"Ballenato"Drop tanks were used in the Spanish civil war by the condor legion and they worked out quite well.

Sorry? All that you can see with drop tanks, maybe, are post war 109 "nacionalistas". But for sure drop tanks never were used in SCW. Im spaniard and have quite near this thread. Only two
German aircraft in Spain used drop tanks, the Heinkel 51 and the Henschel
123. Anyway ill check my files again :roll:

The e-4 even had a center line bomb rack release fitted in the middle of BOB
As you "know", nothing to do with fuel rack system. Those are different systems.

stalker > I was thinking about the system being used as a "fuel tank" release system too. IMO a very important part of a drop tank sustem.. :) <

stalker/ I have also studied the system used by the german's for their drop tanks. It is quite simple efficient and ingenious.

Ballenato /So, you know what modifications were need to use it?
The factory simply ran a fuel pipe thru the cockpit floor, coming up on the right side corner, behind the seat. The pipe ran along under the edge of the canopy to a auxiliary fuel contents indicator, then thru the
instrument panel and firewall to the engine. Normal procedure was to start the engine with the fuel coming from the drop tank, then as the fuel
got low, to switch to the main tank, and jetison the drop tank.

stalker> Yup, I actually have know about this system for quite a while. It has no pump! A very enginious and simple system IMO.. <

Ballenato/ Dont take it personal Stalker, im learnig hope youll doing too.

Stalker > Actually, I really don't buddy. I am trying to find out the ultimate answer to this nagging question and I believe you are too! :lol:

We are just starting out on different ends of the same question is all.. :)

carry on lads
 

Good to see this discussion continuing. Hopefully a solid historically agreeable conclusion will be reached. Meanwhile, good stuff here. carry on.;)
Flyby out

I am always looking for further long forgotten aviation knowlege. My ego is quite "flexible" :lol: Any more new info on this topic is greatly appreciated.. :)

but of course!
 

Well said my good man! :D Perhaps the more knowledge we have about the equipment of the battle, the more satisfyingly immersed in it we will become. If not, well it's just a game anyway. But what great expectations we have of it for the suspension of disbelief! I can see myself flying an E-4 near London, and dividing my attention between what's going on around me and that little red light that just flickererd on. Man, that's living life on the edge as a virtual fighter pilot. No better use of a pc imho. ;)
Flyby out

more info...

http://wikipedia.ketsujin.com/index....schmitt_Bf-109

This is an ACTUAL picture of a plywood drop tank!

http://museum119.cz/nadrz/nadrz.htm




A guess was ventured that it was an experimental 262 but no one really knows what luftwaffe aircraft it really belongs to. Notice the mounting marks which look like the e4 under belly bomb release points..


http://museum119.cz/nadrz/1.jpg

................................

http://museum119.cz/nadrz/3.jpg

Thnaks for the links Stalker. But still no proof used on 109. Just take a look it dimensions, no space under a 109 belly. And too long. And btw, external drop racks were standard onwards E/7. So this must be a Ju87 long range set up too.

Regards

The investigation goes on. :) One part is proven now, That the luftwaffe actually produced these kind of plywood tanks.. :wink:

http://usuarios.lycos.es/mrvalverde/FRR094.JPG

Here you have a pic of a He51 with a "Huevo del Diablo" (Devils Egg) attached. 2 bombs sticked to the drop tank. The shape looks more like this. And still no 109 ;)

I was just going over the book I saw the refrence to ABOUT the early plywood drop thank( The Battle of Britain by Richard Townsend Bickers (pg68) and to my amazement there is a drawing of the 109e4 with a drawing of it's auxiliery equiptment and a early WOODEN DROP TANK IS SHOW THAT LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE THE PHOTO HERE!


Wish I could scan it in for you and show you the drawing but I have no scanner.. :(

http://museum119.cz/nadrz/2.jpg

btw..the drawing looks more like the photo above then the heinkels d/p. BTW, do you know if the heinkel d/p is wood? It looks like a dent is in at the front it as if it is made of metal..


I know you don't believe my sources but one of the contributing authors to the book is Adolph Galland! :)