By: Anon
- 20th May 2010 at 20:08Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Exhaust section i/d
The section of radial engine exhaust is from a B17 Wright Cyclone engine - the same engine as the rocker cover was from correctly i/d'd by Nick Wotherspoon.
The spark plug "transit cases" were fitted to engines which were new or overhauled. They were filled with dessicant which absorbed any trace of moisture remaining in the air in the cylinder to which it was fitted and were discarded when the engine was unpacked and fitted with proper spark plugs.
In any active station, where engine changes were a regular occurrence, there must have been many hundreds of these things thrown out with the rubbish as I think they were a "one-shot" fitment, i.e. not rechargeable for further use. Even if they were it is typically the American way to discard stuff like this wholesale.
I came across loads of them whilst digging at the old Burtonwood airbase years ago.
By: Martin Bull
- 21st May 2010 at 06:42Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I've found this thread most interesting. I have a 'box of bits' from B-17G 42-38145 of the 452nd which collided with a 388th machine on 19th May 1944. The crash scene looks very peaceful today....
By: Creaking Door
- 21st May 2010 at 17:37Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The ‘story’ of a 452nd crew in a 388th aircraft you mean?
Possibly just an example of ‘maximum effort’; apparently it was fairly common practice for units with spare aircraft to lend them (even for a single mission) to units with a spare crew. I imagine in late May 1944 most units were pretty busy!
By: cooraig
- 19th August 2011 at 16:31Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I've found this thread most interesting. I have a 'box of bits' from B-17G 42-38145 of the 452nd which collided with a 388th machine on 19th May 1944. The crash scene looks very peaceful today....
Martin,
Amazing to see this post! Patty Jo was my Grandfather's plane (388th Waist Gunner Victor Ruiz). He and his crew were on leave in London for a few days. He told me Patty Jo had been flown by another crew (Salles crew I believe) the day of this mid-air collision. I have the story on my home computer I was able to track down a few years back. I don't suppose you found any pieces from that aircraft? (B-17 42-31242)
By: Bomberboy
- 19th August 2011 at 18:19Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Thanks for those answers ! metal link ? that's what joins the shells together in a machine gun supply chain ! ?? :confused:
A few more of the artifacts dredged up from the Norfolk soil ......
Actualy the first part, possibly from the exhaust / supercharger area, has been used by my friend the farmer for many many years as part of the downpipe system on one of his buildings ?????
Part 3a
Part 3b
This piece of cyclone 1820 exhaust looks like it is from the lower right hand side of the No1, 2 or No.4 engine or from a No.2 position it could be further round towards the bottom area.
Small alloy casting / cover with 'T' section protrusion ??
Part 5b
The wright 1820 rocker is an inlet rocker.
New
Posts: 4,796
By: ZRX61
- 19th August 2011 at 18:47Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
By: Bomberboy
- 19th August 2011 at 20:01Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Except that's a valve cover & not a rocker.
Well I never.....is it really?
Thank you you for clearing this up for me.
The question is have I actually learnt something today, (other than that pedants :dev2: can't help themselves), and leave it there, or do I respond to a pedants posting.
Well hold on, wait a minute, I've now done some further research and have determined that it's actually more coloquially known and referred to as a rocker cover and not a valve cover.
Taking it pedantically further, upon opening my Wight Cyclone 1820 & 2600 and P&W 2800 & 4360 engine overhaul manuals, all actually call them rocker box covers.............not valve covers.;)
So now I know what the manufacturers call them, i'll stick with that thanks rather than the say so of................someone else :diablo:
I hope that was pedantically responsive enough for you???
By: Lucky_Larry
- 10th September 2014 at 12:55Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I have been to another meeting with the visiting veterans at Deopham Green today, There was a small display of all things to do with 452nd BG on display including a selection of parts ploughed up, or otherwise collected from the airfield area by local farmers etc ... there are no positive id's to any of the parts, so armed with camera ... will feed the photos slowly to save confusion !
Firstly, this was said to be from a Halifax which crashed just outside the airfield ????
Part 1a
Part 1b
Part 1c
Part 1d
Hi Kieth,
Looking at those pieces, it would seem they are not from an air crash. Do you know what area of the airfield they came from?
When the Americans left after the war, they dug a big pit at every 8th airforce airfield and filled it with stuff that they didnt want to take or was too costly to transport back to the states. There are stories of bikes, Ammuntition, aircraft Instruments (Filled with radium and other harmful chemicals) and other stuff. This may be where these parts came from. The tubes that are poking out from that first component (Quoted) are sawn off and the bottom rivets neatly removed. Im thinking possibly a part cut out due to a field repair or something cut up for scrap.
By: Lucky_Larry
- 11th September 2014 at 18:19Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Yes with an Australian pilot / crew I believe. Do you know where that crash site is and where the Halifax was stationed? Thanks for the A/C serial, been meaning to research that one for a while....
These pieces aren't from that though. Fake spark plugs and and neatly hack-sawed components aren't usually found fitted to serviceable aircraft! :S
By: keithnewsome
- 11th September 2014 at 19:09Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Hi Lucky_Larry, sorry only just found your question ! I'm afraid I can't help you ! I only had fleeting contact with the farmer who showed me these parts at the time, and I think I have heard that he has since passed away, at the time I got the idea it was a collection from several local farmers ??
By: halifax3
- 12th September 2014 at 11:12Permalink- Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
MZ305 was 466 Squadron from RAF Driffield on a test flight after maintenance, 4 RAAF Crew and 3 RAF, Report says aircraft stalled and the engines failed to respond immediately to the throttles due to congealed oil in the CSU's. I am in contact with several relatives of the crew members - we don't have precise location of the crash site but it was in outer circuit for landing and crash landed in fields where there was a large height difference (10-15ft) either side of a hedge approx 1 mile S.S.E. of Deopham Green airfield at 14:43hrs.
Posts: 2,841
By: Anon - 20th May 2010 at 20:08 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Exhaust section i/d
The section of radial engine exhaust is from a B17 Wright Cyclone engine - the same engine as the rocker cover was from correctly i/d'd by Nick Wotherspoon.
The spark plug "transit cases" were fitted to engines which were new or overhauled. They were filled with dessicant which absorbed any trace of moisture remaining in the air in the cylinder to which it was fitted and were discarded when the engine was unpacked and fitted with proper spark plugs.
In any active station, where engine changes were a regular occurrence, there must have been many hundreds of these things thrown out with the rubbish as I think they were a "one-shot" fitment, i.e. not rechargeable for further use. Even if they were it is typically the American way to discard stuff like this wholesale.
I came across loads of them whilst digging at the old Burtonwood airbase years ago.
Anon.
Posts: 64
By: cambsman64 - 21st May 2010 at 00:08 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Quite correct Moggy, that's exactly what I was meaning :)
Posts: 167
By: Martin Bull - 21st May 2010 at 06:42 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
I've found this thread most interesting. I have a 'box of bits' from B-17G 42-38145 of the 452nd which collided with a 388th machine on 19th May 1944. The crash scene looks very peaceful today....
Posts: 16,832
By: Moggy C - 21st May 2010 at 09:52 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
That was 42-31242 "Patty Jo" but being flown by a crew from the 452nd. I wonder what the story was there?
Moggy
Posts: 9,739
By: Creaking Door - 21st May 2010 at 17:37 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
The ‘story’ of a 452nd crew in a 388th aircraft you mean?
Possibly just an example of ‘maximum effort’; apparently it was fairly common practice for units with spare aircraft to lend them (even for a single mission) to units with a spare crew. I imagine in late May 1944 most units were pretty busy!
Posts: 1
By: cooraig - 19th August 2011 at 16:31 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Martin,
Amazing to see this post! Patty Jo was my Grandfather's plane (388th Waist Gunner Victor Ruiz). He and his crew were on leave in London for a few days. He told me Patty Jo had been flown by another crew (Salles crew I believe) the day of this mid-air collision. I have the story on my home computer I was able to track down a few years back. I don't suppose you found any pieces from that aircraft? (B-17 42-31242)
Craig
Posts: 839
By: Bomberboy - 19th August 2011 at 18:19 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
This piece of cyclone 1820 exhaust looks like it is from the lower right hand side of the No1, 2 or No.4 engine or from a No.2 position it could be further round towards the bottom area.
The wright 1820 rocker is an inlet rocker.
Posts: 4,796
By: ZRX61 - 19th August 2011 at 18:47 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Except that's a valve cover & not a rocker.
Posts: 839
By: Bomberboy - 19th August 2011 at 20:01 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Well I never.....is it really?
Thank you you for clearing this up for me.
The question is have I actually learnt something today, (other than that pedants :dev2: can't help themselves), and leave it there, or do I respond to a pedants posting.
Well hold on, wait a minute, I've now done some further research and have determined that it's actually more coloquially known and referred to as a rocker cover and not a valve cover.
Taking it pedantically further, upon opening my Wight Cyclone 1820 & 2600 and P&W 2800 & 4360 engine overhaul manuals, all actually call them rocker box covers.............not valve covers.;)
So now I know what the manufacturers call them, i'll stick with that thanks rather than the say so of................someone else :diablo:
I hope that was pedantically responsive enough for you???
Posts: 34
By: Lucky_Larry - 10th September 2014 at 12:55 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Hi Kieth,
Looking at those pieces, it would seem they are not from an air crash. Do you know what area of the airfield they came from?
When the Americans left after the war, they dug a big pit at every 8th airforce airfield and filled it with stuff that they didnt want to take or was too costly to transport back to the states. There are stories of bikes, Ammuntition, aircraft Instruments (Filled with radium and other harmful chemicals) and other stuff. This may be where these parts came from. The tubes that are poking out from that first component (Quoted) are sawn off and the bottom rivets neatly removed. Im thinking possibly a part cut out due to a field repair or something cut up for scrap.
Posts: 19
By: halifax3 - 11th September 2014 at 10:02 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Halifax III MZ305 from 466 Squadron did crash just outside Deopham Green airfield on 14th June 1944.
Posts: 34
By: Lucky_Larry - 11th September 2014 at 18:19 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Yes with an Australian pilot / crew I believe. Do you know where that crash site is and where the Halifax was stationed? Thanks for the A/C serial, been meaning to research that one for a while....
These pieces aren't from that though. Fake spark plugs and and neatly hack-sawed components aren't usually found fitted to serviceable aircraft! :S
Posts: 2,322
By: keithnewsome - 11th September 2014 at 19:09 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
Hi Lucky_Larry, sorry only just found your question ! I'm afraid I can't help you ! I only had fleeting contact with the farmer who showed me these parts at the time, and I think I have heard that he has since passed away, at the time I got the idea it was a collection from several local farmers ??
Keith.
Posts: 19
By: halifax3 - 12th September 2014 at 11:12 Permalink - Edited 1st January 1970 at 01:00
MZ305 was 466 Squadron from RAF Driffield on a test flight after maintenance, 4 RAAF Crew and 3 RAF, Report says aircraft stalled and the engines failed to respond immediately to the throttles due to congealed oil in the CSU's. I am in contact with several relatives of the crew members - we don't have precise location of the crash site but it was in outer circuit for landing and crash landed in fields where there was a large height difference (10-15ft) either side of a hedge approx 1 mile S.S.E. of Deopham Green airfield at 14:43hrs.