de Havilland Hornet/Sea Hornet

[GTX]

Hi folks,

You know the drill - thread for whiffs for the de Havilland DH.103 Hornet and Sea Hornet.

First a question - is this sacrilegious or inspired?



Regards,

Greg

[RB-211]

I like the 5 bladed prop,thats my thing.How about some XT-40 turboprops till something more reliable comes along?

[kitnut617]

Hmm -- interesting --

I think it should have that little aerodynamic fairing that you see on the Sea Fury, that directs the exhaust up over the wing, only on this it needs to go under the wing.

Would you add a leading edge fairing in front of the radiator space, or eliminate them and just line up the inner leading edge with the outer leading edge ?

[The Wooksta!]

No, it's simply lunacy.  The whole point of the Hornet was to design it around two very powerful but slim engines, using cutting edge aerodynamics to create a fast, highly manouverable aircraft. At a stroke, you've quite simply ruined it.  This is way beyond heresy.   

Frankly, I think it's an abortion, a crime that's somewhere between putting the most beautiful woman you can think of in a burka or removing the wheels from your dream car.

[RB-211]

If you look at engine power of radials v/s inlines round engines always win in the drag v/s power fight.

[GTX]

No, it's simply lunacy.  The whole point of the Hornet was to design it around two very powerful but slim engines, using cutting edge aerodynamics to create a fast, highly manouverable aircraft. At a stroke, you've quite simply ruined it.  This is way beyond heresy.   

Frankly, I think it's an abortion, a crime that's somewhere between putting the most beautiful woman you can think of in a burka or removing the wheels from your dream car.

Oh good, I was afraid I hadn't tried hard enough .

Regards,

Greg

[Riksbar]

Centauri?!!??!?  shureley Napier Sabres

[simmie]

Yes, Sabres with the Annular radiator!!

As trialed on a Vickers Warwick and a Hawker Tempest.

[pyro-manic]

Weight might be an issue - a Centaurus is almost twice as heavy as a Merlin. Some serious CG and handling issues would arise. Plus it's rather ugly. Try some Griffons and you might come up with something interesting.

[jcf]

Weight might be an issue - a Centaurus is almost twice as heavy as a Merlin. Some serious CG and handling issues would arise. Plus it's rather ugly. Try some Griffons and you might come up with something interesting.

Depends on the version, Centaurus XI is 2,695 lbs vs. 1,665 for the Merlin 130/131 used on the Hornet.
It would be interesting to see what the net weight change is after you get rid of the cooling system for the RR engines.

The major consideration is, as noted by Lee, that of bulk.  A 'regular' two-speed two-stage Merlin was 30.7 in wide by 40 in tall and the Centaurus has a diameter of 55.3 in. The Merlin 130/131 engines for the Hornet were cleaned up in profile when compared to other
two-stage Merlins as components were relocated to make the engine slimmer, thus making the disparity greater.

As to using a Griffon, which one? The 60 series don't gain you much over the Merlin 130/131 engines in exchange for increased weight
and height. The contra-prop types (101 and on) weigh 2,100 lbs, so there's that weight issue again.

I've attached comparison data scanned from Lumsden's British Aero-Engines, it really is a must have book.

Jon

[Doc Yo]

  Performance issues aside, I think it looks ok with radials, though I'd have to see more than a profile to say
if  I liked it or not. It cetainly better looking than the beaky horrors that were the NF versions.

[Jschmus]

Nice to see The Wooksta! is still in fine form.

[The Wooksta!]

The Hornet is simply perfection, the pinacle of pistonpowered aircraft in the UK.  Why tamper with it?

[Taiidantomcat]

I like it. I would love to see it in plastic... hint hint.

[Doc Yo]

The Hornet is simply perfection, the pinacle of pistonpowered aircraft in the UK.  Why tamper with it?

With the first statement, I have no quarrel. I would go further and say it is the pinnacle of piston powered
aircraft, period. As for the second statement, why not? Its like colorizing film, or re-makes. When the original
article still exists,  nothing done to a copy of it subsequently alters that original.

Greg, any chance of seeing a 3-view of the radial concept? The old Frog Hornet I have is already spoken
for-( an eventual take on something from the cover of an old Micheal Moorcock novel ) but with the
release of the Special Hobby hornets, I expect they're easier to find these days. and the PM Sea Furies
would be a good cheap source fro the radials...