Chipmunk engine deep dive!

Рет қаралды 7,974

7 күн бұрын

A close look at the De Havilland Gipsy Major 10 Mk 2 engine as fitted to the Chipmunk and a handful of other fine 1940s-1950s aircraft.
The engine produces 145hp at about 2100rpm and uses 100 octane Avgas. The Chipmunk’s two fuel tanks hold enough for about two hours and 15 minutes flying.
In RAF service the engine was known as a Mk 8. My engine though was originally fitted to a Stampe biplane (similar to a Tiger Moth) so was designated a 10-2 at the factory.
This mark of Gipsy Major was produced both in De Havilland’s own factory as well as by Bristol Siddeley. (Mine is a DH-built one.)
Reason for the engine swap was cracks found in the bearing webs and top cover when I had the engine disassembled and inspected early in the restoration. Luckily, the very low time Stampe engine was available from a seller in Australia.
Do ask any questions you have in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them. I don’t know much but I do have the manuals!
#aircraft #airplanes #RAF #dehavilland #engine #engineering #vintageengine

Пікірлер: 45

@GentlemensWatchServices Күн бұрын

Remember my first flight in one of these, 13 years old, walking to the aircraft doubled over in chute straps. The pilot ran through what happens if talk, laughing at me when I asked if I had to wait til the third time he said jump before I got out.

@timlee4204 3 күн бұрын

My friend had an Auster, about 1970, he got me to take him out to the airport so he could shift it to his paddock strip, on the way back to town he 'Buzzed' me, I'll never forget that sound. I was with him one day when we landed on his paddock strip in a cross wind, put the wind up me when I was looking out my side window at the strip we were landing on. Ted from down under.

@bulthy1958 3 күн бұрын

Brilliant, I had a go in one when in the ATC a long long time ago, the parachute was a mans size on an 11 year old, I dread to thing of the damage to vital parts if I had to jump . The pilot said if we have to get out I will say jump three times if you don`t we both die!!! We survived , I still remember that flight, maybe I will try to find another opportunity. Thanks for the video .

@leifandersen2756 3 күн бұрын

In the Royal Danish Air force it was called the Chipmunk and was used for the rookie pilots before transferred to jets in the seventies when I was in the air force in the tower as a conscript receiving flight plans ,looking for planes for not dropping their wheels before landing plus other duties in the airfield .

@chippyjohn1 3 күн бұрын

Thanks for the overview mate.

@mateckomet7724 4 күн бұрын

"I just like stencils"😅

@VaughnDavisTV 3 күн бұрын

There are a couple of others like that on the airframe… I think you can see at least one on one of my other videos. It’s pretty niche humour though!

@Swaggerlot 3 күн бұрын

Flew behind a few Gypsy motors; Leopard Moth, Tiger Moth, Chipmunk and DH Dove.

@gramsky1952 3 күн бұрын

Used to fly in these out of Manston, UK when I was in the ATC. The ones we flew in were started with a bang from a cartridge.

@VaughnDavisTV 3 күн бұрын

I’ve wondered how reliable that system was. The Chipmunk engines I’ve flown often take two or three attempts to start, especially when hot… you’d quickly run out of cartridges!

@jonathanredman8497 3 күн бұрын

Me too! ❤

@tamhazan3015 2 күн бұрын

Many years ago, flew several sister aircraft to this one - closest 'relative' WZ 846 - with Queen's University Air Squadron in Belfast (Northern Ireland), prior to full RAF jet training (JP3 and JP5). Lovely time on those Chipmunks!

@VaughnDavisTV 2 күн бұрын

Great machines! I flew the Strikemaster (JP5 basically) in my RNZAF training. This Chipmunk was with GUAS (now UGSAS) - the scheme is based on what it would have worn in the early 1960s.

@californiadreamin8423 Күн бұрын

@@VaughnDavisTV. I was an undergraduate apprentice at Warton when the Strikemaster was on the production line. I was told that the Provosts for Prince Charles were special in that absolutely no concessions for minor production errors were allowed , and the engines were brand new, as opposed to “reconditioned”. I spent 2 years in EMUAS on the Chipmunk , which tail wheel experience was a great advantage when 10 years later I obtained my commercial, my first job being on the Dak. I flew with quite a few Kiwis over the years. Great video.

@tedstriker754 2 күн бұрын

145HP Gypsy Moth. I've flown one with that engine. It was a Canadian version with the bubble canopy. The English version had the bird cage type canopy, which is the easiest way to spot the two types. A popular engine conversion was putting in the 200hp Ranger, another inline engine. But those are probably scarce now days and the parts for it as well. I thought it was a real docile flying plane. Handled like a Cessna. The plane I owned at the time was a 125hp Globe Swift, which was a bit more demanding and flew a lot better handling-wise. So the Chipmunk was a bit of a disappointment to me.

@gnm109 4 күн бұрын

That is a lovely aircraft. I also like the Tiger Moth and the Gypsy Moth.

@VaughnDavisTV 3 күн бұрын

I’ve never flown a Moth but am lucky enough to also fly a couple of Tiger Moths. Might post an engine comparison video - the Mk 1 Gipsy Major is a far simpler setup!

@willemvantsant5105 3 күн бұрын

Flew with my neighbour many times in one in Perth WA.. Two barrel rolls and loops was the most I could endure. Stan also had a Texan Harvard, flew in that one as well. Stan was out on a flight in the Chipmunk and lost one cylinder, had to shutdown due to the vibration, would have destroyed the airframe. He managed to glide and land on farmland. Repaired the broken valve rocker arm, graded a make shift runway and flew it back to Jandakot airport. The civil aviation authority gave him permission to do it but the responsibility was all on him.

@VaughnDavisTV 3 күн бұрын

Aerobatics do take some getting used to, especially when you’re not driving! See my earlier video for a pilot’s eye view of one of my airshow practices and if you’re really keen there’s also one showing spinning and spin recovery.

@pauldonnelly7949 4 күн бұрын

Great vid, don't see many actually explaining the workings under the coolings. Thanks.

@VaughnDavisTV 3 күн бұрын

Well to the extent that a pilot can... I'm no engineer!

@kurdtcocaine0 4 күн бұрын

beautiful aircraft!!

@VaughnDavisTV 2 күн бұрын

Sure is - I’m very lucky to have it. The engine is very easy on the eyes.

@jonathanredman8497 3 күн бұрын

I learnt to fly in a Chipmunk in the Air Cadets. ❤

@VaughnDavisTV 2 күн бұрын

What a great scheme! NZ air cadet flying experience was very ad hoc and only a small handful of cadets got to fly with the RNZAF each year. Luckily I got to fly the same aircraft to solo (AESL Airtourer) once I’d joined as a university officer cadet, as part of our “flight grading” programme in our first university holidays.

@LeifDjurfeldt 3 күн бұрын

Lovely video!!!! Make all the videos you can on airplanes with these egines, youtube has a lot on american airplane engines, but not enough on the old gipsy. Maybe you could do a video on some old Auster with the gipsy engine, that little airplane is chronically underrepresented on YT. Cheers from Sweden!

@VaughnDavisTV 3 күн бұрын

Thanks! There are an Auster and a Dragon in the next hangar, both with Gipsy Major 10-2 engines. There’s also a Moth Minor nearby but I’m not 100% sure what that has in it. I’ve been flying a couple of Tiger Moths recently so might make a video about the early 130hp Mk 1 engine in those.

@BoldUlysses 5 күн бұрын

KZfaq recommended this video, and I'm so glad it did! Great job going through all the components & features. I understand DH made a whole line of inline Gipsy engines of various cylinder counts & displacements. Would be neat to hear what they improved for this version, and what, if any, improvements followed on later versions (assuming there were later versions). Thanks!

@VaughnDavisTV 23 сағат бұрын

I'm not very knowledgeable on the whole range but believe the Gipsy Major was the heart of it and powered the most aircraft types in its various Marks from 1-10. The Gipsy Queen was a 6-cylinder version that you might find on a Devon/Dove. Main upgrade from the GM 1 to the 10 was more horsepower (130 to 145) and many more accessories. I think all the Tiger Moth version comes with is an oil pump.

@fascistpedant758 3 күн бұрын

@10:12, A drop of oil can be seen dripping from the oil pump.

@VaughnDavisTV 2 күн бұрын

Probably a mix of oil and degreaser - I'd just sprayed and wiped the entire engine to make a clean slate for tracking down a persistent oil leak.

@MrKapeji 4 күн бұрын

Interesting vid, our Chipmunks all had cartridge starters though, never saw one with an electric start before.

@VaughnDavisTV 3 күн бұрын

I believe that removal of the cartridge starter and installation or an electric one was part of the standard mods when leaving the RAF? Chipmunks that went straight to civilian ownership didn't have cartridge starters either as far as I know. You can of course hand swing a Chipmunk if you're tall!

@MrKapeji 3 күн бұрын

@@VaughnDavisTV Ah, thanks, that's interesting. :D

@SimonAmazingClarke 4 күн бұрын

Excellent video. Thanks for the walk around. Stbd side of the engine there is what looks like interconnected knuckle dusters, what does that do? My thought is either throttle or mixture control.

@VaughnDavisTV 3 күн бұрын

Yep those rather lovely cams connect to the throttle control and thence to the magneto to advance or retard the spark depending on power setting (I'd need to look it up to remind me which way exactly though)

@californiadreamin8423 Күн бұрын

Couldn’t see the Carb Heat ? I was hoping to see the cartridge starter. Is the electric starter a civil mod ? Where is the battery located ?

@VaughnDavisTV Күн бұрын

I realised afterwards that I hadn’t mentioned the carb heat. On the right hand side of the engine look for the long spring extending from the firewall towards the carb. It controls a flapper valve inboard of the carb air intake that switches air intake to that flat round thing left of the carb - it’s open towards the engine block to take warmer air through a mesh filter. It isn’t greatly different to normal air, at least when testing on the ground (usually can’t see an RPM drop). The cartridge starters were all removed on demob - all that remains is the exhaust vent on the RH cowl. The two 12V batteries are in a compartment behind the cockpit.

@californiadreamin8423 Күн бұрын

@@VaughnDavisTV Thanks. What’s the weather like 🤫

@californiadreamin8423 8 сағат бұрын

@@VaughnDavisTV Can you jog my memory on the downwind brake check ? My recollection after 53 years is, on the ground you apply the brake with full rudder, and count the clicks until the brake bites on the rudder pedal. Then apply two more clicks (say 5 in total ). Should you need differential brake on taxi, or take off , then it’s available. After take off the brake you fully release the brake to enable full rudder available for say spin recovery. Downwind you reapply the brake for say 5 clicks, so that on landing you have differential brake available to counter swing and a ground loop. ( I have my original UAS notes filed away in a very safe place, and don’t want to turn the house upside down finding them ). Thanks.

@VaughnDavisTV 9 минут бұрын

@@californiadreamin8423 many Chipmunks including mine have had the original Dunlop brakes and wheels replaced with a more modern Cleveland system. Depending on how they’re rigged they often provide a little differential braking even at no clicks. To be honest, flying with either system I just do it by feel and only preset a few clicks for takeoff or landing if the crosswind is approaching limits.

@BaronFlyingClub 2 күн бұрын

I have to say the Chipmunk is a fantastic aircraft to fly, but...If I owned one I would replace the engine with a good Lycoming engine and an inverted system. I would also replace the awful brakes with modern hydraulic toe brakes.

@VaughnDavisTV 2 күн бұрын

You could also replace the wings and fuselage while you were at it? (:

@BaronFlyingClub 2 күн бұрын

@@VaughnDavisTV Purists would start shaking and hyperventilating at my comments. The Gypsy major was awful and constantly leaks when you finally get it running.