OT: Radial engines and pianos

[Wing Nut]

It all started when I was six years old living on the coast of California in Carpenteria. The war (WWll) was almost over. It was here that my fascination with airplanes was born. There were patrols of P-38's flying a stones throw from shore low enough to kick up spray. I loved that airplane. That twin boom configuration and the sound of those engines stirred a passion that at the age of six could almost be considered sexual.

Couple of years later living in Connecticut I remember tramping through the woods with some friends when the distant sound of airplanes became appearant. As it grew louder we saw through the trees many, many big bombers in formation. Dont know if they were B-17's or B-29's but there were a lot of them. I'll never forget that sound.

That planted the seed. The sound of a radial is addictive. It's a multitude of tones. A polyphonic symphony of metal, valves, explosions and harmony. It produces a racket that feels wonderful in your gut.

One day I crawled up onto the piano bench and after applying the sustaining pedal I pressed as many keys at the lower end of the keyboard as I could with two hands. What resulted was an almost perfect recreation of the sound of multiple radial engines flying overhead. The sound faded away as the airplanes seemingly became distant. I did that over and over.

I knew then I loved the sound of a radial engine.

[sblzei]

Wingnut,
You could not have expressed better the feeling of this (unfortunately) past sensation.
During the '70 I worked also in a flight test site. I remember the oldimers regretting the warm sound of propellers being replaced by the cruel and sometimes offensive noise of jet engines.
They said that the former would even help the male sexuality, while the latter had the opposite effect. Maybe it was just the pitiless effect of aging... or maybe not!
Let's cheer to this distinguished icon of the past :ernae:

[stansdds]

I too am in love with the sounds of the radial engine. There's something about the note that implies power. It's a sweet song if there ever was one.

[PRB]

I love the subject of airplane noise. There are so many interesting components to it, engine, propeller, air, Doppler effects. And there are no two alike, even if they have the same engine. In the “Roaring Glory” DVD series, Steve Hinton talks about the unique sound of the F6F Hellcat being from the exhaust manifold design. Because of the way the cylinders are grouped together in twos and threes, seemingly at random, around the engine, the noise comes out in uneven “bits”. That's cool.

[fliger747]

Before they were all grounded, the BLM fire bombers would drone low over my house on their way north. think my favorite was the PB4Y, Navy version of the Liberator with the single tail. Across from our small office in Anchorage, Cliff Everts still operates a small fleet of DC6's and C46's and one can hear and see them firing up, doing runups and eventually coming and going.

Here in Fairbanks there is a privatly owned Grummand S2 and also a USN T-28. At the cost of av gas one doesn't see them aloft too often.

Cheers: T

[dharris]

Agreed, I still remember flying Wv-2's on the Barrier flights, 13-14 hours, when not fixing the radar, I would sit still and listen to the sound of the engines, more than once, they lulled me to sleep. I have found that, at night with the lights low, I will fly the connies in flightsim, turn up the speakers and I can get lost in memories. The power those radials have is not the same as the jet engines. Old men and their memories, geezzz!

[oakfloor]

Oh yeah! I grew up 5 miles south of March AFB in the early 60's, and heard droves of C-97's, C-119's and C-124's fly over in climb power settings. What a lovely noise.

[Bjoern]

I prefer turbofans. The sound of a CFM56 spooling up has a certain something...and then the grinding/droning at 97-98% N1... x)

I prefer my sound done entirely by air instead of mechanical parts firing sequentially. Too...well...interrupted.

[roger-wilco-66]

I also love the sound of those big radials. We have T6s, Stearmans and regularly a Ju 52 travelling along the Rhine, and this lovely sound, no matter how faint or far away the aircraft is, instantly snaps me to attention.
No engine sounds better than a big radial engine (IMO).

Cheers,
Mark

[gera]

I must have been about 7 or 8 living in Guatemala City. Around 10 am a roaring sound was heard every three or four days. It started like a rumbling of wasps wings and grew slowly to a roar as a squadron of 8 P-26´s flew overhead. I remember it took a long time for them to disappear in the horizon still buzzing. I knew I would be up there someday....I did.
By the way the P-26 at the Air Museum in Washington was one of those I often saw.:salute:

[PRB]

I prefer turbofans. The sound of a CFM56 spooling up has a certain something...and then the grinding/droning at 97-98% N1... x)

I prefer my sound done entirely by air instead of mechanical parts firing sequentially. Too...well...interrupted.

Blasphemer! Heretic! :d

Ok, I like turboprops. I like it when a turboprop plane is taxiing, and they go into “beta”, presumably to control direction and speed. It sounds cool. “whine-whine-whine ...grrrrrrooowwllll … whine whine whine...” Love that!

[fliger747]

Had one of Cliffie's DC6's drone over the house about this time yesterday morning, low and striving for altitude on it's way toward Fort Yuk.

Cheers: T

[Willy]

I got a ride in the USS Lexington's COD C-1 Trader once. The most fun I've ever had in an airplane. Love those radials. Just listening to them idle on deck is pure music.