I thought McKinstry’s Hurricane was a good read. Here are a couple of excerpts (from attached pages) directly bearing on aircraft performance during the Battle of Britain.
"…the real advance in airscrews came with the creation of the hydraulically operated, constant-speed propeller developed by Rotol… But the Rotol invention did not become available in sufficient numbers until the eve of the Battle of Britain.
Another technical breakthrough that assisted the Hurricane’s take-off and performance was the introduction of 100-octane fuel in 1939, to replace the 87-octane used previously. […] The 100 octane fuel significantly increased the Merlin engine’s power, improving the Hurricane’s rate of climb and top speed. […] Enough was stockpiled to sustain Fighter Command right through the Battle of Britain, giving the Hurricanes and Spitfires a crucial advantage over the Me 109…
One feature of the throttle that was beneficial to the pilot was its ability to provide an emergency boost of 12 pounds per square inch from the Merlin, an asset that was particularly useful against the faster Me 109. "
I haven’t read his Spitfire book, hmmm, maybe time to order that one
02-01-2011, 07:44 PM
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