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Description
Looking through some really old late 30’s Flight magazines and came across this rare advert for Aero Electric Field coil Spools. The field coils were the heart of the lift generators usually surrounded by heat dissipating fins and, in some cases, even water cooling jackets.

Aero Electric were at the forefront of lift generator design being the first to successfully generate an air pressure manipulation field in 1917 although it took almost 5 years to perfect from this point to a viable “flying” unit for an aeroplane - which is another story.

The SBD-146 series were in use from the very early 1930’s and were developed in line with the ever increasing outputs of aero engine/ generator designs of the period. The 5th generation of the SBD-146 series spool was part of the standardised so called coupled thrust units comprising of engine, generator, and lift unit all in line in a nacelle in either Tractor or pusher propeller configuration.

The coupled thrust unit was used extensively throughout the 1930’s and early war years in fighter designs. However, advances in power generation and conditioning gave rise to the decoupled single unit first coming into mainstream use in 1939. These high power units had an engine/generator that could supply more power as a single unit than the twins that went before it. The lift generators therefor became separate units installed in winglets . Such an example was the Vickers Supermarine Spectre which was largely designed around this engine/lift generation concept as were the Schneider racers before it.

The ultimate SBD-146 Spool was the “58” (as shown in the advert above) which had 3 times the lifting capacity of first SBD-146 and improved surface control features. The “58” along with the Tesla-Royce Kestrel power generator will always be associated the Hawker Hound series and especially the Hunting Hound MK4b that equipped most fighter squadrons in the Battle of Britain.

Done as a companion to

so that anyone wondering what the thing is in the foreground of Hanger Hound now knows that I haven't really got a clue either

Field coil spool modelled in Modo an slapped into Photoshop for a spot of ageing and stuff.

Description
Looking through some really old late 30’s Flight magazines and came across this rare advert for Aero Electric Field coil Spools. The field coils were the heart of the lift generators usually surrounded by heat dissipating fins and, in some cases, even water cooling jackets.

Aero Electric were at the forefront of lift generator design being the first to successfully generate an air pressure manipulation field in 1917 although it took almost 5 years to perfect from this point to a viable “flying” unit for an aeroplane - which is another story.

The SBD-146 series were in use from the very early 1930’s and were developed in line with the ever increasing outputs of aero engine/ generator designs of the period. The 5th generation of the SBD-146 series spool was part of the standardised so called coupled thrust units comprising of engine, generator, and lift unit all in line in a nacelle in either Tractor or pusher propeller configuration.

The coupled thrust unit was used extensively throughout the 1930’s and early war years in fighter designs. However, advances in power generation and conditioning gave rise to the decoupled single unit first coming into mainstream use in 1939. These high power units had an engine/generator that could supply more power as a single unit than the twins that went before it. The lift generators therefor became separate units installed in winglets . Such an example was the Vickers Supermarine Spectre which was largely designed around this engine/lift generation concept as were the Schneider racers before it.

The ultimate SBD-146 Spool was the “58” (as shown in the advert above) which had 3 times the lifting capacity of first SBD-146 and improved surface control features. The “58” along with the Tesla-Royce Kestrel power generator will always be associated the Hawker Hound series and especially the Hunting Hound MK4b that equipped most fighter squadrons in the Battle of Britain.

Done as a companion to

so that anyone wondering what the thing is in the foreground of Hanger Hound now knows that I haven't really got a clue either

Field coil spool modelled in Modo an slapped into Photoshop for a spot of ageing and stuff.