A real pleasure to hear the Griffon put through its paces. A cough of blue smoke and a flash out of one exhaust port- she seems to run very smooth and clean. Well done to the crew putting her back together.
I love the Griffon and spitfire combination, it's so sleek and slender and the sound? It makes all the hair on the back of my neck stand up, I consider spitfire and the Griffon engine the ultimate spitfire!!! Well done...
Ahhh, nice cup of coffee, decent headphones and 10 minutes of the glorious RR Griffon 12 cylinder symphony. I can think of worse ways to spend 10 minutes in a lockdown... (Just to add - I am also a fan of the Merlin and the earlier Spits... :)
The Spitfire is now part of the "Dangerous Skies"exhibition in the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre - visible in the background at the end of this video - and comes out to play at the Classic Fighters Omaka air shows at Easter every two years. At those times, the Dangerous Skies is closed because most of its displayed aircraft are flightworthy and they too come out for the fun and games. The main exhibition in the Aviation Heritage Centre is "Knights Of The Sky" and features World War 1 aircraft, many in flying condition. Anyone who thinks that this is an unsolicited plug for the museum and air show is correct - I was in the museum three weeks ago and I already have my Gold Pass for next year's air show.
What a "Wizard" of an engine (pun intended,) the 12 cylinder Rolls Royce Merlin. I had the please of working on them in the 1950's while in the British R.A.F. as a flight mechanic. (Yep, I'm that old.) I worked on them on the Mosquito's though. The same engine with minor differences.
Mike Baltes, plus the nose on a Griffon powered Spit is longer from wing to prop.. one of the easiest way to tell when in the air, that and the sound of course.
“Some birds are not meant to be caged, that's all. Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild. So you let them go, or when you open the cage to feed them they somehow fly out past you. And the part of you that knows it was wrong to imprison them in the first place rejoices, but still, the place where you live is that much more drab and empty for their departure.” - Stephen King. WW2 Birds, let them be Spitfires or Zeroes, belong in the sky. Seeing this video made me feel that plane pleading: "Let me fly once again!"
The predecessor to the Merlin was the Kestrel, ironically, the first engine in the Messerschmidt Bf109 due to the intended Junkers Jumo 210 being delayed. The engine bearers were altered to take the upright Rolls Royce engine for its initial flight testing. Eventually the plane flew with the inverted Daimler Benz DB600 family of fuel injected engines. So, anyone who scorns the post war Spanish HA 1112 Buchon, needs to see the full circle... 🙂
Yes. The bits wound up at Ardmore airfield, south of Auckland, where it was restored to flight in time for the Classic Fighters Omaka air show at Easter, 2015. It arrived late afternoon on Friday and next morning when we walked in, there were *three* Spitfires lined up. That had not been seen south of the equator for sixty years (Australia now has three flying Spitfires, soon to be four). The Mark XIV is based at Omaka and is part of the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre's "Dangerous Skies" exhibition. At the last air show, the announcer said, for insurance reasons, the aircraft flies only at Omaka. I guess the insurance premiums on an aircraft worth NZ$4 million are quite high, but they probably go through the roof when the wheels leave the ground. Slight change of topic: two other aircraft in the Dangerous Skies exhibition are the Mosquito and P-40 recovered last year from John Smith's farm, where they had been stored under cover for decades. Both aircraft have been restored to display condition and look wonderful.
@@MarsFKA thanks very much for this, yes I saw the 14 in action at Wigram on the last ever air show event held there. Managed to get some quite good (well I thought so) footage on the old Panasonic vhs camera. I had no idea it was at Omaka. I visit Blenheim about every 6 weeks so will stop by for a look. The Griffon sounds pretty feral when it’s flying away from you compared to the Merlin. I guess another ten litres capacity and an en extra blade on the prop will do that.
@@timj41 " I guess another ten litres capacity and an en extra blade on the prop will do that." And a different firing order. If you can manage to visit Omaka during some future visit, I guarantee that you will think the time well spent.
I'd be interested to know how much the extra heat generated by the 37 litre Griffon vs the 27 litre Merlin contributes to cooling system thrust from the Meredith effect. 🤔 ....yes I'm a nerd, these things keep me awake at nights.
I used to think it needed a splitter to avoid feeding turbulent air into the radiator but … the intake is well forward and on the underside so the air there is probably still fairly laminar. I’d bet that deep is better than shallow and wide?
@@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935 The radiators on the mk 14 Spitfire are located at about 25% MAC (mean aerodynamic chord) of the wing and still in fairly laminar airflow and forward of the area where boundary layer separation would become a problem for cooling efficiency. The carburettor intake under the nose however does have a boundary layer diverter. Whereas the P-51 Mustang who's radiator is under the fuselage and much further behind the wings MAC also has a boundary layer diverter.
The power of the engine. As the power of the Merlin engines fitted to the Spitfires increased, the number of blades went from three to four - let's not worry about the wooden two-blade propellors fitted to the very first Spitfires. However, with more than 2,000 horsepower available, the Griffon-powered Spitfires needed a bigger propellor to make use of that power. The problem there, with the Spitfire's long nose and relatively short undercarriage, was a four-blade propellor that was too large might hit the ground when the pilot raised the tail on takeoff. The answer was to fit a smaller-diameter propellor, with five blades. The Typhoons and Tempests, with the very powerful Napier Sabre engines, used three and four-blade propellors that were 14 feet in diameter, but they were able to do this because they had plenty of ground clearance.
@@MarsFKA A very few Spitfires had contra-rotating propellers with 6 blades, but most of the contra-props were fitted to Seafires Spitfire: ruclips.net/video/czwkYeoMYFk/видео.html Seafire: ruclips.net/video/_YioXYhbVPA/видео.html
Nothing ruins the best fighter by far. To quote a USAAF pilot. " After a Spitfire every other aircraft is inferior in one way or another" That was not just for looks. I love the old saying. " If it looks right it flies right " That fits the Spitfire too
@@maxsuarezmuller7186 The best looking fighter which looks better than any other, radiators and all. Surely you must be thinking of some very ugly aircraft. There are plenty for ignorant fools to look at.
A real pleasure to hear the Griffon put through its paces. A cough of blue smoke and a flash out of one exhaust port- she seems to run very smooth and clean. Well done to the crew putting her back together.
I love the Griffon and spitfire combination, it's so sleek and slender and the sound? It makes all the hair on the back of my neck stand up, I consider spitfire and the Griffon engine the ultimate spitfire!!! Well done...
Ahhh, nice cup of coffee, decent headphones and 10 minutes of the glorious RR Griffon 12 cylinder symphony.
I can think of worse ways to spend 10 minutes in a lockdown...
(Just to add - I am also a fan of the Merlin and the earlier Spits... :)
Many thanks for posting this, a lovely crisp Griffon, and it started without any churning around, right on the button, excellent video!
Work of art, the thing runs like a clock!
It does indeed🤗 Though the Merlin’s ‘anti clock...’🤭 why is that?
@@raymondjones8 I see what you did with that. Haha, very good!
I actually visited Omaka in New Zealand a couple of months ago and this beauty is on display. Great airfield with a lot of the classic WWII aircraft
The Spitfire is now part of the "Dangerous Skies"exhibition in the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre - visible in the background at the end of this video - and comes out to play at the Classic Fighters Omaka air shows at Easter every two years. At those times, the Dangerous Skies is closed because most of its displayed aircraft are flightworthy and they too come out for the fun and games.
The main exhibition in the Aviation Heritage Centre is "Knights Of The Sky" and features World War 1 aircraft, many in flying condition.
Anyone who thinks that this is an unsolicited plug for the museum and air show is correct - I was in the museum three weeks ago and I already have my Gold Pass for next year's air show.
What a fantastic sound, from a fantastic bird.
What a "Wizard" of an engine (pun intended,) the 12 cylinder Rolls Royce Merlin. I had the please of working on them in the 1950's while in the British R.A.F. as a flight mechanic. (Yep, I'm that old.) I worked on them on the Mosquito's though. The same engine with minor differences.
Indeed, the Merlin was a 'Wizard' of an engine.
But this is a Griffon!
And it ain't that bad an engine also.
Should of know of the direction of the prop blades and the direction it turns that its a Griffon engine
Plus the Merlin was named for the bird and not, as The First Of The Few would have you believe, Arthur's beardy mate.
Mike Baltes, plus the nose on a Griffon powered Spit is longer from wing to prop.. one of the easiest way to tell when in the air, that and the sound of course.
Nearly all RR aero engines in those early days were named after raptorial birds.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolls-Royce_aircraft_piston_engines
“Some birds are not meant to be caged, that's all. Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild. So you let them go, or when you open the cage to feed them they somehow fly out past you. And the part of you that knows it was wrong to imprison them in the first place rejoices, but still, the place where you live is that much more drab and empty for their departure.”
- Stephen King.
WW2 Birds, let them be Spitfires or Zeroes, belong in the sky. Seeing this video made me feel that plane pleading: "Let me fly once again!"
Griffon, best Engine for an Airplane!
got to see this very spitfire while we were in new Zealand last November great plane and great musem.
The predecessor to the Merlin was the Kestrel, ironically, the first engine in the Messerschmidt Bf109 due to the intended Junkers Jumo 210 being delayed. The engine bearers were altered to take the upright Rolls Royce engine for its initial flight testing.
Eventually the plane flew with the inverted Daimler Benz DB600 family of fuel injected engines.
So, anyone who scorns the post war Spanish HA 1112 Buchon, needs to see the full circle... 🙂
It wants to fly....so much..
Happiness. Ear Candy. 400 mph, 2,050 hp.. love that machine..
what a beautiful plane
thanks, that is cool, I just figured that they would also use wing tie downs.
The tie-down across the tail and on to the concrete pad is visible.
Awwww let it fly it wants to get up there
It does. I've seen it at the Classic Fighters Omaka air shows. Show stopper every time.
Haha Alistair says. ’I’ll be over there in case of any bother’ (drives towards Blenheim) That’s pretty darn impressive
Is this the aircraft Mr Wallis did a spot of inverted ploughing with ?
Yes. The bits wound up at Ardmore airfield, south of Auckland, where it was restored to flight in time for the Classic Fighters Omaka air show at Easter, 2015. It arrived late afternoon on Friday and next morning when we walked in, there were *three* Spitfires lined up. That had not been seen south of the equator for sixty years (Australia now has three flying Spitfires, soon to be four).
The Mark XIV is based at Omaka and is part of the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre's "Dangerous Skies" exhibition. At the last air show, the announcer said, for insurance reasons, the aircraft flies only at Omaka. I guess the insurance premiums on an aircraft worth NZ$4 million are quite high, but they probably go through the roof when the wheels leave the ground.
Slight change of topic: two other aircraft in the Dangerous Skies exhibition are the Mosquito and P-40 recovered last year from John Smith's farm, where they had been stored under cover for decades. Both aircraft have been restored to display condition and look wonderful.
@@MarsFKA thanks very much for this, yes I saw the 14 in action at Wigram on the last ever air show event held there. Managed to get some quite good (well I thought so) footage on the old Panasonic vhs camera. I had no idea it was at Omaka. I visit Blenheim about every 6 weeks so will stop by for a look. The Griffon sounds pretty feral when it’s flying away from you compared to the Merlin. I guess another ten litres capacity and an en extra blade on the prop will do that.
@@timj41 " I guess another ten litres capacity and an en extra blade on the prop will do that."
And a different firing order.
If you can manage to visit Omaka during some future visit, I guarantee that you will think the time well spent.
Lovely!
AWESOME!
I'd be interested to know how much the extra heat generated by the 37 litre Griffon vs the 27 litre Merlin contributes to cooling system thrust from the Meredith effect. 🤔
....yes I'm a nerd, these things keep me awake at nights.
I used to think it needed a splitter to avoid feeding turbulent air into the radiator but … the intake is well forward and on the underside so the air there is probably still fairly laminar. I’d bet that deep is better than shallow and wide?
@@givenfirstnamefamilyfirstn3935 The radiators on the mk 14 Spitfire are located at about 25% MAC (mean aerodynamic chord) of the wing and still in fairly laminar airflow and forward of the area where boundary layer separation would become a problem for cooling efficiency.
The carburettor intake under the nose however does have a boundary layer diverter.
Whereas the P-51 Mustang who's radiator is under the fuselage and much further behind the wings MAC also has a boundary layer diverter.
Did this Spit have the 34 litre Griffon engine?
Yes. It's a Mark XIV.
just look at the lift the wings are producing. it just wanna fly away on the spot lol
What determines how many prop blades these old planes have?
The power of the engine. As the power of the Merlin engines fitted to the Spitfires increased, the number of blades went from three to four - let's not worry about the wooden two-blade propellors fitted to the very first Spitfires. However, with more than 2,000 horsepower available, the Griffon-powered Spitfires needed a bigger propellor to make use of that power. The problem there, with the Spitfire's long nose and relatively short undercarriage, was a four-blade propellor that was too large might hit the ground when the pilot raised the tail on takeoff. The answer was to fit a smaller-diameter propellor, with five blades.
The Typhoons and Tempests, with the very powerful Napier Sabre engines, used three and four-blade propellors that were 14 feet in diameter, but they were able to do this because they had plenty of ground clearance.
@@MarsFKA A very few Spitfires had contra-rotating propellers with 6 blades, but most of the contra-props were fitted to Seafires
Spitfire: ruclips.net/video/czwkYeoMYFk/видео.html
Seafire: ruclips.net/video/_YioXYhbVPA/видео.html
Low density air at high altitude needs more disc area too. The Mk XII and Griffon Seafires (before the Mk 47) had 4 blade props for low level use.
Beaut!
That V2 only just missed. M.
Engine with wings.
Please let it go... It wants to fly.. x
I want one
That would have been awesome at night!!
I love the looksof the spitfire, only those ugly radiators ruin the design...
Nothing ruins the best fighter by far. To quote a USAAF pilot. " After a Spitfire every other aircraft is inferior in one way or another" That was not just for looks.
I love the old saying. " If it looks right it flies right " That fits the Spitfire too
@@barrierodliffe4155 Tell that to the ugly radiators
@@maxsuarezmuller7186
Do you mean like the one on a P 51 that makes it look like a pregnant fish ?
@@barrierodliffe4155 No, I mean the radiators of a spitfire
@@maxsuarezmuller7186
The best looking fighter which looks better than any other, radiators and all. Surely you must be thinking of some very ugly aircraft. There are plenty for ignorant fools to look at.