Wind driven "Generator" on a camel

[MikeW]

Mark Miller and I have a photograph of a Naval Camel in early 1918, eguipped with a wind driven generator or dynamo on the port front undercarriage leg.

Before anyone jumps to conclusions, we know what a Rotherham pump for pressurising the fuel tank looks like, and as it happens, this Camel has one on the starboard forward undercarriage leg.

A thick electrical cable is "tacked" up the outside of the undercarriage leg, presumably taking the generated voltage into the cockpit.

What on earth might this have been used for? Some sort of radio equipment? How did the pilot work the morse key whilst flying the twitchey camel?


Mike

G'day Mike,

Just a huge guess but in "Jerry" Pentlands biography he mentioned testing a heated flight suit, which was powered via a wind driven generator.

I believe the idea was canned after "Jerry" complained about the suit. When he was flying in formation he was nice and warm, but during a dogfight or when diving he was nearly cooked because of the increased speed, as there was no thermostat fitted to the suit the faster you flew the warmer the suit until it became an oven.

Andrew.

[dbahn]

Can you post the picture of the generator?

[MikeW]

Hopefully, this should be the dynamo (or whatever it is).

[PeterL]

There must be better pics but this is the best I could do at short notice. It looks a lot like the wind driven generator on Hendon's Bulldog and I feel sure I have seen illustrations of a similar fitment on 'tween wars Bristol Fighters. In the Bulldog's case it powers night flying equipment.

hth

[MikeW]

I've been waiting for someone to suggest it powered the pilot's Gameboy!

Peter,

I have some drawings and photographs of Bulldogs and on the 2-seater variant there is an egg shaped (in plan view) thing fitted above the starboard lower wing and it's called a "12 volt Generator" on the drawing, it also says the propeller was 16" diameter - it doesn't say what it was for, other than to say the 2-seaters didn't carry radio!

It also looks as though the Siskin and Woodcock could be fitted with them.

Back to the camel, this particular one was not used for night flying. I thought Night Fighter variants had radio active phosphers on the instrument markings and needles?

Mike

[SteveS]

I remember seeing somewhere a pix of a original Camel or Snipe dash with a bunch of switches on the left side marked for interior and gauge lights. I do remember thinking the last thing I would ever want was to fly one of these crates at night!
Perhaps it was to power these.

Salute All,
Steve

No knowledge here, whatsoever, but a wandering mind thinks of the eventual use of "running lights" when not at war.

[SteveS]

Here is a pix of what the caption says is William Bishops Snipe remains. It reads" Starboard side inside the cockpit, showing the MK3 Aeroplane dashboard Lighting Panel as made by O.T Banks & Co. Ltd., London. Each of the toggle switches selects one of the hinged instrument lights on the dashboard."

Photo credit to Peter McDermott

Salute All,
Steve

I have been through a complete set of Sopwith Camel drawings held by the Australian War Memorial and IIRC one set I noticed was a a radio powered by a generator like your picture - although it was mounted on the port fuselage just foward of the cockpit. *I took notice of the drawings because I never knew any Camels had radios.

Again IIRC the radio fit was for a 2F.1 which makes a sort of sense because if you're out over the briney you'd probably like someone to talk to and be able to tell someone what you're seeing.