The Allison Time Bomb

Not long after introduction of the Lockheed P-38J,  pilots in all theatres began experiencing unexpected and sudden failures of their engines. The most critical situation was reported in the European Theatre of Operation. These failures occurred without warning, often upon demanding Military power after periods of cruising to or from the target at low power, although in many instances failures occurred during the low power cruise as well.

It soon developed into a problem of morale and pilot confidence and received the attention of the entire Air Corps command structure, as well as the manufacturers Lockheed and Allison.

Writers of aviation history and students of WWII are still debating the crisis that some refer to as the "Allison Time Bomb". The entire topic is further complicated because of the common impression that the failures occurred only in the ETO, so the problem "must have been poor quality British fuel", or the "low temperatures at the high operating altitudes over the Continent". This article explores these questions, and introduces a factual basis for the response and a reason why the problem was not significant in the China-Burma-India and South West Pacific-Asia theatres.

Corsair Engine Installations, Part 2

Delving into the engineering that went into all the F4U variants, author Graham White corresponded with Don Jordan, the man responsible for engineering all the Corsair engine installations. Any aircraft installation is an engineering challenge. In the case of the Corsair, it had to accommodate the massive eighteen-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engine along with the necessary intercoolers, oil coolers and ducting.

Part 2 covers F4U-5, F4U-6, and F4U-7 variants, along with the R-4360-powered Goodyear F2G Corsair.

Reno for Gearheads, Part 2

This series concentrates on state-of-the-art engineering and unique features that make Unlimited class air racing the world's fastest motor sport.