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Isn't the sound of a RR Merlin engine, powering the Spitfire flying over my neighbourhood at the moment, one of the most beautiful mechanical sounds there is? Only bettered by a Lanc with four of them.

I remember seeing a flypast in London during the 70's and the Lanc was there flanked by a Spitfire and a Hurricane. Truly an amazing sound.
I've worked on engines most of my working life ,steam reciprocating to RB 211 jets and I've yet to hear a note to match.

The Merlin was a masterpiece of engineering. My dad used to maintain them and had a couple of crow bars made from Merlin parts. 70 years on a not a jot of rust on them. Made to last.

Fans of the Merlin may like to read Leo McKinstry's two recent volumes, 'Spitfire' and 'Lancaster', the latter of which I read last week. He mentions the dispersed Avro factories including the huge one at what was Yeadon Airport, now Leeds/Bradford. As a kid, on trips to look at the planes back in the 50s, the factory was very much as it had looked in 1945 when the last of the nearly 3000 built there came off the line. It was covered in grass and had sheep grazing on it.

If you get a chance to visit the Imperial War Museum in London they have a Merlin with much of it sectioned to show the inner workings. If I remember correctly, they have a Brough Superior in the same display. I think it's the bike that T. E. Lawrence was killed on.

Dick Moby wrote:

> I remember seeing a flypast in London during the 70's and the
> Lanc was there flanked by a Spitfire and a Hurricane. Truly an
> amazing sound.
> I've worked on engines most of my working life ,steam
> reciprocating to RB 211 jets and I've yet to hear a note to
> match.

I'm just happy that people still appreciate this stuff. Our computerised, super efficient environmentally 'friendly' world often seems so boringly sterile.

As a teenager I had the great good fortune to know George Clegg who started with RR in Manchester in 1906 and worked with them until retiring at 70 in 1956.

He worked for both the car and the aero engine divisions and for me, as a car and aircraft nut, his stories were fascinating. The accuracy to which they worked, from the earliest days, without anything other than slide rules, micrometers and the human eye was incredible and it was that, plus attention to detail, which gave RR the reputation it justly deserved.

Some of his reminiscences are here: http://www.rrec.org.uk/History/People/G ... nisces.php

In the late 1950s Dan Air used to do a London - Manchester - Glasgow freight flight using Avro Yorks which came over home around 20.15 each weekday evening. From time to time I'd stand with George listening to the four Merlins.

Mostly we'd stand and listen but from time to time he make a comment such as " there's a problem with the timing on one of those" or, more often, "isn't that just magnificent".

The Lanc, a Spit and a Hurry from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight flew over a reception I was at last week on their way to the Eastbourne Air Show. I'm waiting for them to fly over my house on their way to the Shoreham Airshow now.
Yes, multiple Merlins are a most evocative sound, and the engines were an experience to work on, even if they were the downrated Meteor fitted to Cents.

Isn't that what the Mayor of Hiroshima said after the flash?