Torque and aircraft engines

[Steve St.Laurent]

You whirly bird guys crack me up ! Here in the states on the vast majority of planes it's right rudder to counter act P-factor, torque, and the slip stream (the three left turning tendencies). British engines in particular turned backwards from ours so those become become right turning tendencies and you have to use left rudder. I can still remember my flight instructor saying "right rudder, riiight rudder, RIIIIIGHT rudder"!



Here's a couple of planes that a friend of mine owns and I get to get rides in once in a while. He flies both of them in formation flights, the sound of 30 T-6's with their radials starting up and then flying overhead in formation is simply awesome! Especially when you get to ride in it sometimes!



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Here's the plane that I spent most of my last 100 flight hours (have 450 total) in. That big IO-550 six cylinder sounds pretty cool too! I can't wait to be able to afford to fly on my own again (had to give it up when my daughter was born two years ago).



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[GSchlegel]

Steve, You lucky dog. I've always wanted to fly a T-6. I've seen quite a few in my travels. There are fewer and fewer of the old warbirds.



The only radial plane I've got logged time in is a Boeing 247. I just love the sound of a radial engine.



Steve, is that a Piper Saratoga? A little hard to tell in the picture. I should remember, I used to deliver them in Calif. and Ariz.



Never got checked out in any of the four versions of the Saritoga or the Arrow. I was just tossed the keys. I'd quickly review the emergency section in the manual, use the check list and go. Once at alt. I'd look at the sun visor for 75% power. Nothing to it! We always ran at 75% because we were doing the initial breakin. Quite often we also were test pilots. Most Cessnas I delivered had something fail. Alternators, vac pump while on the gauges, etc.



Have you ever been to Reno for the air races? 20 years ago I was part of the pit crew for one of the formula one racers (modified Cassutt that won 3rd in the Gold Race). There is nothing like the sound of the unlimiteds running with everything to the firewall on the deck right in front of you. Being part of a pit crew I was able to get up close to all the planes in all classes. Fantastic!



Over the years I've repoed planes and delivered (ferried) new Cessnas and Pipers. I've got quite a few stories over the last 30 yrs. of flying, but I'd better stop now.



Gene

 

[High Voltage]

How about the Torque of a Wright R3350 with 4000 hp at 529 mph in a F8F2 Bearcat.



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[Steve St.Laurent]

Yeah, it's a PA32-301 fixed gear 'toga with a 3 blade prop which allows full power throughout the climb (the 2 blade version you have to pull back the prop before 2 minutes is up). I went to Reno once, I went back to California to visit friends a few years after I got my license. I rented an Arrow out of Walnut Creek (near SF) and got a mountain checkout by flying up to Lake Tahoe, density altitude was 8500' that day - quite a change from the flatland flying I'd been doing up to that point! A few days later I flew up to Reno with a couple of friends to watch the races. They were awesome!



-Steve

 

[JMichelson]

Torquen

Sageair. Interesting question, I have been flying for almost 30 years and have never seen torque specifications on an aircraft engine. If you use your formula, hp x 5252 divided by RPM you get some pretty impressive torque numbers. For example a Pratt & Whitney R 2800 would produce around 12254 ft lbs of torque at 2100 hp. give or take a little. I based it on 900 RPMs. I can’t remember exactly what the RPM at max power was on the Convair . The 150 hp engine in the Cessna 172 would produce around 330ft lbs of torque, pretty cool when you are talking about a engine with around the same cubic inch displacement as a Cummins, yet one man can pick it up and carry it away. If the formula applies to turbine engines the Pratt & Whitney PW 150 on my Bombardier ( yes it’s the same company that makes snowmobiles and personal water craft) Dash 8 Q400 produces 26110 ft lbs of torque per engine. at 5071 shp. and 1020 RPMs ( Find a torque converter to stand up to that). When you look at the response aviation questions get on this forum, it just proves that diesel owners like anything that makes noise fire and smoke.

 

[Charley]

Can't imagine that I would be getting into a 'hangar flying' session on TDR but here's my contribution.



Bombed J3



My solo and most of my first 100 hours of flying was in a J3 with a 90 HP Cont. The J3 came out with a 65 Cont. It had a metal prop, original was wood, with a climb pitch. I had tricycle gear, yep that's right, tricycle gear. The main gear was removed and rotated to the opposite side which made it angle backwards instead of forward and then a bungee corded nose gear was attached to the engine mounts. It still had a tail wheel and take offs could be a lot of fun. Hold the brakes, rev it up, release the brakes, hold the stick in your lap and after a pretty short roll it just flys off the runway.



As to running with you big dogs I got a share of that too. Got to fly a cherry T6, a Stearman with a 45 P&W, a Howard, also 45 P&W with an almost deadly propensity to ground loop.



Worst experience is when flying with a buddy who was a Captain for CONOCO's fleet in an Aero Commander with the crank shaft balance weights that were not fixed to the shaft and would roll around for a minute or two when you shut it down. The AC was also very fond of fires on start up but usually a brief full throttle would put it out.



Only the expense has kept me out of it. Haven't flown anything except commercial for several years.



D** it was fun though.

 

[Will24]

I am having nightmares of work reading this thread! lol



anyway, I work on helicopters (mainly 76s, BKs, BOs and the various 2xx and 4xx bells, but we do get the occasional MD500, MD900, blackhawk, augusta, gazelle, robinson etc etc)



I am sorta curious was a PT6 twinpac makes for torque, I gotta ask our test cell guy tomorrow, hmm





-Will