On Mon, 30 Jul 2007 23:05:22 GMT, Bruce in Alaska
wrote:

....
All this talk of "Water Injection" during WWII, was for Fighter Aircraft
and Combat Flying, where the only way to win was to Out HosrePower the
opposition, and that required Water Injection into High Preformance
AvGas Fueled Aircraft Engines, like the Rolls/Merlins and Allisons
used in Spitfires, and P51D's. Water Injection gained about 10% increase
in HorsePower with a noticable reduction in Service Life. Engines
Service Lives for these type Engines were in the SUB 1K Hours, and for
every 1 minute of "Water Injection" you would lose around 5 Hours of
Service Life. Water Injection was called "Full Military Boost Power"
and that really meant "Balls to the Wall, No ****, if I don't do it, that
guy is going to Shot my Ass out of the Sky". If you need that kind of
power, for a 1/2 hour Dogfight, your engine was basically JUNK when you
limped Home, BUT you were still ALIVE. Ever wonder why the shipped
replacement engines overseas at a rate of 5:1 to new aircraft. That's
Why.
.....
Bruce in alaska


I got an authentic feeling from Bruce's input, but I seem to recall a
WW11 dogfight might last 3 minutes - and a fighter engine might go 5
to 10 hours before a pull for service.

Brian W