Beaufighter to Fly!

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Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 554

Maybe visitors to TFC hangar will have noted a little activity around the Beaufighter? We are in the midst of solving the engine installation issues, can you help?

We are looking for the following component Air Publications to help with their overhaul.

Magneto's, Simms F.S.T.14S Mk. iii & v, Rotax N.S.T. 14/1 & N.14A, BTH C.2. SE14-S/1 and C.14.A. (AP1374)

Carb. Hobson A.I.T. 132.MF (AP2657)

Whilst we have the Parts Manual for the Hercules III, X and XI would welcome Parts Manuals for the later engines as they also cover the A.I.T. 132 carb.

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Original post

Member for

17 years 10 months

Posts: 3,778

Excitement time

Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 3,183

Woohoo! Best of luck, would love to sea a Beau in the air!

Adrian

We are looking for the following component Air Publications to help with their overhaul.

National Archives.

Member for

14 years 6 months

Posts: 2,172

Fantastic news! I thought this project was long dead.
Perhaps Karl Kjarsgaard can help as he has a large stash of late Hercules engines intended for the Halifax III reconstruction.
Cees

Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 554

Nothing in the National Archives, further search needed in Rolls Royce Heritage Trust, some detail in Australian War Memorial. Anybody with access to Farnborough?
We are looking for parts from early engines, pre 100 series as everything changes from this point. We have been in touch with Karl over the years.

Fantastic to hear the project is progressing again - good luck with getting hold of what you need and looking forward to seeing this wonderful aeroplane back in the air.

Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 554

In regular contact with Rob Greinert and Peter Brooks at HARS.
The possibility of fitting Merlins was examined in detail in the early days. Whatever path you followed there were major engineering challenges and we decided to go the classic Beaufighter route.

Nothing in the National Archives,

When I was last there at the beginning of June, I went through many of the engine/magneto/carb APs looking for specific items as part of my own research. I photographed the contents page of several APs to remind myself of their contents. Just checked my photographs; You may want to try the National Archives as some of what you are after ARE there.

Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 554

Please give me a reference/photo as search engine drew a blank

Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 554

Bizarre, just tried another search and came up with 4 hits on AIT 132!

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 3,183


The possibility of fitting Merlins was examined in detail in the early days. Whatever path you followed there were major engineering challenges and we decided to go the classic Beaufighter route.

I have a feeling that the longer cowling also made the Merlin-fitted Beaus dangerously susceptible to swing on take-off, so handling challenges as well. No doubt someone who DOES know will confirm/refute this.

Adrian

You should also work your way through the many different edition of the magneto APs. Don’t know if all the content are listed on Discovery, but they are within the volumes (AP1374?).

Member for

20 years

Posts: 4,561

I know we have a Hercules carb on display somewhere!

Member for

16 years 4 months

Posts: 2,094

Oh, thats great news! Best of luck!

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 1,707

I have a feeling that the longer cowling also made the Merlin-fitted Beaus dangerously susceptible to swing on take-off, so handling challenges as well.

Great news - but the Merlin route would definitely have been a dangerous idea quite apart from headaches with re-engineering and certification. The Beaufighter II was highly unpopular with its wartime crews. It was viewed as a deathtrap if it lost an engine at low speed as the aircraft would instantly drop a wing violently and the only way to regain control was to cut the live engine so such an event was usually fatal in the landing pattern. The problems sound similar to the Meteor phantom dive and the Pilot’s Notes said the aircraft must never be flown single engine with the flaps down.

Member for

7 years 3 months

Posts: 216

TIme to put an article in Flypast, and Classicwings? You never know what will turn up.

Member for

20 years 8 months

Posts: 9

I do so want to see a Beaufighter fly. My Dad was 'missing in action' (later presumed dead) in 1942 in a Beau, shot down near Malta. Despite much research, no trace has ever been found. He was a newly promoted acting Wing Commander, apparently on his way to an airfield called Kilo 7, near the Egypt/Libya border. There I believe he was to take over 46 Sqn, and convert it from Hurricanes to be the first Beaufighter squadron in the North African war. I wish every success to SG, Beaufighter VI and all their merry men and women.

SM