What was the problem with the Spitfire engine?

Carburettor developments However, the Merlin's float controlled carburettor meant that if Spitfires or Hurricanes were to pitch nose down into a steep dive, negative g-force (g) produced temporary fuel starvation causing the engine to cut-out momentarily.

What was the Spitfire engine fault?

The Spitfire's original engine couldn't handle barrel rolls. The throttle valve would get flooded with fuel as the plane turned upside-down. German pilots quickly caught on to this particular flaw because black smoke would puff out of the Spitfire whenever it flipped over.

What was the carburetor problem with the Spitfire?

The Carburettor Problem

A float was used to control how much fuel entered the carburettor. This worked well when flying normally, but if the Spitfire attempted to perform a negative g-force manoeuvre, the float wouldn't operate properly. The result was loss of power or even the engine cutting out!

What is the problem with the RR Merlin engine?

However, the original Rolls Royce Merlin engine couldn't handle negative G force. The throttle valve would get flooded with fuel as the plane was pitched hard nose down. A tell-tale puff of black spoke would be seen. The engine would stall, just for a moment, but in the middle of a dog fight, this could be fatal.

What was wrong with the Spitfire?

During the Battle of Britain, pilots found the Spitfire's ailerons were far too heavy at high speeds, severely restricting lateral manoeuvres such as rolls and high-speed turns, which were still a feature of air-to-air combat.

The Spitfire's Fatal Flaw

What did the Germans say about the Spitfire?

During World War II, German pilots considered the British Spitfire and Hurricane fighters to be formidable opponents. They respected the agility and speed of these aircraft and knew that they were a real threat to their own planes, such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190.

Did the Germans fear the Spitfire?

A German bomber airman, shot down over Malta, said the 'most terrifying thing' that he experienced in combat 'was the sight of 12 Spitfires all firing cannon and machine guns and coming head-on at our formation. All the front gunners had frozen stiff with fear'.

Why didn t the P38 have Merlin engines?

Because it would have been pointless, for three reasons: The Turbocharged Allison engine in the P-38 produced marginally higher power at altitude than the Merlin. Replacing them with Merlins would not have added any power. The P-38's limiting factor was not its engine(s).

Why was the Merlin engine better than the Allison?

One of the significant differences between the Allison V-1710 and the Rolls-Royce Merlin was the Allison relied upon a GE turbocharger to maintain high power at altitude, while the Merlin used two speed (and eventually two stage) supercharging.

Why was the Merlin engine so good?

It was the right blend of power and reliability. There were other turbo-supercharged engines which would produce comparable power at any altitude. But the Merlin was capable of reliably delivering its rated power for a long time.

Who built Spitfire engines?

The Merlin Engine

The Merlin was designed and built by Rolls-Royce. These powerful and reliable engines were fitted to many Second World War aircraft including the Avro Lancaster, Hawker Hurricane and the Supermarine Spitfire. Over 150,000 Merlin engines were built.

What made the Spitfire so fast?

3 The Supermarine Spitfire had a revolutionary wing design

The Spitfire was a stunning aircraft with the powerful Merlin engine that allowed it to climb fast and engage enemy bombers. The secret to the plane's success was its thin semi-elliptical wings.

Did the Spitfire ever get fuel injection?

Did any Spitfires have fuel injection? Yes. From the Merlin 66, in 1943, the Engine received fuel injection from a Bendix Stromberg Pressure Carburettor that injected fuel in to the Supercharger.

Did the Spitfire and the Hurricane use the same engine?

The Rolls-Royce Merlin Engine powered some of the most famous aeroplanes of World War II, including the Spitfire, the Hurricane, the Mosquito, the Mustang and the Lancaster. The Merlin was also used in aeroplanes like the Fairey Battle and the Boulton Paul Defiant.

Why was the Spitfire so good?

Several reasons. First it was far more aerodynamically advanced than the Me 109. Thanks to Willy Messerschmitt's woeful influence the Germans were wedded to having a high wing loading to reduce wing drag. The Spitfires wing was both low drag AND low wing loading.

How much horsepower did the Spitfire engine have?

After adoption for the prototype Spitfire, the engine, now named 'Merlin' was a 27-litre, liquid-cooled V12, producing an initial power output of 1000 horsepower, which was to all but double during the course of the war.

Do Rolls-Royce still made Merlin engines?

Production ceased in 1950 after a total of almost 150,000 engines had been delivered. Merlin engines remain in Royal Air Force service today with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, and power many restored aircraft in private ownership worldwide.

What was the best engine of WW2?

The Brits turned the Mustang into a great fighter by using their Rolls Royce Merlin engine. The later war version of the US made Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone radial engines used in the B-29 were arguably the best bomber engines used in WWII.

Did the P 51 have a Rolls-Royce engine?

The Royal Air Force (RAF) re-engined five Mustangs using the U.K.'s Rolls Royce Merlin engines. The test pilot reported that the P-51s performance, especially at high altitude, was spectacular.

Why was the P-38 not used in Europe?

“At 26,000 feet over Germany, pilots shivered in bitterly cold cockpits, flying conditions were unusually bad, and the probability of mechanical troubles at that temperature did not help.” Lightnings excelled in the Pacific, North Africa, and the Mediterranean, but did less well in northern Europe.

Did Ford build Merlin engines?

In 1940, Ford Motor Co. initially committed to build 9,000 Merlin engines—6,000 for the British and 3,000 for the American armed forces—in mid-1940, over a year before the United States entered the conflict.

How reliable were Merlin engines?

They had the right blend of power and reliability. There were other turbo-supercharged engines which would produce comparable power at any altitude. But the Merlin was capable of reliably delivering its rated power for a long time.

What did Luftwaffe pilots think of the Spitfire?

After flying high over Britain in the Spitfire, Broch heaped praise on his former adversary's formidable fighter plane: “The Spitfire was greatly respected. With these machines you have a feeling of being free, and being able to do what you want.”

What did American pilots think of the Spitfire?

There is no doubt that the American pilots loved their Spitfires. as Harry Strawn noted in his diary after the Dieppe raid.

What did German pilots think of the P-51?

Pilots thought of it as a dangerous likeness of a 109, with the A model outperforming the 109 at low altitude and later the D model outperforming it at high altitude. Similar turn rates. The D had instabilities in a dive or a zoom climb, which the 109 could take advantage of, and the Fw190 could roll faster.