It is currently 28 Mar 2024, 18:12

'Not Much Of An Enginneer'

Hang up your Chisels and Plane blades and take a load off with a recently turned goblet of your favourite poison, in the lounge of our Gentlemen's (and ladies) Club.

'Not Much Of An Enginneer'

Postby Woodbloke » 14 Oct 2018, 17:07

I've just finished reading 'Not Much Of An Engineer' by Sir Stanley Hooker who was wholly responsible for the development of the two-stage supercharger fitted to RR Merlin's during WW2, enabling the power output to be doubled from around 1000 to over 2000hp. Over the decades since the War, he developed a huge number of turbojet engines for both Bristol as well as Rolls Royce and was dragged back out of retirement to rescue and ultimately turn round the dismal RB211 fanjet in the early 70's.

This little UToob clip is worth watching but his autobiography is not only exceptionally well written, but left me completely gobsmacked about his achievements. Some reckon he was the greatest engineer ever produced by the UK - Rob
I no longer work for Axminster Tools & Machinery.
User avatar
Woodbloke
Sequoia
 
Posts: 5866
Joined: 22 Jul 2014, 10:06
Location: Salisbury, UK
Name:

Re: 'Not Much Of An Enginneer'

Postby selectortone » 14 Oct 2018, 17:39

I told you it was a good read ;)
User avatar
selectortone
Sapling
 
Posts: 288
Joined: 26 Jan 2017, 23:43
Location: Sunny Bournemouth by the Sea
Name: Terry

Re: 'Not Much Of An Enginneer'

Postby Malc2098 » 14 Oct 2018, 19:07

Brilliant viewing. Thanks.
Malcolm
User avatar
Malc2098
Sequoia
 
Posts: 7208
Joined: 03 Jul 2016, 11:10
Location: Tiverton
Name: Malcolm

Re: 'Not Much Of An Enginneer'

Postby Rod » 14 Oct 2018, 19:13

That’s an excellent watch and story - I’m just sad I’d never heard of him before - he’s an Engineer with a capital “E” what an amazing man.

Thanks for posting.

Rod
User avatar
Rod
Old Oak
 
Posts: 4471
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 21:34
Location: Winchester, Hampshire
Name:

Re: 'Not Much Of An Enginneer'

Postby Woodbloke » 14 Oct 2018, 22:31

selectortone wrote:I told you it was a good read ;)

Absolutely!

Rod wrote:That’s an excellent watch and story - I’m just sad I’d never heard of him before - he’s an Engineer with a capital “E” what an amazing man.

Thanks for posting.

Rod


Get hold of the book Rod (I've got it on my Kindle) and read it. Not only did he sort out the Merlin, but developed Sir Frank Whittle's engine to it's ultimate conclusion as it appeared in the Meteor, then developed the RR Nene, Derwent and others. He then went to Bristol and took charge of the 'Proteus' (powering the Bristol 'Britannia'), the 'Pegasus' VTOL (Harrier jump Jet and the Falklands War) and the 'Olympus' which culminated in the 593 that eventually powered 'Concorde' (and TSR2 btw) producing 40.000lbs+ of thrust from each of the four engines (or the equivalent power output of 160 WW2 Spitfires!!)
SGH was staggering in what he achieved as an aircraft engineer. Next time I travel on an aircraft I'll 'doff the cap' to the huge turbofans under the wings - Rob
I no longer work for Axminster Tools & Machinery.
User avatar
Woodbloke
Sequoia
 
Posts: 5866
Joined: 22 Jul 2014, 10:06
Location: Salisbury, UK
Name:

Re: 'Not Much Of An Enginneer'

Postby Rod » 14 Oct 2018, 23:42

I’ve tried Rob to download it but it will only load a sample on 4G

Rod
User avatar
Rod
Old Oak
 
Posts: 4471
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 21:34
Location: Winchester, Hampshire
Name:

Re: 'Not Much Of An Enginneer'

Postby Woodster » 15 Oct 2018, 09:44

It was an interesting video, thanks for posting. I was a bit disappointed he was so disparaging about radial engines - he mentioned the power plant in the FW190. The Bristol Centaurus radial eventually produced 3000hp and powered one of the fastest piston engines aircraft ever produced, the Hawker Sea Fury.
User avatar
Woodster
Old Oak
 
Posts: 2558
Joined: 26 Jan 2017, 13:17
Location: Dorset
Name:

Re: 'Not Much Of An Enginneer'

Postby RogerM » 15 Oct 2018, 10:38

Well, that delayed me going out to the workshop for 45 mins! A fascinating view and I'll read the book. In a similar vein I would commend "Slide rule", the autobiography of Nevil Shute. Whilst he made his name as a novelist, his first career was as chief mathematician under Sir Barnes Wallis on the R100 airship, which was the private enterprise competitor to the R101 being built by the government of the day. It's a great read, and covers the building of the R100, the loss of the R101 and the early days of the Airspeed aircraft company, of which he was a co-founder. A cracking good read for anyone interested in aviation history.
User avatar
RogerM
Nordic Pine
 
Posts: 811
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 21:47
Location: South Devon
Name: Roger

Re: 'Not Much Of An Enginneer'

Postby Andyp » 15 Oct 2018, 13:42

I've got a book somewhere, a biography of the Mitchell that was responsible for the manufacturing of the Spitfire.
Another good read although aviation history is not my thing, and thinking about it I do not know why I have it but I am buggered if I can find it anywhere.
I do not think therefore I do not am.

cheers
Andy
User avatar
Andyp
Petrified Pine
 
Posts: 11718
Joined: 22 Jul 2014, 07:05
Location: 14860 Normandy, France
Name: Andy

Re: 'Not Much Of An Enginneer'

Postby Rod » 15 Oct 2018, 13:55

I haven’t been for a few years but at the Model Engineers Exhibition held at Ally Pally there’s always a large collection of working scale model aircraft engines on show.
The skills and patience required in making them is unbelievable.

I remember a 1/12th Merlin Engine, perfect in every way, running every few hours.
Beautiful site but what a noise!

Sadly a lot of the makers are getting on in years.

Rod
User avatar
Rod
Old Oak
 
Posts: 4471
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 21:34
Location: Winchester, Hampshire
Name:

Re: 'Not Much Of An Enginneer'

Postby Malc2098 » 15 Oct 2018, 17:33

I've just recently found a wooden working model of a nine cylinder radial built to explain how the Centaurus and others worked.

I found it fascinating, because I've seen a cutaway of the Centaurus at the Transport Museum at Bristol, but I couldn't get my head round how it worked.


[youtube]qjnQKXNPsk4[/youtube]

[youtube]R71Xhrkc3EQ[/youtube]
Malcolm
User avatar
Malc2098
Sequoia
 
Posts: 7208
Joined: 03 Jul 2016, 11:10
Location: Tiverton
Name: Malcolm

Re: 'Not Much Of An Enginneer'

Postby Woodbloke » 16 Oct 2018, 19:21

Woodster wrote:It was an interesting video, thanks for posting. I was a bit disappointed he was so disparaging about radial engines - he mentioned the power plant in the FW190. The Bristol Centaurus radial eventually produced 3000hp and powered one of the fastest piston engines aircraft ever produced, the Hawker Sea Fury.

Not just radial engines, but it was evident from the book that he was one of the very, very few (along with Whittle) in the 40's that could see the future lay in the jet and not the piston engine - Rob
I no longer work for Axminster Tools & Machinery.
User avatar
Woodbloke
Sequoia
 
Posts: 5866
Joined: 22 Jul 2014, 10:06
Location: Salisbury, UK
Name:

Re: 'Not Much Of An Enginneer'

Postby Rod » 18 Oct 2018, 17:27

I came across another video re Sir Stanley Hooker which was very interesting.

I already knew that we had given the jet engine to the USA in 1940 and the Russians had acquired details by various devious means but in 1935 Rolls Royce gave the Germans the Kestral engine!

It seems RR wanted a fast monoplane to test their engines at speed so swapped 4 Kestrel engines for 1 Heinkel or Messerschmitt (I cannot remember??)
The Kestral later developed into the Merlin by RR and by the Germans to power 109’s and Stukas!!

Rod
User avatar
Rod
Old Oak
 
Posts: 4471
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 21:34
Location: Winchester, Hampshire
Name:

Re: 'Not Much Of An Enginneer'

Postby Woodbloke » 19 Oct 2018, 13:45

Rod wrote:The Kestral later developed into the Merlin by RR and by the Germans to power 109’s and Stukas!!

Rod

Dunno where you got that from Rod, but the Merlin was developed in 1933 or thereabouts as a scaled down version of the 'R' engine used to power the Schneider Trophy aircraft. It was originally designed to give approx 1000hp but ended up producing double that (for short periods) thanks to SGH's two stage supercharger - Rob
I no longer work for Axminster Tools & Machinery.
User avatar
Woodbloke
Sequoia
 
Posts: 5866
Joined: 22 Jul 2014, 10:06
Location: Salisbury, UK
Name:

Re: 'Not Much Of An Enginneer'

Postby Rod » 19 Oct 2018, 16:03

About 7mins plus into this:

https://youtu.be/k7_NPnkdr5w

From Wikipedia:
“The Kestrel engine also sold to international air forces, and it was even used to power prototypes of German military aircraft types that were later used during the Battle of Britain”

I’m not saying the Merlin came directly from the Kestrel but it followed on from it.

Rod
User avatar
Rod
Old Oak
 
Posts: 4471
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 21:34
Location: Winchester, Hampshire
Name:

Re: 'Not Much Of An Enginneer'

Postby Woodbloke » 19 Oct 2018, 16:29

Yeabut see also here from Wiki where it do say ...'The experience gained by Rolls-Royce and Supermarine designers from the R engine was invaluable in the subsequent development of the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine and the Spitfire'

This is also mentioned in my current reading material on the Mosquito, when the author discusses the powerplant for the aircraft.

I suspect the truth about the Merlin is probably six of one and half a dozen of the other :eusa-whistle: - Rob
I no longer work for Axminster Tools & Machinery.
User avatar
Woodbloke
Sequoia
 
Posts: 5866
Joined: 22 Jul 2014, 10:06
Location: Salisbury, UK
Name:

Re: 'Not Much Of An Enginneer'

Postby Malc2098 » 23 Oct 2018, 09:57

I found the Bristol Museum version!

[youtube]GH2FBuDv_dE[/youtube]
Malcolm
User avatar
Malc2098
Sequoia
 
Posts: 7208
Joined: 03 Jul 2016, 11:10
Location: Tiverton
Name: Malcolm

Re: 'Not Much Of An Enginneer'

Postby Rod » 23 Oct 2018, 11:36

Slightly OT but Winkle Brown’s autobiography is for sale on Amazon Kindle Edition £0.99!
Wings on my Sleeve

Rod
User avatar
Rod
Old Oak
 
Posts: 4471
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 21:34
Location: Winchester, Hampshire
Name:

Re: 'Not Much Of An Enginneer'

Postby RogerM » 23 Oct 2018, 11:49

Rod wrote:Slightly OT but Winkle Brown’s autobiography is for sale on Amazon Kindle Edition £0.99!
Wings on my Sleeve

Rod

Thanks Rod. Duly bought!
User avatar
RogerM
Nordic Pine
 
Posts: 811
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 21:47
Location: South Devon
Name: Roger

Re: 'Not Much Of An Enginneer'

Postby Malc2098 » 23 Oct 2018, 13:50

RogerM wrote:
Rod wrote:Slightly OT but Winkle Brown’s autobiography is for sale on Amazon Kindle Edition £0.99!
Wings on my Sleeve

Rod

Thanks Rod. Duly bought!


Cracking read!
Malcolm
User avatar
Malc2098
Sequoia
 
Posts: 7208
Joined: 03 Jul 2016, 11:10
Location: Tiverton
Name: Malcolm

Re: 'Not Much Of An Enginneer'

Postby RogerS » 23 Oct 2018, 14:28

It was that idiot Wilson who gave away our jet engine design details to the Soviets

'Only for our civilian airliners Comrade Wilson '

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.
User avatar
RogerS
Petrified Pine
 
Posts: 13290
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 21:07
Location: Nearly finished. OK OK...call me Pinocchio.
Name:

Re: 'Not Much Of An Enginneer'

Postby Rod » 23 Oct 2018, 19:02

Wrong man - Sir Stafford Chrips

Rod
User avatar
Rod
Old Oak
 
Posts: 4471
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 21:34
Location: Winchester, Hampshire
Name:

Re: 'Not Much Of An Enginneer'

Postby RogerS » 22 Apr 2019, 19:40

Rod wrote:Wrong man - Sir Stafford Chrips

Rod


Ha! Hard to say who exactly....Just watched Cold War Hot Jets and it was the Labour Government (collectively) who eventually agreed
If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.
User avatar
RogerS
Petrified Pine
 
Posts: 13290
Joined: 21 Jul 2014, 21:07
Location: Nearly finished. OK OK...call me Pinocchio.
Name:


Return to The Woodmangler's Retreat

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Bing [Bot] and 12 guests