WIX Archives
OK
Posted by bdk on Thu Sep 18, 2003 08:14:03 PM
In reply top Try this again posted by Chris Martin on Thu Sep 18, 2003 07:25:10 PM
A Mustang has a spar that is formed into a C-channel on a big press brake, so it combines the spar caps and shear webs into one unit. It then has the wing ribs and a few stiffeners fastened on. If you have a chance, look at the front spar of a Mustang in the wheelwell.
The Mustang also has 4 main fuselage longerons made from an I-beam extrusion that is formed slightly and trimmed thinner as it goes aft to reduce weight. A few bulkheads and skins and it's done.
For the most part a Mustang has relatively thick skins and few pieces of internal structure. The radiator and oil cooler doors are electrically actuated by simple screw jacks.
Most Mustang skins are flat or single curvature parts that can drape into place or can be formed on a press brake (like the leading edges). The scoop, doghouse, engine mount, cowling and formers, and the skin behind the canopy are the toughest parts to make.
By comparison, a Thunderbolt has tapered, machined aluminum spar caps mechanically fastened to a shear web with thousands of fasteners. The wing and fuselage skins are relatively thin with many hundreds of light gauge internal supports. I've never seen a part count comparison, but I'm sure it is dramatic. The Thunderbolt also has an extremely complicated system of internal ducting for the turbocharger, as well as an intercooler and exhaust waste gate system. It is probably one of the most complicated single engined aircraft ever built.
Those are my votes for simplest and most complicated.
A 109 is a bit of a challenge because of some of the forming required (in the aft fuselage), but internally the structure is quite simple as few actual pieces are required. I would think that a Spitfire would be in the middle since it seems to be built with many small pieces- luckily, support for Spitfire restorations are quite good compared to a Thunderbolt. With what little I know about Hurricanes, they seem to require the most craftsmanship since they encompass significant amounts of metal, wood, and fabric- although the wood is secondary structure (not to say one would fly without it!).
All things considered, if you were working out of your garage, a Hurricane might be the crudest (hammer, saw, gas welder, paintbrush), a Mustang the least complicated, a 109 and a Spitfire about equal (except for the parts availability and lack of support for the 109), and a Thunderbolt the least friendly.
Those are my guesses and opinions based upon my limited experience. Go ahead, shoot holes in it! :-)
: What WW II fighter (let's start from sound basic structure
: - longerons, spar) would you choose to restore if you wan
: ted to have the least difficult time doing so? ANd which
: fighter would have the biggest headaches (and let's go for
: a relatively common fighter - not a Beau) If the question
: is inane, well, sorry. Just seeing what y'all have to sa
: y.