Hi
Probably the horn unit, as the upward identification lamp was higher up.
voltage regulator was in the rear fuselage frame.
cheers
jerry

Hi All
found on flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fizzix/578345388/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/fizzix/578465463/in/photostream/
cheers
Jerry

I would agree. Certainly a German VDM blade from the shape/profile and also the reddish primer.

Hi
Apologies for butting into the thread..
A ‘sillly’ question…
Was ‘ reddish primer ‘ commonly used thro’ WW2 on german a/c.
And was it just used on metal ?
Cheers
Jerry

Mmm, I think that Mensforth my well have been referring to the high altitude fighter that was being developed at Yeovil at this time. Westland were given the go-ahead to produce two Merlin XX prototypes on January 9, 1941. Its quite possible that in Mensforth’s eyes, this aircraft was a highly developed Whirlwind.

AlertKen, where are you? 😀

Best wishes
Steve P

Hi
Sorry for poaching into the thread again,
But the spec’s mentioned by menesforth in the letter don’t match the welkin.

the letter mentions
merlin XX, 410 Mph, 37,000′, range 800 miles.

welkin
the two 9 jan prototype a/c were originally two crew
( changed on 13-feb-41 to one pilot )

merlin 61, 383 Mph, 44,000′, range 1,480 miles

I often wonder if there was a design in between the whirlwind and the welkin….
… which may have been basically a merlin XX whirlwind, incorporating the whirlwind II mod’s,( i.e. extra fuselage fuel storage [another 60 gallons] and the new gun nose)….

But back to what if’s, what american engine was it being considered,
Beaverbrook states in a letter, 27 Oct 40,
…..there was an alternative proposal to fit american engines……

Seem to recall when I wrote to westlands( in the 90’s) they hadn’t heard about it.

So What If …
allison V1710 C-15 ,Wright R-1820 or Pratt & Whitney R-1830

Westlands were preparing ‘…Hawk’s’ for service use, I think in late 1940, so they would have had a few engines around…
cheers
Jerry

IIRC Merlins were too big and too heavy for the design, Petter designed the aircraft to be as small as possible – maybe an “upscale” would have worked but as discussed here on many threads by us Whirlwind lovers/what ifs etc, Westland were too small a company to do it, Spitfires etc were the order of the day – Whirlwinds & MB-5’s got lost along the way.

Hi

My favourite stock answer to the many whirlwind / merlin engine debates.

Following extract not from a ‘ what if ‘,
but from genuine preserved correspondence…

Jan 41 in a letter to Sholto Douglas
by Eric Mensforth M.D. Westlands.

……. We are now able, because of the solution of certain undercarriage retraction problems, to offer to install in the whirlwind twin merlin XX engines …..

Therefore in answer to all the long standing internet debates, Westlands in 1941, put in writing that the whirlwind airframe could handle merlin engines..

Cheers
Jerry

Hi
might be my eyesight, but there appears to be a small light bar, – , over the a , so it could be bar a,
As mentioned because there was already an A used by another a/c.
I thought this was used a lot on lanc squadrons, but think they used large letters.
cheers
Jerry

Hi
An amazing post,:):D:)
I recognise about 30 photos associated with 312Sq and harrowbeer airfield and some exeter.
I have managed to collect just over a dozen of these photos ( two of them are in colour ) during my research into harrowbeer / exeter.
Any captions would be great to confirm the info i have .
cheers
jerry

Went through the Ashworth photo/neg collection and he has about 80 Whirlwind aircraft prints, and another dozen negatives. Thought I might be able to help. But I am certain this neg and print have wrong ID. They ID this as 6994 and I am fairly certain it is 6984. Thought I would offer it here for enjoyment AND.. confirmation? There are a number of photos that only show the side lettering Reg #s and not the SNs numerals on the lower rear fuselage. (so a few are not yet ID’d) I am assuming (never ASSUME! :eek:) that 6994 only had the SN numerals and no reg lettering, when it was shipped to U.S.? Rob traded for many of his negatives and photos and almost always listed the source, if so. Some of these prints have notes on the back “please do not publish.” and the original owner’s name and early date of photos from their own album. Many others will be familiar photos such as the prototypes and armament details, and a few crashes.

Hi
Yeah P6984,crashed near Exeter, Devon.
I think both IWM and RAF Museum have them in their photo collections.
P6994 went to a MU before shipping, so should … have been clear of any markings except the serial, although in the US it could have had the serial less letter ‘P’ on the nose.
I would be most interested in the serials/codes for the crash photos you mention, and any info on the different armament just in case they are new..
If you need any matches of serials to codes etc, let me know I have been building a list since about 1970.
Cheers
Jerry