THE CAMEL AND THE SPITFIRE

[Airborne]

Hey! Check out this really neat video of a Sopwith Camel and a Supermarine Spitfire flying together.

YouTube - Sopwith Camel and Spitfire Flying Side-By-Side

Note the white smoke from the caster oil mix.
There are other reasons that would have tended against the use of the rotary into more modern times and the greatest of these would be its enormous appetite for oil. The fuel was mixed with air as it was introduced through a primitive "carburettor" - usually in the tail end of the crankshaft. Via this route it made its way to the crankcase where is picked up all of the oil that was loose. When the fuel mixture was introduced to the combustion chamber it was very much a mix of fuel, air, and castor oil.

The imperfect combustion of any engine is not equalled by that of a rotary. The castor oil, being the least combustible of the two liquids, was spewed out into the atmosphere. It would be but a short time before the whole of the slipstream area of the aeroplane would be well coated with castor oil. The pilot would be soaking up oil at a fairly rapid rate as well. It is arguable that the reason for cowling the engine had as much to do with trying to control the wildly spewing oil as it was to do with the concepts of streamlining. The usual practice was to direct the oil underneath the fuselage by opening up the bottom of the cowl.

[Wildcat]

Excellent clip, the air to air shots are fantastic!

[Airborne]

Thanks Cat
I was surprised at the way that radial engine constantly hunts all the time.

[FLYBOYJ]

When I was in A&P school we had a running LeRhone. It threw castor oil everywhere. there was also no throttle - it ran full RPM all the time. You coultrolled power with a magneto kill switch.

[Gnomey]

Also to note is in this video the Camel is flight out and the Spitfire is near stalling speed. Still it is a good video of two classic aircraft

[AL Schlageter]

Originally Posted by FLYBOYJ

When I was in A&P school we had a running LeRhone. It threw castor oil everywhere. there was also no throttle - it ran full RPM all the time. You coultrolled power with a magneto kill switch.

In the vid, the pilot said he could have 3/4, 1/2 and 1/4 throttle with one mag. There was another mag that was a 'blip' throttle.

[Airborne]

Tell you what. It would have been bad enough flying the bloody things in combat without parachutes and armoured seats let alone be covered in caster oil in a flamer.

[FLYBOYJ]

Originally Posted by AL Schlageter

In the vid, the pilot said he could have 3/4, 1/2 and 1/4 throttle with one mag. There was another mag that was a 'blip' throttle.

Didn't see the vid (I can't download you tube at work) - it looks like my school only had the set-up for the "blip" throttle.

[pbfoot]

Thats what I've been given understand there was 2 different type mags as mentioned earlier , and something most forget is that castor oil also helps out the bodily functions the pilot was never constipated

[mad_max]

Some years ago; when in NY, the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome was close by and I visited
during the dog fight re-enactment they put on. I spoke to Cole Palen and he said the
number one thing to do before flying was to take a dump. Something about
the castro fumes working much faster then the liquid version!

[Airborne]

Think it's also to do with Centrifugal forces on the bowel too Max.

Hey! Might be worth thinking about a bowel movements sub heading on the forum.
Could come in handy,

[Instal]

While watching that video I imagined the Camel being chased by a Fokker DR1and the Spit coming to the rescue.