This is the post dedicated to the RAT (Ram Air Turbine) or Air driven generator of the Draken airplane. It is photographed in its lowered position under the belly – the inner compartment details are visible too.
1. Ram Air Turbine & Door
The RAT is placed close behind the front undercarriage of the Draken. Here are four photographs depicting the RAT with adjacent door from the different directions:
This is the frontal view – the airplane nose is behind us. The yellow and black circular box is the safety propeller cover.
Now the camera is placed on the right-hand (starboard) side of the plane behind the RAT and looking toward the airplane nose (upper picture). The camera is on the right-hand side again but in lower position looking upwards – so you can see the RATs open door inner surface (lower picture).
Please note the hinge structure – its movable part is green coloured – the turbine body and door is attached to it.
This is the left-hand (port) side of the Ram Turbine. The prop fan shape and thickness are well visible here.
2. RAT compartment details
The Ram Air Turbine compartment is a very interesting place! Would you try to scratchbuild it within your Draken project? 😀
The camera placed under the belly is looking directly inside the RAT compartment here. Nose of the plane is heading to the top of the photograph while the RAT body is on the left. Please note the air intake ducts inside – which create the “side walls” of the well.
For your better orientation the small red airplane logo was placed inside following pictures. Logo is always paralell with the real airplane – i.e. it is heading toward its nose. You can find it in the lower portion of each picture near its corners.
Camera is lifting up and we see closer inside.
Here is not enough space for photographers hands inside, so the camera turns slightly to the left as it rises up (lower picture).
Too close? O. K. We will go back down again…
Let us see the “roof” and a left-hand side too:
Please note the ribbed air intake duct between the front and rear walls.
The front wall close up (upper picture) and the right-hand side of the compartment (below). Please note the RAT hinges (two lower pictures) and chain connecting (probably) the blocking lock and the propeller’s safety cover:
And finally the rear wall close-up below:
You have enough material now to make the whole RAT as I hope. My special thanks belong to Juraj Bojkovsky for his superb photographs used in this article.
For more references concerning this nice airplane, please also see the previous Draken deatails – Part I., II., III., IV. and V.
My older Austrian Draken walkaround can be found here.
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Text Copyright © 2013 by Marcel Meres.
Images Copyright © 2012 by Juraj Bojkovsky.