HawkeyeHobbies wrote: |
There may have been some late '40s aircraft that used it. But remember that it was expensive and early production aircraft were not designed for long term use...they were expendable weapons like tanks and rifles. Once control was established and the loss rate diminished, less losses meant fewer aircraft needed to be produced, which opened up more available resources. Most high pressure lines were solid tubing, or reinforced hoses. As the processes developed the things like steel braided hoses (which have a "plastic" liner inside) came into being. |
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to take this a step further, I had the chance to get a very close look at some jet engines built before the end of WWII (Whittle Jet engines built in the states). Cannot remember any flex hose period on them. They used 1045 hydraulic tubing (seamless and drawn over a mandrel) was bent to fit whatever aplication they needed. Reason I remember it so well was that I found a couple thousand feet of it in a storage area, and promptly stole it. The stuff bent like wresteling with a twenty foot python, and was actually older than I was (still had the mil spec contract data cards with it). But I think the first engine I saw with stainless braided hose on it was a J33 or maybe even a J47.
just another note here. The fuel lines used on those engines were copper plated steel, and I think they still are. I got ahold of a later batch that was annealed and copper plated, and bent like it was wet pasta.
gary