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Showing results for tags 'Tempest V spinner/propeller'.
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Prompted by Jonners 'spinner challenge' in his ground-breaking Typhoon build thread, I'm sharing an enigma that has been puzzling me for a while, in the hope that sharp-eyed or well informed Britmodellers may have something to add. Preferably backed up with primary evidence! Conventional wisdom has it (mainly due Arthur's plans I think)that the Typhoon was fitted with either a 3-bladed DH prop, alternatively a 4-bladed DH prop or a 4-bladed Rotol prop. There were also at least 3 spinner types, one for each type of prop and the the Rotol spinner was longer than the DH examples. This seemed to fit with the reported dimensions of the Typhoon which has it that the late production aircraft were 1.5 inches longer than the earlier examples. we'll come back to that ... but meanwhile the Sabre Tempests .. Initial production Tempest Vs were fitted with a DH 4-blader - (and spinner) apparently the same as the late production Typhoons. All the JN, EJ and NV-serialled aircraft had these but in the SN-serialled batch, which were delivered from March 1945, increasing numbers were fitted with a Rotol 4-blader which had a distinctly different spinner (it was blunter and had a vertical panel line just forward of the blades as well as a deeper baseplate; the DH spinner was one piece). In photos of these Rotol Tempests the distinctive Rotol disc markings, familiar from Spits, can be seen at the blade root. All Tempest VIs had the Rotol prop; TT.5s could be seen with either DH or Rotol as they appear to have kept the prop applicable to the particular Mk.V airfame from which they were modified. Back to the Typhoon. In all the documentary sources I have consulted I can find no mention of Rotol props on service Typhoons, other than trials aircraft. The AP1804A quotes 3 props as fitted to Typhoons, all DH, one 3-blade types and 2 4-bladers. I have searched through 100s of Typhoon photos and have not been able to find any trace of a blade carrying Rotol's distinctive markings, nor any spinner which is different from the DH design. I conclude that (other than trials aircraft) Typhoons had DH props and spinners. But what then of the extra 1.5 inches (sounds like an advert ...)? Arthur has two prop blade styles on his plans - one with 'developed' profile (ie. wider)and he thinks a longer spinner was developed to go with that as it was broader at the root. Seems reasonable to me but when was it introduced? Perhaps it was applicable to all 4-bladers? In which case all 4-bladers may have had the longer spinner? The problem is that although many photos are available, the changes were subtle and slight changes in the angle of the photo or the rotation of the prop make comparison very difficult. Chris