Short Stirling & RAF Bomber Command Forum

Later in the text

Text

The answer may be very simple though - perhaps the geometry of the undercarriage was such that it only moved a little as it first started to operate (or perhaps as it 'unlocked'). Certainly the motor would have run at a constant speed most of the time but again perhaps the load while the wheel was being moved from the locked position was much heavier than later stages of the rertraction.

Anyway here is an animation

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8ld9RadwQo

Sadly a broken link but they may work on your PC/MAC

http://home.clara.net/mdalgleish/myworks/videos_01.htm

I think that you can see the real thing on the film 'speed up on Stirlings' or is it 'Remember the Stirling'

If you play this next link slowly it does seem that the first part of the retraction is slower than the later parts - it seems to me that this is the most convincing evidence to support the claim - see just how fast the wheel retracts after the initial movement!Don't worry about the monologue - the bit you want is at the end!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWfMLv5z ... r_embedded#!



James

Finally the circuit diagram of the Undercarriage and Motors.

There are no elements in this lot that would produce any delay in the motors starting, so any such effect would probably have to be mechanical.


Cheers

James

James, thanks for that information. During previous discussions we discussed the twin tail wheel problems.

I have just learned from you that the rear u/c. wheels were automatically retractable.
I only flew on Stirlings at HCU. and had been briefed on their manual retraction method.I now realise that this must have been just the emergency procedure.

In the few weeks that we flew Stirlings, I gained a love hate relationship with these wheels & their oscillation problems

Dennis

Actually there is a second video of the model - this time it is driven by a motor and is in the model

This may not be actually representative of the true situation if he isn't driving the undercarriage assembly in the same way as the real aircraft - I haven't checked to be honest, but it certainly is along the same lines with the screw drive. But you can at least believe that once the switch is made - the motor starts


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3Rh0dRB ... re=related


What you really need is a mathematician who can analyse the geometry of the undercarriage and get a formula relating the rate of change of the major assemblies to the rate of movement of the driven part, not as easy as it sounds!

I suppose as well it could also depend where the person was making the observation from and the sighting angles from that point.



Jim

Thanks for this very full reply James.
I am amazed at the detail you have found.

And Thank You Dennis, for your onboard commentary ................... there is nothing quite like hearing it from those special bred of men who flew those aircraft.
John

John, having seen the details of the u/c. operation, it is more like the achilles wheel than heel

Dennis

Have added a cross - sectional diagram of the Undercarriage lock and switch mechanism in my posting on the electrical circuits thread....if this is relevant to this post ...
I am afraid technical matters such as these are way above my non-scientific based brain.... had enough problems understanding the basics of a Triumph Toledo and the wriring diagrams for my Landrover...
Cheers Gary