Stealthy RNZAF Harvard??

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Stealthy RNZAF Harvard??

Postby Baz62 » Wed Jan 05, 2011 5:04 am

Greetings all from shaky Christchurch! Bloody earthquakes I'm over them now! Although I see you have had a couple recently. Copy cats! Ha ha.
Anyway onto the subject of Harvards. Anyone who has heard one knows they are noisy beasts. Well it looks as though the RNZAF tried to make them quieter. At first when I saw this photo of NZ1091 taken in the 1960s by Peter Lewis (thanks for permission to show them Peter :D ) I thought I was looking at a Red Checkers aircraft (the RNZAF version of the Red Arrows.........just slower) as for smoke they had the same long extension pipe just not flared at the end like this one. However on closer inspection I realised that the prop blades had square tips, not the usual rounded end. The prop in particular pointed to an attempt to silence the beast as the USAF when they had the wartime T6 re-manufactured as the T6G also went with the square tip blades (since the tips of the blades were where most of the noise came from).
Image

It can't have made much difference as later photos show none of those modifications done to any other Harvards and NZ1091 reverted to standard prop and exhaust.
NZ1091 still flies today in civilian hands here in NZ.
If you wish to see more RNZAF Harvards have a look here:http://rnzaf.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Postwar&action=display&thread=9218

There are some interesting shots of some 1960 era MK2A Harvards which for some curious reason have been fitted with MK2 rear fuselages!!!!! (Main difference is the rear portion of the canopy) They didn't stay like that as one of them NZ1033 still flies today here with the Sport and Vintage Aviation Society in Masterton.
Last edited by Sooty655 on Wed Jan 05, 2011 2:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Link fixed
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Re: Stealthy RNZAF Harvard??

Postby Xplumberlives » Wed Jan 05, 2011 9:06 am

The EASIEST way to have reduced the noise would have been to fit a FOUR BLADED PROPELLER and have it spin a little slower! :D
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TSR-2 simply got the first 3 right. ”
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Re: Stealthy RNZAF Harvard??

Postby Nickolas » Wed Jan 05, 2011 9:31 am

Wasn't the issue that the tips were supersonic at high revs?
4 bladed prop should solve noise issues though..........but then there is all the paperwork to get the mod approved etc etc.........
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Re: Stealthy RNZAF Harvard??

Postby Baz62 » Fri Jan 07, 2011 5:02 am

Not a 4 blader but a 3 blader probably would have done it but the issue there is that the R1340 engine is direct drive (ie: no reduction gearbox and the prop shaft is the end of the crankshaft.) The Australian built version of the Harvard?T6 the Wirraway used the geared R1340 swinging a 3 blade prop and is a bit quieter!
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