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Author Topic: Fuel System Research Bulletin  (Read 63036 times)

John Ousterhout

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Re: Fuel System Research Bulletin
« Reply #30 on: December 02, 2011, 08:45:27 AM »

The presence of upholstery/lining material indicates an early photo (or maybe not, see additional discussion below).  The hand-written notes on the tanks seems likely to indicate the picture taken shortly after their installation - later photos show no notes written on them, and the lining was stripped out of the fuselage.  The mystery box on top of the starboard tank is directly under the Hooven radio compass antenna, so I assume it contains electronics associated with the antenna.

from TIGHAR research bulletin November 1, 2011:
"In October 1936, Earhart flew the Electra to Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio where inventor Fred Hooven installed and tested his Radio Compass, later known as an Automatic Direction Finder or ADF.  The receiver was mounted on one of the fuselage tanks forward on the starboard side and the loop antenna was housed in a faired dome on top of the cabin."
Cheers,
JohnO
 
« Last Edit: July 21, 2012, 08:42:12 AM by John Ousterhout »
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Chuck Varney

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Re: Fuel System Research Bulletin
« Reply #31 on: December 02, 2011, 10:25:29 AM »

Thanks, Ric and John.

Ric, I don't know the photo's true date, but I found a copy of it here, where the caption says ". . probably taken in early 1937. . ". 

Perhaps the Hooven setup was still installed when the Conroy photo was taken, but I couldn't convince myself of that. See the attachment, where I have put the Conroy photo together with one that shows the Hooven receiver and the cabling to it and to the loop.  Note that the latter photo does not include the equipment atop the starboard 118-gallon tank.

What did the Bendix loop coupler enclosure look like?

John, you wrote:

Quote
The presence of upholstery/lining material indicates an early photo.  The hand-written notes on the tanks also indicate the picture taken shortly after installation - later photos show no notes written on them, and the lining was stripped out of the fuselage.

Don’t you have your liner / no-liner chronology reversed? What specific photos are you referring to as being later and having neither writing on the tanks nor a cabin liner installed?

Quote
The mystery box is directly under the Hooven radio compass antenna. . .

I agree that the box is near where the Hooven loop antenna would have been installed, but I find the Conroy photo extent too limited to determine whether the Hooven equipment was actually in place when the photo was taken.

Chuck
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John Ousterhout

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Re: Fuel System Research Bulletin
« Reply #32 on: December 02, 2011, 11:51:04 AM »

The same Research Report of November 1, 2011 "The Fuel System of NR16020" goes on to say: " The Hooven Radio Compass was removed the first week of March 1937. The cabin has been furnished with a cloth headliner."
Yeah, I'm sure I've got my "liner" history backwards. 
The significance and timing of the hand written notes on the tanks is my own conjecture. I imagine the individual tanks may have been identified with such hand written notes during construction.  That's a common way to keep track of things, especially customized items that someone else may be installing.  Some time after installation the notes might have been cleaned off.
Cheers,
JohnO
 
« Last Edit: December 02, 2011, 11:59:20 AM by John Ousterhout »
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richie conroy

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Re: Fuel System Research Bulletin
« Reply #33 on: December 02, 2011, 11:53:50 AM »

is there evidence the belly antenna on the electra was replaced after the crash ?

cant remember if i have read it had, or its not mentioned in the repair list  ::)
We are an echo of the past


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Martin X. Moleski, SJ

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Re: Fuel System Research Bulletin
« Reply #34 on: December 02, 2011, 12:01:03 PM »

is there evidence the belly antenna on the electra was replaced after the crash ?

I think I've got a decent history of the antennas on the wiki.

The answer is "yes."
LTM,

           Marty
           TIGHAR #2359A
 
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Chuck Varney

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Re: Fuel System Research Bulletin
« Reply #35 on: December 04, 2011, 12:59:34 PM »

In replies #31 and #34 of this thread, I asked:

1. In the photo that Richie Conroy attached to Reply #29, what is the equipment item mounted above the starboard 118-gallon tank?

2. What did the enclosure for the Bendix loop antenna coupler look like?

Since posting the questions I’ve found a photo that suggests that the item mounted above the tank is the Bendix loop coupler.

See the attachment, which combines a crop from the Reply #29 photo with a crop from a photo showing Cyril Remmlein holding a Bendix loop coupler, the latter photo from the book by the Long’s.  In the two crops, note the crinkle finish, the mounting plate at top of enclosure, and the cable connector at top right of front panel.

If the loop coupler supposition is correct, the photo dates to 6 March 1937, or after, and begs two more questions:

3. What are the front panel details for the coupler (labels, purpose of switches, other controls and connectors)?

4. What is it that is partially revealed at bottom-right in the Reply #29 photo?

Chuck
« Last Edit: December 04, 2011, 01:01:46 PM by Chuck Varney »
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Ricker H Jones

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Re: Fuel System Research Bulletin
« Reply #36 on: December 07, 2011, 04:16:17 PM »

This frame from a film clip Richie posted on another thread shows what could be  fuel drains on the belly of the Electra.
 
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Ric Gillespie

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Re: Fuel System Research Bulletin
« Reply #37 on: December 07, 2011, 05:05:47 PM »

This frame from a film clip Richie posted on another thread shows what could be  fuel drains on the belly of the Electra.

The Harney Drawings have little rearward-facing openings on the belly that he labeled "fuel drains."
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richie conroy

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Re: Fuel System Research Bulletin
« Reply #38 on: December 07, 2011, 06:08:32 PM »

i thought or assumed,  the fuel was sucked out via a hoover like system i.e siphoning,

could it be possible they drained what they could, of fuel from these ports to start the camp fires ?

mind u saying that, if they had fuel to start fires they could ov started one instantly when planes flew over to generate a smoke signal to planes over head!!!!!!

think i answered me own question there  :) 
We are an echo of the past


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richie conroy

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Re: Fuel System Research Bulletin
« Reply #39 on: December 07, 2011, 06:19:42 PM »

is it also possible, that the navigator's door to an from plane was left open from noonan's exit an the weight ov water in rear ov plane made it role back off reef ?
We are an echo of the past


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John Ousterhout

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Re: Fuel System Research Bulletin
« Reply #40 on: February 26, 2012, 08:08:26 AM »

Richie found a reference by AE mentioning the dump valves.  No details, but we might conclude that the tanks actually had them.

http://tighar.org/smf/index.php/topic,592.msg10723.html#new
Post #260
Cheers,
JohnO
 
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Gary LaPook

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Re: Fuel System Research Bulletin
« Reply #41 on: February 26, 2012, 10:57:20 AM »

Richie found a reference by AE mentioning the dump valves.  No details, but we might conclude that the tanks actually had them.

http://tighar.org/smf/index.php/topic,592.msg10723.html#new
Post #260
Duh!
  The "dump valves" wording is on page 70 of Last Flight and we all missed it. Standard Electras came with dump valves for the inboard wing tanks which were to be operated in the event of an engine failure so that the airplane could maintain flight on just the one remaining engine because weight is critical in this situation. And that is for a plane that is not operating above the standard maximum weight of 10,500 pounds so it counts in spades for a plane that might be 6,000 pounds above that weight, like Earhart's. So it certainly makes even more sense that her plane had dump valves for the fuselage tanks too. I think we have found the answer to the mystery of those "mystery rods."

gl
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