SOH P-61 project

[jankees]

are you sure about those flaps?
According to the book by Jeff Koln, only the first XP-61 actually flew with the Zap flaps (named after the inventor, Edward Zap). While being very advanced aerodynamically, they had some drawbacks, with the most important one being the extremely close manufacturing standards needed for them to work. It was feared that the very precise alignment could not be obtained in the field.
At more or less the same time, a new tail design was ordered for improved longitudinal stability, and it turned out that this made the aircraft very unsafe with the zap flaps extended, another reason to drop the zap flaps, and replacing them with slotted flaps....

[warchild]

Begin Quote:
__________________________________________________ ___________________________

The first XP-61 made its official maiden flight on 26 May 1942, having left the ground during a high speed taxi test five days earlier (the first production contract, for 150 aircraft, was placed on 1 September 1941, nine months before the maiden flight). While the prototype had been developed creditably quickly, it would be another two years before the aircraft entered service. After a promising first flight, later tests revealed problems with the 'Zap' flap – a full-span retractable flap used in place of more conventional controls, and this had to be replaced with small ailerons and normal flaps. The YP-61s were not completed until August-September 1943, and the first production P-61A was finished in October 1943.

__________________________________________________ ____________________________

End Quote:


Good work Jan.. Thank you.. You saved me from making a horrible error..

[warchild]

What is confusing me, is this quote from John Meyers in his introduction to Warbird tech's Northrop P-61 Black Widow Publication. I'll retype the entire quoted selection here..


__________________________________________________ _________________________
Attachment 16650
________________________________________________

How is he getting it to 420 mph??? Something doesnt add up somewhere.. I mean. I KNOW Mr Meyers had an inordinate and almost religious faith in these engines, but the best we're getting is 351 mph irregadless of whether Tom or i work the figures.. In a dive, i can get it to 400. I'm burying myself n the sDK.. Theres got to be a clue in there

[PRB]

Just a lil something for ya'll to have.. Hope you like it.
Pam

Cool P-61 patch. Thanks, Pam!

[warchild]

Thanks Paul..
i do wish i could afford to have real patches made up for members to wear on their real clothing..
::sighs:; oh well.. really glad everyones liking this one ..

[warchild]

I've got to admit that i find that the last two planes shot down in world war two were credited to P-61's without a single shot having been fired. It seems the pilot "sat" on the zeros and forced them into the ocean..
wish there was a picture of that ::LOL::..

[modelr]

Thank You, Pam

Following along on your progress everyday, quietly watching and learning.

[MudMarine]

That cute, chubby little widow should have an outhouse on the side for nose art!

[warchild]

That cute, chubby little widow should have an outhouse on the side for nose art!

:::LOL:: i thought about it, but thats original world war two art work and i didnt want to change it in any way out of respect..

[warchild]

Thank You, Pam

Following along on your progress everyday, quietly watching and learning.

.. thank you ..
Putting a new video together to show where we're at flight wise.. I do believe your gonna like what you see..

PS:
Tom.. Hold off on any more changes till you see the video and fly the new fde..
I think your gonna like the part where i cross the runway at 420 mph. ( we did it.. we really did it (you and I ) )

[MudMarine]

:::LOL:: i thought about it, but thats original world war two art work and i didnt want to change it in any way out of respect..

I understand! Just a thought.

[fliger747]

420 mph out of a steep dive and scorching across the field.... Plus add ten percent to make a good story.

I can truthfully (sort of) say I flew a 747 across Japan at over 700 knots, but as Paul Harvey was Wont to say... There's the "The rest of the Story".

Another cute item tried on the plane was the speed brakes. Bit of an engineering bollox on that one, so effective as to rip the wings off. These guys were not afraid to experiment, a lot! Something I always liked about Jack Northrop.

By the time the "See" model came around with it's turbocharging, the thing was perhaps getting a bit over engineered, sort of in the Mercedes fashion.

Beautiful sunny morning in Shanghai, wish I was hanging around for a bit!

Cheers: T

[fliger747]

Pam:

Sounds great. I am sure it was a thundering sight to see this big black plane go through it's paces.

Cheers: T

[Cratermaker]

Meanwhile at the instrument panel...
Can someone tell me if the needle on this compass should be magnetic or gyro driven?
Attachment 16510

My documentation describes that as a "remote compass". The radio compass is off to the pilot's right, and the only mention I see of calibrating any sort of heading gyro in the pilot's checklist "check and set the turn gyro", which is part of the autopilot system. I think that IS your gyro compass in the autopilot area.

As far as a whiskey compass, the only thing I can see anywhere that looks like one is in the upper right of a photo of the radar observers station in the Thompson book bu that one is dated from 1945. I don't see it in an earlier photo of that station. But then again, EVERYTHING is different between the two photos of the radar station.

BTW everyone, I'm no subject matter expert on the Black Widow, by any means. But if anyone ever needs a second set of eyes, I'm willing to help and I have the Thompson, Kolln, and Pilot's Manual books.

[warchild]

BTW everyone, I'm no subject matter expert on the Black Widow, by any means. But if anyone ever needs a second set of eyes, I'm willing to help and I have the Thompson, Kolln, and Pilot's Manual books.

Neither were any of the rest of us when we started.. We still aint, but we're all learning together.. We can always use someone to test her out once we get that far, so dont go away.. Right now, we've got just the very beginnng so there isnt a lot to scrutinize yet.. But hang with us, there will be ( and plenty of it )