The Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress “Texas Raiders” of the Commemorative Air Force starts its engines at Warbirds Over Dallas this past October. Note the ground crew ready with the fire extinguishers. Note the slots on the wing just behind the engine nacelles- they’re the exhaust slots from the intercooler of the Flying Fortress’s turbosupercharger. The turbosupercharger is driven by exhaust gases from the radial engines- the turbine of the turbosupercharger compresses incoming air and delivers it to the engine, improving the engine’s power output at high altitude as it’s being fed compressed air as if it were operating at a lower altitude. However, one of the thermodynamic consequences of compressing the air is that it heats up and this can decrease the air density, offsetting the very compression you’re trying to accomplish. Intercoolers are used in turbosuperchargers reduce the air temperature and can also increase the pressure of compression by virtue of the flow restriction by the internal fins in the intercooler. If you look at the leading edges of the B-17’s wing, there are rectangular openings which are the intakes for incoming air that’s compressed by the turbosuperchargers and another intake that’s for the cooling air that flows through the intercooler. The exhaust air from the intercoolers is vented out through those slots on the top of the B-17’s wing. #Avgeek #aviation #aircraft #planeporn #KRBD #RBD #airport #planespotting #WingsOverDallas2021 #Boeing #B17 #FlyingFortress #instagramaviation #igaviationcontest #mil_aviation_originals #USAAF #instaaviation #TexasRaiders #CommemorativeAirForce #AvGeeksAero #AvGeekNation #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #TeamAvGeek (at Dallas Executive Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/CW94SSbsVkf/?utm_medium=tumblr













