Date: Mon, 21 Oct 2002 23:28:07 +0100
Reply-To: Clive Smith <clive.harman-smith@NTLWORLD.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Clive Smith <clive.harman-smith@NTLWORLD.COM>
Subject: Re: Increasing horsepower -- and optimum consumption
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Yeh, Nimrods do this on maritime patrol, and I think shackletons used to.
Most important with gas turbines too, they're all optimised to be producing
a reaosnable amount of thrust, hence my comments about driving too slowly
when someone suggested the fuel consumption decreases always the way down to
crawling speed - rubbish!
Look at those 1000 mpg efficiency competitions - small motors, no
throttling, flat out and then coast. Working out the perfect time to restart
and the optimum speed to cut is the trick. In a mini (the original Morris I
mean) 850, when short of fuel, I'd take her up to 55mph or 60 and then coast
down to about 25 mph, trying to catch the downslopes just right of course.
Doesn't come naturally either, using quite a lot of throttle to get the
thing moving again - but it seemed to work - about 55mpg at aguess.
Clive
----- Original Message -----
From: "Chuck Mathis" <cmathis@HOUSTON.RR.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Sunday, October 20, 2002 3:51 PM
Subject: Re: Increasing horsepower -- Piston Engined Aircraft
> Many years ago while I was a group SAR coordinator with he Coast Guard in
> Maine I got a call about a crashing airplane. Shortly after hanging up I
> heard a loud rumble common to large slow flying planes. I popped outside
in
> time to see a P-3 Orion passing overhead with two props stopped and the
> other two engines smoking like -- well if my van smoked like that I'd be
> looking for a new engine. A quick call to the nearby Navy guys confirmed
> that the plane was operating normally -- they routinely shut down a couple
> of engines on patrol. Coast Guard Winged Maggots do the same with te
> HC-130.
>
> Chuck
> '85 Wolfsburg Westy - 'Roland the road Buffalo'
>
> on 10/19/02 8:43 PM, Automatic digest processor at
> LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM wrote:
>
> > Date: Sat, 19 Oct 2002 14:43:42 -0400
> > From: David Brodbeck <gull@CYBERSPACE.ORG>
> > Subject: Re: Increasing horsepower
> >
> > On Sat, 19 Oct 2002, Clive Smith wrote:
> >
> >> ultimate aero piston engine development, though a Super Connie arriving
at
> >> Heathrow in that era would rarely be fit for a quick turnaround, with
oil
> >> dripping from most of its engines, if not requiring a new parts.
> >
> > My uncle used to fly for the Air Force in an EC-121 Warning Star, which
> > was based on the Super Connie. He said it wasn't uncommon to lose an
> > engine during a mission due to mechanical problems. He contrasted this
> > with the EC-121's turboprop replacement (the name of which escapes me),
in
> > which they'd generally shut down two engines intentionally once they
> > reached their station, to save fuel.
> >
> > I think Super Connies have to be the most beautiful airliners ever
> > produced, though. They have very graceful lines, almost like a dolphin
> > in profile.
>
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