My FE2b reproduction..

[John McKenzie]

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Hello John:
I have a few questions.
1. Do you have a copy of the RAF P.10 specification? If so, may i buy a copy from you?
2. How far along are you with your F.E.2b?
3. In looking at some of your fittings for the F.E.2b, are some of them common to other RAF designs,i.e., S.E.5a, R.E.8?
4. Is the gravity tank for the F.E.2b, S.E.5a, used as the primary flight tank, and transferring fuel from the main to gravity continous during flight?
5.The picture of the black F.E.2b, is this your machine or is it another?
I am most anxious to see your finished machine.
Blue skies John,
Dan-San

[John McKenzie]

Hello Dan-San ......I will answer your questions each on individual postings , as I have previously lost the whole lot on mass when I mistakenly pressed the wrong button on the keyboard ..Here goes.........1 ) ..I do not have a copy of RAF P.10 Spec.,..(in fact , I do not know what this actually is ! )...so cannot help .....Is it to do with " night finish "?.....I have heard of " Secret Operations Order No 34 . (4th April 1917 )."..From Datafile No 18 Fe2b.(page 26 / 28 )......I did in fact many years ago , put in a request for this document to Henry Hall who was at the time , Keeper of aircraft RAF museum , (for whom I was constructing the aircraft ), and who was therefor dealing with all matters arising from the contract from their end ........The reason for this request being my urgent need for a decision as to the appropriate finish that they required for the Inter Plane Struts , which I was then working on and close to completing ........The request had apparently been passed to Richard Simpson ,(research assistant then , I believe ) ,for action...!!!...However , after many months and re-requests , still no information on the subject was forthcomming ,.........Therefor ,all I could do at the time was to proceed according to the Datafile experts illustration /description and finish the struts as Shellac varnish ...........It transpired that my whole request had been "Lost in the system " ,........I never ever did get a copy of the document....Regards John.

[John McKenzie]

In a nut shell , (2)..The FE2b IS finished , and (5) this "black" maching is my finished aircraft.(they are one and the same )........There is no other in the UK.......( On the thread "new FE2b for Hendon" , ...a certain Peter L is confusing people with silly stories of a "second" machine , ....He may be mixing it up with a Farman remains that RAFM posess , or , or , ???.)............The "Unveiling" ceronomy was on Wednesday , 1st July 2009 , at Hendon........In this thread , I am presenting this machine in individual component form ,initialy ,and generaly in the approximate order on which I constructed it ......But here is a snap taken on the day , It was dark "effect" lighting , not best for photos ........More on all of this later and its checkered history .....John.......(PS..That's me BTW)

[John McKenzie]

[John McKenzie]

Hello again....Dan-San ....I am not of course familiar with ALL the details of the many RAF designs , however , I will recount what comes to mind in a random sort of fashion...All AGS parts generally derive from factory designs for various parts of their machines , these then being then put into production in a general way , and used by many manufacturers....Examples being....BE2 series tail skid , shaft & steering lever ...Also same used on Bristol F2b ( I believe )......Also same for FE2b.....Also I think , F2b bronze elevator horns are RAF part designs.....Many components such as the FE elevator / aileron levers ,( the machined types as in this " My FE2b" thread ) and machined hinges , are used on the Martinside aircraft designs......Of course things such as petrol selectors , air selectors and relief valves , instruction plaques , Petrol tank and pipe unions , filler neck and flanges and filler caps ,special and std. "I" bolts ...The list goes on .......are all RAF designed parts (for various BE , Fe etc machines ) which became standard AGS parts that most manufacturers adopted...............Refering to "commonality" within the RAF series of designs...,Things that spring to mind are ,.....The outer wing pannels of the FE2b are the same parts and therefor interchangeable with the BE2 c/d series..(Provided of the correct schedule .ie same RAF 6 /14 section ).....It was planned to use RE 8 /BE2E series unequal span wings for a version of FE2b , but this idea doesn't seem to have materialised in any production ...I believe the Tailplane(pos in slightly altered form ) but certainly the elevators were same components as the RF5 ( if I remember off the top of my head )...Posibly also RE 8 also ......The Radiator is common to RF5 and FE2b........fittings: ..With the same outer pannels as BE2 /Fe2b fittings etc concerning the bracings were to some (only) extent common , but there were many parts specific to each design only ........FE2b / d of course were very similar in components. .....Appart from fuel /air selectors , ...there was not too much of the BE or FE 2 series in common with the SE5/a series in respect of interchangeable parts...as far as I can think of right now ......Regards...John.

[John McKenzie]

Without refering to the actual drawings , I am saying all of this from memory , so here goes..Hope I can put it clearly and concisely............There are 3 petrol tanks on this latest version of FE2b...(The earlier one did not have the auxhilary tank , and the petrol cocks were of a not so good design ).......The main tank ,(see later in the thread ) is of 36 gallon capacity and is preasurised , .It is located under the motor , and there is no contence gauge.....When draining fuel ,this tank has the main drain tap located at the rear.........The auxhilary tank is of 18 gallon capacity and is fitter with a "Simms" fuel contence gauge , opperating on the "float" and spiral shaft princaple....see cockpit photo .( Atop this tank is mounted the pilots seat )....This tank is also preasurised ........(the third tank is the service tank ..see later )............Air selector #1 controls the source of the preasurised air...Either from the hand pump on the L.H. side in the cockpit ..or from the mechanical ( RAF designed) propellor driven air compressor (within a streamlined casing ) located under the nacelle ..See photo ....Selector #2 distributes this preasurised air to either main , auxhillary , or both tanks......There is a relief valve of the "labyrinth"type incorporated and preasure is recorded on the air preasure gauge on the dash board , 1st left hand set ..below the Tacho'......All air pipes are copper on all models..........cont next post...

[John McKenzie]

Depending on which or both tanks are preasurisation ,(cocks must be worked in unison ).....Petrol will flow from tanks via 1/2"bore reinforced rubber pipes , (smaller copper on early types ).. from each tank to a three way petrol cock marked " FROM " ....The third connection going to the adjacent 2nd similar , but inverted cock , marked "TO ".......The " FROM " selector allows petrol to travel from either tank to the "TO" selector , OR ,from the main to the auxhilary tank (or vice-versa .) , when , in this case the carburettor will be fed by gravity from the service tank ..In which case ,no petrol flows to the "TO " selector ...........The second three way selector feeds from the first ,..the other two connections going to 1)the service tank directly , and 2) to the carburettors directly ........There is an appropriate (AGS) engraved pannel , with the various stations marked ,for the selector pointers to indicate ....Both cocks must act in unison...Also there are "oFF" positions for all of these selectors........cont.

[John McKenzie]

Initially , all tanks are full...( direct sight gauge on gravity / service tank )..#1 selector is OFF....(no delivery to #2 selector or to each other ).....Number 2 selector is set on "service to carb.".......Here , only two openings are open on the selector and petrol flows from the service tank ,down through the second selector valve , and then out along to the carburettor .,now opperating under Gravity feed...............When the service tank is in need of re filling ...Air * is fed to the auxhilary tank (or the main if desired ) and petrol is delivered under preasure to the first selector " FROM " ,which is set to AUX TANK....from whence it is delivered under preasure to the second selector"TO" .....This will be set on "SERVICE & CARB "......The gravity flow from the service tank is now reversed and petrol flows under preasure , UP to the service tank to replenish it ...Simultaniously , petrol also flows along to the carburettor , this time under preasure ........When the service tank is full , the "TO" selector is switched to "SERVICE TO CARB." and flow reverses and flows from the service tank to the selector and on to the carburettor via gravity .,At the same time, (acting in unison ) , the first selector"FROM" is set either to "OFF" ,or , "MAIN to AUX"...(only) ,when no petrol flows from the first to the second , BUT flows from the main tank to replenish the auxhillary tank , this being fitted with a petrol contence gauge......This is not necessary EVERY time as the service tank holds only 7 gallons ,(AUX 18gall),so every other time will do .....The 36 gall MAIN tank is emptied into the auxhilary and this in turn is emptied into the service tank......This way , except for when the service tank is being replenished , the feed to the carburettor is by gravity ...........*Generaly air preasure is drawn from the propellor driven , mechanical air pump .......Hope this more or less covers the operation of the petrol feed system .........As an aside , .Should any tank be "Holled " ,air preasure may be closed off to it ......Should the gravity tank be holled , then flow to/from it can be closed off ( at an appropriate moment ) by selecting (2nd "TO" selector )pointer to "CARB" (only) , when the carb will receive petrol under preasure from one or either of the other tanks ........ Regards...John.

[John McKenzie]

Now I'm going to have a cup of tea , then maybe some more on the history of the construction.......Be seein you ..JM