aircraft wheel: need ID

[Hanno Spoelstra]

This aircraft (tail)wheel was recently dredged from the North Sea by a fisherman.

Can anyone identify the type of aircraft it was orginally attached to?

Thanks,
Hanno

[Keith Webb]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

Can anyone identify the type of aircraft it was orginally attached to?

Maybe a Mosquito?

The reason I mention this is the Mossie often used a 'twin' type tyre like this one.

[sapper740]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

This aircraft (tail)wheel was recently dredged from the North Sea by a fisherman.

Can anyone identify the type of aircraft it was orginally attached to?

Thanks,
Hanno

A little difficult to grasp the size of this tailwheel with nothing beside it for scale, but from it's apparent size this would have come from a large a.c. most likely a bomber.
Derek.

[Grant Bowker]

The tail wheel is not/not from a Mosquito unless my reference sources are wrong.
Tires of this profile were usually tail wheels, usually mid to large sized aircraft (up to Lancaster size). Most British single seat fighters seem to have had tires of round section rather than the twin rib type, but some American single seaters used tires shaped like these (e.g P51 and P47, but the structure attached is wrong for them). I don't recall having seen this profile on German aircraft but.....

[Alex Blair (RIP)]

The oleo leg is a full fork design ,which may be the best way to identify the wheel assembly...

[Brian Gough]

An aviation friend of mine says it may be from a Bristol "Blenheim" light bomber.


Brian

[sapper740]

Hanno, any chance there is any lettering left on the tire? We all seem to be fixating on British possibilities when several German ac e.g. DO 17, He 111, Me110 could have had a similar tail wheel. Derek.

[Snowtractor]

Originally Posted by sapper740

A little difficult to grasp the size of this tailwheel with nothing beside it for scale, but from it's apparent size this would have come from a large a.c. most likely a bomber.
Derek.

The tire in the background looks to be about a 235/75 15 or 16" , if this is true they are about 30-31" tall. That puts the aircraft wheel about 16-18" at a guess.
Also , though likely WWII , don't forget civilian stuff.
Sean

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Originally Posted by Snowtractor

The tire in the background looks to be about a 235/75 15 or 16" , if this is true they are about 30-31" tall. That puts the aircraft wheel about 16-18" at a guess.
Also , though likely WWII , don't forget civilian stuff.
Sean

Actually, I was thinking it looked more like the front wheel off your Big Wheels, Sean... have you been someplace you shouldn't have been?

[sapper740]

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

Maybe a Mosquito?

The reason I mention this is the Mossie often used a 'twin' type tyre like this one.

Your suggestion has cachet Keith as there were many Mossie sorties across the North Sea to attack German shipping in Norway although the Mosquito suffered the lowest operational losses of any aircraft in WWII. The Mossie did have a fully castering tailwheel as the one in the pic appears to be. Derek.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by sapper740

Hanno, any chance there is any lettering left on the tire?

That question has been forwarded to the owner of this tailwheel.

Thanks for all the suggestions till now!

H.

[Grant Bowker]

Attached scan is from a reprint of AP2019, modern title "The Mosquito Manual". The publication contains pilots instructions and maitenance instructions for the Mosquito.
To my eyes, the stucture supporting the recovered wheel does not match the diagram.

[Keith Webb]

Originally Posted by Grant Bowker

Attached scan is from a reprint of AP2019, modern title "The Mosquito Manual". The publication contains pilots instructions and maitenance instructions for the Mosquito.
To my eyes, the stucture supporting the recovered wheel does not match the diagram.

I think you're right, Grant Let's rule out the Mossie.

[Darrell Brown]

Brian Gough alluded to the "Blenheim" and I believe he is correct, the fork is the same and the interior 'half curved" bracing is the same as Bolingbroke(RCAF types), with the exception of the V-type rubber wheel used for paved runways for wet conditions, cheers Darrell

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally Posted by Hanno Spoelstra

That question has been forwarded to the owner of this tailwheel.

From a data plate on the fork:

Type No. A8158
Serial No. WB/ACC 7446
Issue No. 7

Does this help to ID this tail wheel?

Thanks!
Hanno

[Snowtractor]

Originally Posted by Geoff Winnington-Ball

Actually, I was thinking it looked more like the front wheel off your Big Wheels, Sean... have you been someplace you shouldn't have been?

Indubitably My dear Watson