Comments on: Retrotechtacular: Making Enough Merlins to Win a War https://hackaday.com/2024/10/25/retrotechtacular-making-enough-merlins-to-win-a-war/ Fresh hacks every day Tue, 29 Oct 2024 18:32:16 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 By: asheets https://hackaday.com/2024/10/25/retrotechtacular-making-enough-merlins-to-win-a-war/#comment-8056084 Tue, 29 Oct 2024 18:32:16 +0000 https://hackaday.com/?p=729877#comment-8056084 In reply to Oh the stuff in my head.

sounds similar to a story I heard about the XB-70… stuff was being built for that test bomber at specifications that were higher than clearance tolerance just 10-15 years before.

]]> By: abjq https://hackaday.com/2024/10/25/retrotechtacular-making-enough-merlins-to-win-a-war/#comment-8056056 Tue, 29 Oct 2024 17:03:28 +0000 https://hackaday.com/?p=729877#comment-8056056 In reply to jbx.

second best after the Mosquito.
Why the Mosquito isn’t mentioned above baffles me…

]]> By: abjq https://hackaday.com/2024/10/25/retrotechtacular-making-enough-merlins-to-win-a-war/#comment-8056055 Tue, 29 Oct 2024 17:01:32 +0000 https://hackaday.com/?p=729877#comment-8056055 In reply to Rabs.

Me too!

]]> By: Oh the stuff in my head https://hackaday.com/2024/10/25/retrotechtacular-making-enough-merlins-to-win-a-war/#comment-8055682 Mon, 28 Oct 2024 20:24:49 +0000 https://hackaday.com/?p=729877#comment-8055682 I remember an engineering joke?true tale? whereby the English engineers took a look at an American fighter plane engine and said what utter garbage with 0.050” bearing clearances -we can tighten them up to 0.005” and so they did exceptall the planes started getting shot out of the air because turns out the super large tolerances were to ensure extra minutes of run time for the engines in case the oil line got shot thru and the engines lost oil pressure especially as compared to the german planes after losing oil pressure and the large tolerances gave you like 3-5 minutes extra run time til the engine seized.

but now of course I can’t seem to verify this anywhere on the internet. but that’s ok too

I still think it’s a funny anecdote

]]> By: Rabs https://hackaday.com/2024/10/25/retrotechtacular-making-enough-merlins-to-win-a-war/#comment-8055210 Sun, 27 Oct 2024 18:39:23 +0000 https://hackaday.com/?p=729877#comment-8055210 I’m fortunate enough to live near RAF Duxford and regularly see the spitfires, hurricanes and occasionally the Lancaster of the battle of Britain flight. It’s regular enough that I can recognise the sound of a merlin engine in the office and know to go outside and watch the show!

]]> By: Jure https://hackaday.com/2024/10/25/retrotechtacular-making-enough-merlins-to-win-a-war/#comment-8055062 Sun, 27 Oct 2024 08:32:38 +0000 https://hackaday.com/?p=729877#comment-8055062 Technical details:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_Merlin

]]> By: Sailingfree https://hackaday.com/2024/10/25/retrotechtacular-making-enough-merlins-to-win-a-war/#comment-8054699 Sat, 26 Oct 2024 15:44:45 +0000 https://hackaday.com/?p=729877#comment-8054699 Interesting find. Funnily enough just as I started to read this we had one of the local Spitfires doing some aerobatics almost directly overhead. Just a fantastic sound of the Merlin. This is Dorset in the UK.

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