Tom Maxwell
Well Known Member
OK, I am going to show my ignorance. Can someone please give me the short explanation of the physics of an inverted oil system?
I think I understand the basics -- a pickup tube in the top and bottom of the sump with a checkvalve that switches between the two based on attitude? Or maybe I don't, correct me if I am wrong.
But not knowing the internals of an aircraft engage, I am working from a vision of an automobile engine with a crankshaft sitting above a pan of oil. If a car were to be inverted, the crank would be submerged in oil and the oil would run throughout the engine which I don't suspect would be a good thing.
What happens to the oil in the sump when an aircraft engine is inverted? Does it not fall down on the crankshaft?
I think I understand the basics -- a pickup tube in the top and bottom of the sump with a checkvalve that switches between the two based on attitude? Or maybe I don't, correct me if I am wrong.
But not knowing the internals of an aircraft engage, I am working from a vision of an automobile engine with a crankshaft sitting above a pan of oil. If a car were to be inverted, the crank would be submerged in oil and the oil would run throughout the engine which I don't suspect would be a good thing.
What happens to the oil in the sump when an aircraft engine is inverted? Does it not fall down on the crankshaft?