The Bluebird Project

Bill, I understand your plan is to start the engine and run it - I asume in idle or a little above. How do you consider the overall condition of the engine? Would it be possible to run it full throttle?

Joerg

Need anymore help painting?
I might be free. Will bring biscuits. * not ginger nuts...

JfromJAGs wrote: ↑Sat Jun 15, 2019 2:39 pm Bill, I understand your plan is to start the engine and run it - I asume in idle or a little above. How do you consider the overall condition of the engine? Would it be possible to run it full throttle?

Joerg

Just my humble opinion that, whatever the condition of the engine, it would take a very brave man to attempt to generate over 7 tons of assymetric thrust in a 58 year old airframe that has been quietly corroding for the last 30-odd years....

Andyroo75 wrote: ↑Sat Jun 15, 2019 9:54 pm Need anymore help painting?
I might be free. Will bring biscuits. * not ginger nuts...

Can you email me at fiifee@hotmail.co.uk?

Bill, I understand your plan is to start the engine and run it - I asume in idle or a little above. How do you consider the overall condition of the engine? Would it be possible to run it full throttle?

It would certainly be possible but it wouldn't be a clever idea - keep throwing fuel in and it will go fast as it can but it might tear itself apart too. The engines have internal corrosion and there's no way to assess what they might get up to if we load them up so there's no intention to go beyond idle. They might even come apart when doing that but at last there's a good chance nothing will make it to the outside where it doesn't belong because I don't think any of us could outrun an angry turbine disc.
Visual inspection suggests that only the entrance to the engine and perhaps the first three or four compressor stages are affected, the rest look OK so I'd say we're OK to run to idle.
The airframe looks OK too. Having spent some time up in the wing it all looks solid internally. Some flaking paint but nothing drastic and no major deterioration that we've come across as yet.

I’m not on Twitter so can’t post support there, but I just want to congratulate everyone on the efforts repainting and breathing new life into the old girl. What a fantastic result. I would have been there painting myself, were it not my brother’s stag weekend. Next time maybe . Keep it up let’s get her ground running!!!

Ste, there would be nowhere to move her to, the former site that was Sunderland airport is now Nissan........wait...... I am getting an idea !

I don't think it would take a horrific amount of work to get her rolling, but with nowhere to go it'd perhaps be fruitless.

I would like to see all of her control surfaces working, elevons the lot ! what better way to show children and interested parties how the concept works than on a Vulcan.

not sure how much of her avionics are left.

Best I can do for now




one more

https://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co.u ... around.php

Image 29 of 50

We have a good idea what those lights are now and have been offered one to copy. We've pretty much ironed out the issues with running an engine too. Just need a little more practice at starting and we can bring everything up to date. We're just helping the museum to get the most out of it, it's their plane after all and there's good publicity to be had and they are happy to have the BBP doing a bit to it while the tin boat is having the summer off.