First run of Merlin 25 engine in 50 years!
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ม.ค. 2025
- This engine (Port Engine) is out of the De Havilland Mosquito from the John Smith collection, the aircraft is being prepared for display in the Aviation Heritage Centre at Omaka near Blenheim in New Zealand.
The aircraft will be on static display within the museum, the engine only has 84.30 hours on it and thanks to the support and permission from the Smith family we have been able to get this engine running before installing it back in the aircraft.
Was an amazing day, well done to all involved in this magnificent project!
To help us carry on with this amazing project please consider donating to the following givealittle page.:
givealittle.co...
I used to work with a guy that was aircrew back in the war. Sadly he is no longer with us and because he had no family when he passed i took on the incredible deed of strewing his ashes after cremation. I will admit i was nrevous but i wanted so much for him to know that he was not alone at the end. The sound of this engine would have made his day, of that i am sure, it even gave me goose bumps . Thank you for keeping history alive.
@Jack Anders You're right, I don't care.
@Jack Anders
That’s me with her in the pics in Mexico.
Adios!
The old air warrior must have been grateful for what you did for him.
@@fronerbr2738 thanks, i hope so. I found out that his fiancee was killed in an air raid during the war. He was without family because she was the only one for him . Her photo was with him always for the rest of his life.
Standing next to a P51 starting up is one of the greatest experiences of my life, the sound of one would make anyones day.
My father sat behind a RR Merlin engine in his P51 as he escorted the B17's across the Channel and engaged 190's an 109's. The Brits sure made a damn fine engine.
They still do.
Yes they did and still do to this day. The British engineers are amazing!
Good chance my dad was piloting one of those B-17s that your dad flew escort for. Either way, some thanks to your dad is in order.👍👍
Might have been a Packard Merlin. American built and leaked oil less:). Talking to restoration guys swap any part between Hawkers products no problem(not so the Spitfire). Our tolerances on our early tanks was especially horrendous .
With out the Merlin the war might have turn out very different it powered so may aircraft for the RAF and for the USAF Mustang.
The sound of these engines is truly remarkable... To hear a fighter in flight is absolutely unforgettable... They sound "angry" along with powerful...
Angry. Powerful. Vengeful. Or in the case of something like a P38, hungry.
Just imagine a squadron of these planes taking off or coming back during WW11. The sound must have been incredible! Major music to my ears!
Now build a Go-kart around it!
I got a job as mechanic at a regional airline in 1965. First chance I got, I stood behind an R-2800CB16 engine idling on the wing of a Convair 240 just to hear that gorgeous, loping exhaust note. The little specks of oil blown on to me were a bonus. A few months earlier, I witnessed Bob Hoover flying his Merlin-powered P-51 at an airshow at Riverside Airport in Tulsa. Some sounds resonate forever.
Beautiful Merlin music and very interesting to see the camshafts and valves in operation ,we are lucky here on the South coast of England ,very often a Spitfire flies down the English channel in peace,80 years ago they would have been fighting the Battle of Britain, right here.
God bless all those boys who never made it.
Hero's all.....Lest we forget .....
My friend Mate who lived in England when he was a young guy worked at a place , he told me where there was a spitfire plane . He said occasionally that a pilot would the plane out and fly it. Mate said it was amazing sound from the merlin
My very brave uncle flew Lancasters. In ww2 ...over 70 missions and would be overjoyed to hear this beast breathing life again. Sadly not with us but I was very pleased to have an organized a visit over the Lanc at Colindale Museum in Ldn . The curator allowed us aboard as I had pre arranged and given his RAF number etc . I was astonished how cramped they were and with 4 x these beast singing in your ears for 8 hours at a time , makes you really really appreciate the hardship and utter bravery those guys gave for all.
My uncle flew Lancasters as well, got the DFC from the king I think.
@@briangriffin928
And I am sure you are incredibly proud of him and every one of the unfortunate 55,500 bomber command crew who perished in WW 2 . My uncle survived but was plagued with mental health issues due to knowledge that many innocents died on the ground due in part to his actions. Brave folk on both sides flying primitive machines into heavily defended targets. Rip all .
And in temperatures reaching minus 20 at times.
My great Uncle Frank (Frank Appleby) was Flight engineer on lancs, what a stunning aircraft they are. My auntie Amanda showed me his logbook, diary and many many personal photos of all his bomb missions he went on with 97 Squadron and then 617 Squadron, including the Dam-buster raid, Les Munro, even let him take the controls and fly from time to time, very lucky man...lol, What a dream it would be to go up in one.
@@dazza1825
My uncle was also 97 squadron. Les Munro only passed a few years ago surviving well into 90s and I believe the last pilot of 617.
Those old engines were literally works of art .
I'm working on a 1917 American Lefrance in my machine shop . It amazes me at some of the machine work they were able to do back then . They were machinist but also wonderful craftsmen .
@@ALABAMAHEADHUNTER Boet of South Africa fantastic gives me goosbums
Yes they are.
The Rolls Royce Versions were all hand built with mating surfaces hand scraped so no gaskets needed. RR were quite concerned when Packard started building them with unskilled staff and used gaskets. RR thought they would be unreliable but they were much the same reliability as the RR ones. As a result it is far easier to swap parts between Packard engines rather than the RR originals.
"Literally".
Really?
Or do you mean 'virtually?
Oh man, That sounds so good, brings back so many memories. All those decades without hearing it spark to life and now in all it's Glory. I love it! Thank you for sharing this video with all of us.
Those cam lobes are like Rottweilers incisors 🤩 More lift than Mae West’s nipp’s!
The smile on this fella's face says it all!
As a kid in the 1950's and 60's I would hear these engines all summer out on Lake Washington in Seattle as the unlimited Hydroplanes tuned and tested for the racing season. I lived right above the north turn of the race course and had front row seat for the big races as hundreds of thousands of people lined the lake to watch.
The Miss Oh Boy Oberto was one of the last hydroplanes I remember there that had not converted to turbines; and I remember she invariably started out really strong and fast while the turbines spooled up; but then she'd invariably break something and just become a smoke bomb. Great fun!
I also grew up in south Renton Wa. Im 64 .And i remember the sound of the hydros on the lake way up on Benson hill as a kid also .
There will never be times like that again, sadly.
Best start up ever!
Just once I had the privilege of hearing a fast approaching spitfire that screamed over my back yard in south of Ireland,about 10/15 years ago now.
At first I thought it was a very high revving motorcycle that was coming along the road in front of my house
But as it came more close the sound was quite scary, remember I had never heard one before, I then spotted the unmistakable shape of a spitfire in the sky and was I in for a treat!
I will never forget that sound,it was like nothing else I have ever experienced!
“Awesome” doesn’t cover it. Bravo everyone involved, what an amazing achievement!
As a teenager so many years ago, I broke in a new 0.49 engine for a model plane that I never finished. But it took me 2 days to get it to turn over, my hands wet with fuel and oil, and around 9pm I got the sucker to run! The sound was so sweet. Just like this old girl.
I had a Cox 0.49 baby bee as a teenager.
@@MegaDirtyberty Yup, that's the one!
you'll never forget the smell of that fuel
@@jerryeinstandig7996 8 parts metanol and 2 parts castor oil. =) Had a few little engines myself. The previous mentioned Cox Baby Bee, a O.S. Max 15 , a O.S. Max 20 Marine and a Enya 19.
TESTORS
My Dad flew a Mosquito in the war and this puts a nice soundtrack to that fact. The sound of two of those monster engines must've got pilot and crew's blood up for the mission.
I was fortunate to spend a day at Johns farm in 1990, and got to sit in the Mozzie while there. John said the last time he'd started the engines was 1976. Sounds mighty fine today!
Hi Peter, I lived in NZ in the South Island for 12 years and wondered (don't feel like you need to be too specific) whereabouts these beauties were located? I had been told previously, but had never seen, about some Mosquito/Merlin items around the Mapua area. Anyhow, wonderful to see and hear this, especially considering where they are heading!
@@Youchoob1 Hi, yes the farm was in the Mapua area. The shed was a pandoras box of things he had collected and stored for a long time. The Mossie cockpit looked brand new when I sat in it - didnt fly back then so I had no real idea what I was looking at, but everything was shiny and clear
Peter, I visited John's too...he would wander out his blue overalls and took us to the shed and got to sit in the mozzie. Even going up the drive was an adventure of hidden gems.
Loved the confident reach for the ear defenders.
Thought the same
I know right? that's a pro move.
Love the sound of these engines..nothing like the sound of the Merlin. My uncle was a tail gunner in Lancasters in WWII and 4 of these must have been truly impressive.
The bicycle chain throttles were certainly interesting...
My dad was in the RAF and took apart and reassembled one of these engines. The noise is unmistakable.
Thank you for putting all the dedication, work and money into keeping these pieces of history alive!
Lovely sound,i helped get a Mossie moved to East Kirkby UK,which is now up and running along with the Lanc,one of the best days of my life. You can,t beat the sound of a Merlin engine. Cracking video.
At one time in our history they gave these things, brand new, to 20 year old kids, in an airframe, and taught them to get crazy with them.
Real.............
Thank The Lord they did.
Brave young men, unlike today
@@leenunn6446 am sure they pop up today as well..
@@DavidBrown-cp2vm Exactly right David !. I can see where Kevin is coming from, but he's missing the point in that if it were not for "the few" young men we would all be speaking Gernman now.
Commenced my apprenticeship on building the Merlin Engines at CAC Burnie Ave Lidcome NSW in 1953.
Wow, That's incredible. What a sound. Imagine two of them at full throttle hustling down the runway for takeoff.....
or one with a bunch of 500 cals nestling in the wings...
In the whole world, there is no better sound than that made by a Merlin.
The only Merlin I have ever actually heard in life was an American built racing hydroplane called Miss Budweiser here in Oz. My Dad was a RAEME and he worked on tanks doing his Nasho back in the day. He is still living but has dementia. He used to tell me that the Centurion tanks had two Merlins (I think they were Meteors, the non supercharged version) and a BMC (austin / morris) 900 side valve engine just as the genset to run the electrics. Or was it the 884OHV. He’s even starting to forget that.
Heard one in p51 mustang at airshow do low fly by. Best sounding engine ever designed.
maybe it was a Spitfire
Most of your Merlin's are made by Packard. All of our ones were made by Rolls Royce. The sounds was almost identical but being English, I'd got for the RR anytime.
During a flypast of a Lancaster with it's 4 Merlin engines the pilot must have realised that they were a bit low as they headed for my house which is slightly higher than the airfield. The pilot must have opened the throttles to gain height but it made the most beautiful sound. Why is it you never have a recorder ready when this happens ?
@@markwestwood9730 Liar !!!! Packard made and shipped 37,137 merlins to the Brits, 3,040 of the built in UK lancaster Mk BIII, and 300 Canadian MkX's used only the Packard built merlins !!!!!
Its a thing of beauty
It sure is
@@michaelpeacock6360 I
It sure is. Now attach a Spitfire to it and it’s complete.
@@guaporeturns9472 It has a Mosquito attached to it, so it is just as complete.
Dear Marty T.
👍👌👏 Definitely!
Soooo nice meeting you here.
Best regards, luck and health to all of you.
Absolute music to my ears.
I put this footage through big screen and huge speakers 😀
You either woke your kids up or pissed the neighbours off! 😂
Merlins are amazing. I've been lucky enough to ride in a taxi run inside Lancaster "Just Jane" at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre at East Kirkby. Looking out the bomb-aimers' position, trundling along, and with two Merlins on each side was very memorable!
I live not far from East Kirkby they ha a mossie there now too .
The Merlin engine has to be the crowning achievement of all time for England.
A Spitfire flew over my house in east Kent this afternoon. I felt sad. The last time we faced tyranny those planes played a key role in defending us. Now, nothing does.
I get you, GT380man…But I'm very fortunate to say that the Biggin Hill 2-seater Spits fly over my family home in East Sussex several times a day during late-Spring, Summer and early-Autumn…Their sound always makes my heart sing and always gives me hope…Not least in these most troubled of times.
Oh no, you're one of those people.
@@realityboost4405 I used to work on the airport, I am amazed at how resiliant that aircraft is, during my time there I would see it taxiing to the runway 3 or 4 times a day every working day all summer. They rake in the cash with that thing.
What a genuinely beautiful piece of engineering.
Back in the 60's one of my first jobs was working at a marine chandlery, one of the counterworkers was a Brit called Jeremy. Jeremy was a mechanic on the Merlin engines and during the war he told me he would sit on top of the motor and measure the flame coming out of the exhaust when tuning it. Not entirely sure where he would put his legs without burning them on the manifold.
Another story, there was a Kittyhawk on Saltspring Island BC. Just off the ferry dock. On one of my trips over there I saw this parked in someone's yard with the wings removed. The owner came out and asked If I'd like him to start it...So he started it up. I think they were Allisons in them at the time, not the same as a Merlin. But still, a thrill for a 15 yr old kid.
I believe it was sold to an American and was moved elsewhere.
Counting the exhaust pipes you'd think its a 10 cylinder, but it is in fact a V12 with the back 2 cylinders sharing the same exhaust pipe. I assume this was done for clearance reasons. Great to hear these old engines come to life.
Quite the unique collector pipe for those rear cylinders. Not sure about the clearance because the wing edge is above and behind the engine some 2-3 feet. Anyone know?
@@theophilhist6455 It is described in the Mosquito history books part 1 & 2. They did not all have dualed rear stubs and some only on one side. The argument against it was dualing the stubs last 5-7 mph from the top speed due to the reduction in the 'jet' effect.
@@johnmurrell3175 excellent reasoning...and thanks for recommending the book...I'll check it out
@@theophilhist6455 The books are de Havilland Mosquito an illustrated history Volumes 1 & 2. V1 by Stuart Howe & V2 by Ian Thirsk. I got mine from the de Havilland museum where I first saw the V12 Merlin with 11 exhaust stubs. The Haynes 'Workshop Manual' is quite good as well. I have only seen a Mosquito flying once when it arrived for ther Farnborough Airshow but that was a long time ago. Other than that it's only WW2 cine films - the film of the bouncing bomb tests on the Ashley Range in WW2 are quite interesting. The Mosquito dropped the bomb from such a low level that it had to pull up after release so the bomb did not nit the aircraft after the first bounce !
@@johnmurrell3175 Your knowledge and enthusiasm for this great plane is contagious. Ever since I built a scale model of the plane it has become one of my favorites of all time.
The Merlin engine the sound of freedom.
During the months of late April until late September, we usually have a ‘Spit’ plus odd Mustang, together running across the town here in Folkestone along the cliff tops towards Dover & back. The Spit often carries out various manoeuvres en route back to based just outside the town ie barrel & victory rolls… Then when you hear that V12 underload purring !! It’s the sound of freedom…
Absolutely spot on David!! 👍
I am always staggered by the engineering brilliance of previous generations, the sheer talent and hard work to develop, accomplish and manufacture such complex mechanical contrivances. Theres lots of maths involved, testing, advances in metallurgy and fine tolerance complex manufacturing, when did they ever sleep !
good point...didn't seem it went to full throttle
Lovely to hear the old rolls going again. A big blast of throttle would have been the icing on the cake.
Unfortunately because it doesn't have a prop or flywheel overspeed is a big possibility with to much throttle because although they are a big engine they are very responsive. I was lucky enough to work on and test four merlins which are/were used for the Boscombe down wind tunnel.
Here's a link to the layout we also did the fans which were massive 3/4ton steel hubs about 3ft6/4ft across with if I remember correctly 6 blades that ran a matter of mm's away from the interior of the duct tunnel. Got to see it operational when they were environmental testing the Eurofighter Typhoon.
And yes it did sound as good as you could imagine it would.
@@garethwood3474 Wow, Thank you for the info. My son who is an aircraft maintenance engineer will be very interested to hear that.
Just spoke to a workmate who told me the wind tunnel fans actually had ten blades.
And here's the link I should have posted www.key.aero/forum/historic-aviation/146793-boscombe-s-blower-tunnel-no-more
And here's an idea of the size of the fan blades.
www.amazon.co.uk/photos/share/0zdZpn0qZft03hycZcbAdys6o7BtUFLdcsB75arm60k
Loving patience and TLC rewarded, well done guys, music to my ears!
Designed from the minds of men and women before the availability of CAD/CAM systems, CNC machines or 3D Printing technology. Amazing.
Yep...just pencils, grid paper and slide rulers and compasses.
Hi Gavin I just saw your page, so stoked to see you on TH-cam, I knew you would one day.
Thanks again for all that you do.
You've travelled a long way from the old gold pine days, I'm proud of you, you have done so much good work.
Rock on m8.
What a beautiful sound.
Hello, how are you doing. I hope you are safe and in good health. Looking for a new friend and i saw your pic here. I hope you don't mind thank you
The unsung heroes are the guys that kept all that machinery in the air.
Ooooohhhh, yes! Fabulous. I could watch vids like this all day. And sometimes I do...
how satisfying to own a piece of history like that that you can play with.
Who in the world watching this video would give it a thumbs down??
Certainly not me!
Some climate change/global warming wackadoo 😂😂
How do you even see that?
Greta Thumbbum 😂😂😂😂
The Luftwaffe
Can you imagine being 18 in the 40's and crawling in a P-51 Mustang or any of the aircraft that was lucky enough to have this engine in it??? All that POWER!!!!! Great Video!
Or a mosquito that had TWO of them?!
@@MilouTintin Holy crap!!! I didn't even think about that!!!!!!
The P51 Mustang did NOT have this model 24 merlin in it. it was only a single stage supercharger, The Mustangs all had the LATER V1650-3 or 7's in them the high altitude 2 stage version !!! ALL merlins were NOT created equal !!!
@@wilburfinnigan2142 I actually did not know this!!! Thank you for your knowledge, i absolutely love All aircraft but i love the WW1 and WW2 aircraft the most!!!!!
how many were waiting for the rev-up?
I grew up on the Gulf Coast of Texas.. a friend of my grandfather's had a Merlin in a wooden boat. I'm thinking Chris Craft but I could be totally wrong about the make of boat. It's been a long long time. I do remember seeing him speed run in the intercoastal water way. CRUISING MAAAAN! it was a thrill to go with my Pa to watch his friend run that boat!!
Oooh, that sound just gave me a swarm of goosebumps!!!
I am so proud that these beauties were made just down the road in my home town, Derby, RR still there making aero engines today.
tango6nf477 This engine that was run was made in Detroit Michigan USA by PACKARD one of 55,525 built during the war, FYI incase you did not know !!!!
Holy moly , what a sound , my ideal alarm wake up
🤣 good one and me too 👍
That rev counter is unlike any other I have seen! Good one!
What a beautiful engine. So amazing to see them being kept alive! Thanks for sharing!
Fabulous, what a design and config.. What a fine engine. The Purr the idle sound - Pure Music...
Living in Middle England, Merlins fly over us occasionally...I'd know that engine exhaust anywhere! Well done guys.
Hello David, how are you doing. I hope you are safe and in good health. Looking for a new friend and i saw your pic here. I hope you don't mind thank you
@@allysonhanks9159 Hey Allyson, so sorry to take so long to catch up with you! I'm well, thanks, hope you are too. Of course I don't mind, & you keep safe, okay?
@@photo3642u I understand David, thank you for writing me back. I'm doing well, hope you don’t mind us chatting sometimes to get to know each other, hope to hear from you again soon keep safe as well, kiss..
@@allysonhanks9159 Hi Allyson, of course I don't mind, but I have a question...why did you msg. me in the first place? And, what do you do to make a living? I'm a retired professional life coach, physio, head of marketing for a multi- national co., living in middle England.
Far out, that's actually amazing! Great work guys
Ok that tachometer is freaking awesome on that test stand, a hundreds hand and a thousands hand! Sorry, first time I've seen one of those, pretty awesome
Is that an actual aircraft tachometer? I thought it was awesome too!
It’s out of a Bristol Freighter.
What a lovely noise, with the cams loping along! Can't wait to hear both engines running together! Mosquito one of my favorite warbirds.
'Lovely noise' is an oxymoron. Noise is unwanted sound. This machine makes a nice sound
@@engasal Whatev ... it's a lovely noise that makes a nice sound ... if you were a flyer, you just MIGHT understand ...
@Navy Flyer - I thought your favourite would be ther Sea Mosquito ? Interesting to read about the first landing of a mosquito on an aircraft carrier the pilot Winkie Brown had to land several yards to port of the centre line otherwise the wing tip would have hit the island !
@@johnmurrell3175 I'll have to look into that escapade! I hadn't heard of the Sea Mosquito before. Even larger, the C-130 landed and took off from USS FORRESTAL several times to assess its carrier flying capabilities.
@@kerrynye3752 You should read 'Wings on my Sleeve' by Captain Eric 'Winkle' Brown. That has details of the trials and the modifications for carrier operation as well as lots of other great stories of Navy test flying. The Sea Mosquitos were intended for use in the war in the far east but did not arrive before the war ended. Soon after jet engines ( and the UK invention of the angled flight deck) allowed jet aircraft to operate from carriers and piston engines were consigned to history for Navy aircraft. Turbo props soldiered on in aircraft such as the Gannet but that was driven by endurance rather than speed.
The most interesting Mosquito was possibly the 'Tetse' armed with a 6 pounder anti-tank gun. It saw limited service but had dramatic impact on some U boats with the shells going through the pressure hull, bouncing around the engine room before exiting out through the pressure hull on one occasion. Needless to say the U-boat sank.
Damn... I punch the air when I get my mower started!!! BRAVO ❤️🏆🇬🇧
My grandfather flew mosquitoes during WW2 for the 142nd Pathfinders cool to see that engine running
So great to see such a thing of precision brought back to life!
Not far from us in Hamilton, Ontario we have the Lancaster Bomber...that regularly overflies our house on trips to Niagara Falls. We hear those Merlins comin' from miles and miles away...and we never fail to go out on the back porch to watch the Lanc fly over. I never take it for granted hearing and seeing it in the air. It's an awe-inspiring sight and sound.
SilentKnight That Mk X Lancaster VERA is a canadian built Mk X powered by the PACKARD merlins !!!
Very cool. I was starting to think, “this guy on the controls looks a bit Aussie.” Close.
We had the 100th anniversary of the RAAF in Canberra today. Big series of flyby’s over the lake including a Spitfire and a Mustang. Was an awesome event. Had them flying straight over our heads close enough to see the individual missiles under the fighters. 3 Globemasters in formation was pretty spectacular too.
my dad who was an aeronautical engineer worked on the mosquito in WW2, he later was one of the designers of the Avro Vulcan. he later emigrated to canada to work on the avro arrow which was canceled. He went back to university and became a social worker.
All that wonderful cam overlap.
My uncle built Mosquitos at Bankstown Airport during the war. 137 of them were built here out of parts shipped over to Australia, then they were flown back, unarmed, to England, to be used by the RAF. One of them is in the Australian War Memorial, in Canberra ACT...
A sound of anger, triumph and redemption from the depths of hell.
Well said.
I Love that Merlin Sound!!!! One in a Spitfire is Amazing! Two of them in a Mossi is the best you can get!!!!!!!!!
Amazing to think that so many of these engines were made and yet so few left?
There are probably around 500 airworthy and in flying aircraft with near that many spares in various states of readiness. Add to that there may be about 500 being used in display aircraft and museums, and another 500 in various other applications such as drag racing, tractor pulls, boats, and static displays. With 150,000 having been made and at least 20000 left that's a large attrition rate, but there are plenty around and can be purchased for around $40 to $100,000 depending on condition.
p.s. I made up all those numbers, but I'm probably not far off on any of them, and the applications noted are accurate.
"Either we stand down, or blow up! Now which do you want? " :-)
Awesome well done.
I can smell the fumes through my phone. What a beautiful engine.
Out ran most. Badass .awesome job to call involved!!!
david NOT TRUE !!! The Mosquito that this engine was in could NOT top 400 MPH !!! An Allison powered MkIA Mustang would top 400 MPH !!!!
Just imagining the smile on their faces...
Just imagine swapping this into a miata!!
Or the vibrations in their core!
What an utterly magnificent sound !
Absolute beauty of an engine
And to think I heard an old Merlin when they started up a Spitfire that hadn't flown for 17 years... This one's even older! Very brilliant sound.
This video finally answers a question that's bothered me, how come some Mosquito engines only had 5 exhausts on each side when they had V12 engines: the last one was fed by two cylinders.
The Mosquito is my all-time favourite plane - great job guys, wish you well with restoration.
Thank you. Are you following progress of the Mosquito project on Facebook? Look up the Omaka John Smith Mosquito Project.
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL NOISE.......
Gotta love the rumble of a recip
And the throaty growl of that V-12 Merlin..... an utter symphony to the ears of a recip engine lover.
My ears thank you.
I still remember the first time I heard a Merlin: Rockcliff Aerodrome in Ottawa, Ontario. in 1968.
They had three Spitfires at the time (A Mk. ll, V, and lX).
In this case it was a low flyby by a Mk. lX.
The sound of that Merlin lit a love for piston engined aircraft that still lives with me today.
Will the sound of a Merlin ever get old?
I say never!
Great comment. 🇬🇧👍
The Lancaster, with 4 Merlin’s, flies over my house regularly from mid summer through the labour day air show in Toronto. It flew over quite low a couple of years ago and the sound was deafening. Couldn’t imagine hundreds going by.
Got to agree with you Wave!! 👍
!GG.
I am amazed at the technical genius of this powerplant made at a time when most of our vehicles were powered by low compression flathead engines you have this overhead cam multi valve fire breathing beast.
Why are the rocker arms so short in modern engines? Here in the Merlin the end almost moves in a straight. With a pentroof the fix point moves a bit up.
A very clean start, well done.
Nice video, I got the piston of a Rolls Royce Merlin engine that saw duty over the Battle of Britain. It was made into an ashtray. Something I will never sell.
There's not much that can beat the beautiful music of a Rolls Royce Merlin
The sound of a DB 605 AS. 👊😎🤘
Yawn, void cliché.
Particularly in this prt-prt-prt case.
andrewdrabble That Merlin is a PACKARD version made in AMERICA !!!! DUUUUUHHHHH!!!!!
You can't beat the sound of a merlin. Fantastic. 👍👍👍👍
The cam shaft rocker arms arrangement is work of art in itself .....
I recently did a head gasket on a Toyota 2.7 truck engine , 97 Tacoma , and it looks very very similar.
michael actually not, The ALLISON V1710 had a better more modern design in that it used rollers on the rocker shafts, same as the latest high powered engines of today and the ALLISON ran waaay back in the mid 1930 before the Merlin and was a larger, simplar design !!!
As a young man I was a Tank Troop Leader using Centurion Main Battle Tanks which were fitted with Merlin engines detuned to run on Super Petrol. Only 600HP!
mickmoriarty they were Meteor engines, non supercharged, cast iron versions
Sounds incredible, like something at a drag strip.
But Better 😜
Sounds pretty damn good for first run in 50 years!
The highlight for me was to see the operator laugh when the camera was pointed at him. The joy in his smile was priceless.
He’s laughing because he’s high from the wizards exhaust lol
@@bthompson1767 yes, that too
Nice....!
the sound of exhaust when you know about engines ... it tells you what we are talking about
EXTREMELY impressive. She's a great sounding engine.
A frontwheel, backwheel and behind this motor a small seat- ready is my dreambike!
That's bloody awesome WOWWW
My father George Edwin Heath was a leading Aircraftman during the war, he worked on the Merlin engines and recently I found in a old cigarette tin a small single ended open ended spanner with Rolls Royce in the forging of the handle. I never knew which airfield he worked on these engines but he did take me as a child to a squadron of Lancaster bombers. However I do remember standing behind the single rope fence watching these beauties moving around. I don't remember if they actually became airborne as I am 75 years old and that memory has been lost in time.
I was interested to see the rearmost exhaust outlets siamesed together. If never noticed that before.
Wonderful video!
Yep, i think that's unique to the Mosquito. The glycol radiators are tucked in very close to the wing root and the rearmost two ports are siamesed to avoid hot air being directed into them. Interesting that the siamesed ports are on both sides of the engine though...perhaps the rearmost stub would be too close to the leading edge of the wing..(wood, after all..)
I noticed but couldn't figure out what I was seeing. Kept thinking, "wait, ten cylinder Merlin??". Thanks for clarifying. I would have lost sleep.
This got me wondering....are the powerplants 'handed'? Are the left and right engines interchangeable? Do the propellers rotate in the same direction, or do they rotate in opposite directions?
This is fun.
@@bruceboatwright7488 On the Mosquito the engines rotated in the same direction. On the later Hornet they turned in opposite directions, which eliminated torque swing on take-off. The P-38 Lightning and F-82 Twin Mustang also used opposite rotation. I think, but am not sure, that doing this also eliminated the critical engine for single engine operation.
@@bruceboatwright7488 The engines both rotated in the same direction though I think this was changed on the Sea Mosquito as an engine failure on take off was not recoverable on a carrier when they rotated the same way. See the biographies of Winkie Brown for more details.
A week or so ago I was coming out of the industrial estate next to Bournemouth airport and heard a load noise locked round and there is a spitfire about forty yards away taxing stopped the van and we watched it take off sight of a lifetime by chance awesome the noise of the Merlin
I put my Koss Earbuds in my ears to hear this engine. OH MY GOD that sounded awesome!!!
We have a Spitfire fly over most days from Biggin Hill. It's been converted to a dual cockpit so it Carrie's a paid passenger. The sound is beautiful.