Whirlwind Fighter Project Update

Wonderful. I hope you can publish those images on the new website.

Yes – it was a classic ‘long shot’ that really paid off well. In amongst a lot of images of Spitfire metal bashing were two images of a completed Whirlwind rear fuselage with other components posed around it. With enormous thanks to the volunteer who copied all of the images – there was so much that we completely missed the WW stuff at first. The clear photos included the radio tray – a part we had no information on (and which we were going to adapt a Spitfire design for). Because of the long-shot dig through the archive of a Devon bus garage, we have now manufactured a 100% accurate substantial part where there was no infornation before.

Did you ever discover whether Plymouth City archives held any photographs taken by a local company(coach maker?) during sub contract production?

Yes – it’s a study in itself seeing how 3’views and profiles varied over the years. I don’t think ‘Chinese whispers’ is allowed as a phrase any more, but the guesswork and misinterpretation began in the 1960’s and just got worse. The result has been that Airfix, who somehow got hold of the only drawings to survive the Yeovil airfield flooding, produced the most accurate Whirlwind model in general shape terms 50 years ago! I have confirmed this against 1938 wind tunnel models.

That publication is a useful photo reference – though it is another tantalusing glimpse of what the IWM holds as glass slides but won’t let anyone access for their own reasons. That’s the only archive we haven’t ‘tapped’.

Thats ok then. Came across this copy on line, and seeing its vintage I thought It might be of interest to you.

Thanks, yes we do have that. Between us I think we have everyrhing published, plus some primary sources that show us what to trust and what is dubious!

Do you have a copy of this book ?

Hi Beermat,
Many thanks for the update.

Geoff.

Hi Geoff!

The new web page – we are not 100% happy with what our designers have come up with and we are delaying ‘go live’ until we are! In the meantime we do have a Facebook page run by Chris, though.

Hi All,
Matt – Many thanks for the update that was e-mailed to all, any update on the new web page yet please ? I hope you don’t mind I actually just came off the Airframe Assemblies Facebook before coming on here and thought I would post a direct video as a addition to your link…..:eagerness:

Geoff.

A big mangle, but the upper rollers are independently adjustable in how they relate to the bottom pairs. Where curvature varies along the lenghth (as invariably it does) this machine cones into it’s own. Chris at AA tells me that working 14 swg in 12ft lengths in this way would be approaching impossible any other way. That it all appears straightforward using this particular machine and the parameters available does reinforce the idea that this is what it was imported for. – it’s a long way to ship a heavy machine.

I understand that initially these ‘planks’ were heated and laid over drain pipes, weighted by hot sandbags. I spoke to a chap who worked on the line in 1940 and he said that they never fitted and so the were taken away, tweaked on an English Wheel, brought back and tried again repeatedly.

This was unsustainable, of course, and I am sure this machine was ordered very soon after the Ministry placed the order for the WW. By the time it would have arrived it is likely that a decision had been made about the type’s future – but it is possible/probable that there were still aircraft to complete. On this depends whether we can say that we are continuing production on the same machinery or not – we will probably never know.

Nice machine. I love the MAP logo

Fascinating. It is just a big English Wheel. My mum used to have a similar device in her kitchen for wringing out wet washing. It was called a mangle.

Bit of video..The hand-held cardboard (or rather ‘compacted cellulose fibre lightweight precision curvature gauge’) is only a rough guide to check ‘on the spot’ but it’s more accurate than it looks (my seven year old is very proud that she ‘helped make an aeroplane, but don’t worry, dad did the measuring). New drawings, one of which is visible at the end, thanks to Gunnar Olsen (with research input from too many people to mention). That’s Mikey and Mick working it – the first Whirlwind parts made on this very machine for 77 yeas (apart from a few heli******s)

https://1drv.ms/f/s!Ai__pj6PjSL_aKIpB6JYQ0UZaX4

No FB account required. More direct link:
https://www.facebook.com/merlinai57/posts/2338258309579154

Sorry for non Fb users but Airframe Assemblers have put up pics of the new parts recently built.
https://www.facebook.com/AirframeAssembliesLtd/

This is really excellent news. Keep up the good work.

Yes, it was a very specific Magnesium-rich alloy – one of very many peculiarities of the aeroplane. We are not ‘going there’ – it would be very expensive to procure and corrodes in a way that makes it a bad idea for a museum piece meant for posterity. We are, however, building everything exactly the way it was.

Was not the rear fuselage formed from magnesium? I could be mistaken.

Great news – well done!