Alongside the ‘whistling’ English electric diesel engines used in the class 20/40 and the roaring Deltic, this is one of the best engine sounds that I’ve ever heard
Because it is the sound of Freedom. When it is the chorus of a four as on the Avro Lancaster Your goose-pimples will have goose-pimples and your hair will be standing vertically. In 1940 most air-planes were rather slow. A Spitfire was pretty much the equivalent of a top-class racing car with wings & guns.
The Griffin is really nice but, the Merlin is something else SPECTACULAR!!!! that's why it's my all time favourite sounding engine in the world & will go on always being so.
There will be a day when we won't use combustion engines anymore. And I'm ok with that. But I'm so glad that the age of internal combustion overlapped with mass recording because I could listen to this and race cars all day long.
This sounds sooooo smooth - and thinking that this engine was probably not even running at 1/3 of what it is capable of…I wonder if it is even possible to really give it some beans when it is not firmly bolted down somewhere. Assuming that the owner would even be willing to go „full tilt“ with this no doubt insanely expensive and exceedingly rare piece of machinery. Really curious to know if this engine (or any one like it) ever saw full throttle after its service in the war.
We display Merlins at 2,250rpm (max being 3,000), but at low boost pressure. Actual delivered horsepower at the propeller is not more than 500hp (this engine is rated at 1,620 hp). In pre-season testing this engine will be run at higher speeds and power, but still barely a third of the maximum. An airworthy aero engine needs to demonstrate full power as part of its check-out for flight, so all Merlins flying will have passed that test.
I haven't heard a Merlin engine running on 100% throttle or even WEP yet... Or was it running near that threshold in this video? Either way, sounds great. I can use this to contrast the awful Merlin engine sounds Gaijin uses in War Thunder
Kensta: I only just read your question. I run the engine at a very modest power, engine speed never exceeds 2,300 rpm, with -2.5psi boost pressure. This translates to about 550 hp only. This engine can deliver 1,620 hp at 3,000 rpm and +18psi boost, but that is far above the design limit for the trailer and well in excess of what I want to achieve with a nearby audience. Have a look at my other videos, and you will see other runs.
+Kensta Without the load from a full size prop, you can overspeed these engines and they can come apart. Very unlikely to see full power on a trailer unless it is a test with a normal prop.
As horrible as war and destruction is.....to hear 100..200+ bombers fly overhead loaded headed across the channel...all powered by these incredible Merlins...had to be inspiring.awesome.frightening
Propeller RPM is geared to the crankshaft. On this Merlin, the propeller is geared at 42 percent of the crankshaft speed. Engine max RPM is 3,000 therefore the maximum propeller rpm is 1,260rpm.
Technically, thats not a Merlin. Its a Jasper. The cylinder head is a big giveaway. The Jaspers were produced right at the end of the war, when the RAF needed to have engines to keep the fleet of Spitfires flying, but did not need the out & out performance of the Merlin. The 2 engines have a TOTALLY different sound, & its only because many of the parts are interchangeable that this engine is wrongly claimed to be a ZXXIV Merlin. Beautiful engine all the same.
+ Imran Ahmed They describe the exhibit as a 500 series Merlin that was rebuilt from a 24 series. So it would be late or post-war for civil use or for the CASA aircraft used in Spain.
This Merlin is a Mk500-29 and has a full history from its production in June/July 1943 as a Mk22 (Lancaster Mk1), and subsequent upgrade to T24-2 (Avro York) and then 500-29 (CASA2-111), authenticated by Rolls-Royce production records.
Hello Derek; I had briefed him to stay behind my eye-line for safety and not to distract me. He was fine with that and kept to his brief, although I never saw any of his photos!
I don’t know if Jay Lenos engine is better or not (granted, he’s got a fancier test stand) but ALL of these old engines are great...no matter who has them. (The lucky devils). And bless the pilots who “drove” them to work.
