Double T
12th September 2005, 04:12
... a book written in 1942 by Maj. Alexander P. De Seversky.
He had some interesting ideas about aircraft and air-forces, and in this book was scathing about the USAAF engine procurement policies.
(ie. the Allison inline liquid-cooled engines)
In discussing the P-39 Airacobra:
" From the point of view of design and workmanship the Airacobra is a plane of which American engineers and manufacturers can be proud. It's performance, however is cut down by a pitifully underpowered engine--a fact that can be traced to our procurement policy.
The engine situation could have been corrected, once the Allison engine had failed to serve as expected, by frankly adopting the best available foreign substitute. The British Napier Sabre, a 2000-hp engine eminently successful in the Spitfire and Hurricane, was at hand for immediate use.
Unfortunately the Army steered around this and adopted instead the Rolls Royce Merlin, with horsepower similar to the Allison. Thus bad judgement in offical policy in the pst was perpetuated. If we had been able to deliver 2000 hp Napiers instead of Allisons and Merlins, such fighters could really have competed with the models of other nations. It is, after all, through the use of that superior engine that the British pursuits are now able to fight at high altitudes with speed in excess fo 400 mph, carrying either four 20mm cannon or twelve machine guns."
Tim
He had some interesting ideas about aircraft and air-forces, and in this book was scathing about the USAAF engine procurement policies.
(ie. the Allison inline liquid-cooled engines)
In discussing the P-39 Airacobra:
" From the point of view of design and workmanship the Airacobra is a plane of which American engineers and manufacturers can be proud. It's performance, however is cut down by a pitifully underpowered engine--a fact that can be traced to our procurement policy.
The engine situation could have been corrected, once the Allison engine had failed to serve as expected, by frankly adopting the best available foreign substitute. The British Napier Sabre, a 2000-hp engine eminently successful in the Spitfire and Hurricane, was at hand for immediate use.
Unfortunately the Army steered around this and adopted instead the Rolls Royce Merlin, with horsepower similar to the Allison. Thus bad judgement in offical policy in the pst was perpetuated. If we had been able to deliver 2000 hp Napiers instead of Allisons and Merlins, such fighters could really have competed with the models of other nations. It is, after all, through the use of that superior engine that the British pursuits are now able to fight at high altitudes with speed in excess fo 400 mph, carrying either four 20mm cannon or twelve machine guns."
Tim