit – looked at video again. Agreed it does look like a different, longer style dampener.

That is a very interesting design of flame dampener!
However, not what we are looking for.
The 1000 page manual I saw referred to a extension that was not a dampener, nothing specific to dampener.

Found another image, more detail, only just (from Dover AFB site)

SO that suggest it is a Douglas part?

EDIT: Looked at manual, showed something different.
Have manual number?

Manual is not numbered but dated 1944 with 1948 revisions. Here is the small, simple illustration of dampener in it. Sorry for poor quality – it’s a pretty weighty book to control for scanning/photographing!

Edit – looked at video again. Agreed it does look like a different, longer style dampener.

The Flame Dampeners are mentioned in the Douglas C-47 Maintenance Manual – it states that “2 are shipped with the aircraft as loose items… fastened into place by screwing bolts into the nut plates built into the exhaust tail pipe.”
It mentions the use for night flying as you said but doesn’t say anything about effect on noise.

Very interesting! I will see if I can find something online.
…
SO that suggest it is a Douglas part?

EDIT: Looked at manual, showed something different.
Have manual number?

The Flame Dampeners are mentioned in the Douglas C-47 Maintenance Manual – it states that “2 are shipped with the aircraft as loose items… fastened into place by screwing bolts into the nut plates built into the exhaust tail pipe.”
It mentions the use for night flying as you said but doesn’t say anything about effect on noise.