Assessment report on a German aircraft, detailing its specifications, equipment, and maintenance features.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 27\3\ Scan327 | |
| Date | 27th January 1939 | |
| -2- PARTICULARS UNLADEN WEIGHT PAY LOAD ALL UP WEIGHT GROUP DATE OF COMPLETION 1st OVERHAUL ? FLUGZHALTER LEERGEWICHTE GESAMTLAST HOCHSTZUL FLUGGEW GRUPPE LECHTE NACHPRFG NACHSTE NACHPRFG LACKIERUNG WARNECHE U BÖHM {Capt. W. Hallam - Head Repairs} Metallanstrich 2 FACH Lbs. 14,061. 9,521 23,582 H3/ 27.1.39. Kgs. 6,380. 4,320 10,700 I was struck by:- (1) The very complete and extensive equipment carried. I am not familiar with present-day British planes for comparison but no one could say that the workmanship or the equipment are anything but the very best, and the design is definitely for quality and ease of maintenance with ease of construction as a secondary consideration. The engines appear to me to be the least satisfactory item on the plane. The Germans have either mastered the art of making electrical apparatus reliable or else the planes are very unreliable. One would imagine the former to be the case. The amount of wiring, switching, etc. inside the plane has to be seen to be believed. (2) Machine gun bullets seem to have no effect on modern planes, making small neat holes. One observer counted over 200 and another 300 bullet holes, and neither had counted all. The plane even then was still fit to fly. Apparently the reason it came down was injury to the pilot. It is very strongly recommended therefore that we push ahead with our cannon as the need for explosive bullets seems to me absolutely vital. (3) The attention which has been given to ease of changing the engines and other components was astonishing, and the German claim for speed of changing engines can well be believed. All the nuts, etc. which had to be undone were farily accessible and marked clearly with special paint. Ball joints were held on by spring clips and the cowling can be very rapidly removed. The electrical gear could be undone by simply pulling plugs. This can of course be seen from the engine despatched to Derby. Rapidity for maintenance such as filling with petrol, etc. had also been carefully considered. (4) Dealing with general equipment, the following items call | ||
From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).