It would be a good trick if it was a Sturgeon as it’s first flight was in 1946!

Looks more like a JU.188 or 88 to me.

Anne

Pete,

Rolls Royce Aero Service Bulletin No 3 Issue 19 dated June 1950 gives all the installations for Merlin and Griffon engines under basic sub types.

No Spitfire in the Merlin Mark No 2 box.

Mark

I think your source may be incorrect. Why? Well my first piece of evidence comes from deHavilland Propellers.

They produced the Air Ministry Type 5/29 bracket type propeller for Spitfires fitted with the Merlin III and the Type 5/30 for Spitfires fitted with the Merlin II.

The second and more substantial evidence comes from Accident Cards. Included in the aircraft details on these are the type of engine fitted to the aircraft and the serial of the engine. During January 1939 the following Spitfires suffered a range of mishaps, K9794, K9799, K9800 & K9822. All are recorded as being fitted with the Merlin II.

Anne

I have one from a Gladiator which will be fitted to my Hurricane (one day). The differences are suitably small (unless one reads the plate). if there is interest, I could photo my plate?

Would that not make your Hurricane fly backwards? Merlin = Right handed rotation, Mercury = Left hand.

Anne

R5/4F5/4 props were also used with the Merlin 61 but in this case I would say you are correct in thinking that the aircraft in question is fitted with Dural blades which brings me onto the question of colour. The only actual answer I have is…I don’t know.

I doubt it’s yellow as that is well established as the colour for Waybridge blades at the time of the picture.

White? Well at some point in 1944 it is adopted for Dural blades, could it have been used before that date?

One possibility which I have no real evidence for is light blue. This is listed in 1944 as being in use to identify hollow steel Curtiss blades (remembering that Rotol electric props were licence built Curtiss designs). Could it be that it was originally used to identify any metal Rotol blade?

Anne

P51156 = Percival Vega Gull, fore-runner of the Proctor. The markings on the blade fit in with it being for a per WW2 VP Hamilton Standard/deHavilland prop.

Anne

As dave has said, it’s for an FE2b and is made to a Lang Proppeller drawing number.

Anne