Not bad at all...
Aircraft Mock-Ups (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Capt. Vick
- Start date
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Nice shots guys!
buffnut453
Captain
That's what happens when a Mirage 2000 gets too friendly with a Tornado GR4 (ok...the timelines are off but you get the drift).
johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
The FK.55 mockup had a 29.5 ft (9.0 m) wingspan and was 27.6 ft (8.4 m) long. The complete aircraft was forecasted to weigh 2,425 lb (1,100 kg) empty and 3,638 lb (1,650 kg) loaded. Estimated performance for the FK.55 included a top speed of 323 mph (520 km/h) at 13,123 ft (4,000 m) and a cruising speed of 280 mph (450 km/h) at the same altitude. The aircraft had an initial rate of climb of 2,983 fpm (15.2 m/s), a service ceiling of 31,496 ft (9,600 m), and a range of 559 mi (900 km).
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wuzak
Captain
Here's another one that was a mock up on an existing airframe; this was the prototype Mosquito after the idea of a turret was put forward to night fighter specification F.18/40, released in October 1940, but amended to include the turret in December that year.
When the prototype, which still exists in Britain, was undergoing overhaul they discovered the mountings for this mock up turret and the fittings were left in place since this was a little known aspect of the type's career. It was actually flown with the turret fitted in July 1941, achieving a maximum speed of 278 mph and although this was fast for the time, it had previously achieved 388 mph during trials at Boscombe Down in February 1941.
Another turret Mosquito mock up, presumably to F.18/40 and most likely the same aircraft, W4050:
The second picture is the Turret Fighter prototype - I think W4053 or W4054. Will have to check when I get home.
The Turret Fighter did fly, but it one major drawback - the turret motor wasn't powerful enough.
On one occasion John de Havilland was in the turret with brother Geoffrey at the controls and another engineer in the navigator's seat. John was operating the turret when he found that he could rotate the turret so that the guns faced forward. Which would have been a problem had he needed to bail out, since the exit door was in that direction.
Some factory workers may have gone for joy rides in the aircraft, sneaking aboard the aircraft and hiding in the turret.
W4050 lost about 20mph in all out level speed with the turret mock up in place.
Bomber variants were never to get turrets, but fixed rearward firing "scare" guns were considered.
wuzak
Captain
From Ian Thirsk, de Havilland Mosquito , An Illustrated History, Volume 2:
W4053, the Turret Fighter prototype...was constructed at Salisbury Hall bewteen May and September 1941., and equipped with a four-machine-gun Bristol turret located behind teh cockpit. This was in accordance with Air Ministry instructions to complete two of the initial batch of fighters with gun turrets, the armament of the latter replacing the nose-machine guns. W4053 made its maiden flight (in teh hands of Geoffrey de Havilland Junior) from Salisbury Hall on Sunday 14 September 1941, losing part of its turret on the way to Hatfield.
Ted Lovatt (the chargehand responsible for the installation of hydraulic and pneumatic systems in the Salisbury Hall-built prototypes) once flew in W40153 with Geoffrey de Havilland Junior while John de Havilland rode in the turret. Ted Recalls: "John went in the turret but we didn't have intercom so if we wanted to talk to John I had to turn round and try to make out what he was talking about. So off we went, got up to a resonable speed, then John tried out the turret. All the way round the back of him everything worked beautifully, but when he tried to the turret forwards over the top of the cockpit - which was the rest position for the guns and, incidentally, the only position in which you could get in and out, the thing just stalled on him because of the force of the slipstream. We had two more flights like that, then it was banned - nobody was allowed to fly in it. On one occasion, as the machine was taxying out I saw a head pop up inside the turret. We managed to get Geoffrey and stop it and it was a bloke trying to get a flight without anyone knowing he was there...."
W4053, the Turret Fighter prototype...was constructed at Salisbury Hall bewteen May and September 1941., and equipped with a four-machine-gun Bristol turret located behind teh cockpit. This was in accordance with Air Ministry instructions to complete two of the initial batch of fighters with gun turrets, the armament of the latter replacing the nose-machine guns. W4053 made its maiden flight (in teh hands of Geoffrey de Havilland Junior) from Salisbury Hall on Sunday 14 September 1941, losing part of its turret on the way to Hatfield.
Ted Lovatt (the chargehand responsible for the installation of hydraulic and pneumatic systems in the Salisbury Hall-built prototypes) once flew in W40153 with Geoffrey de Havilland Junior while John de Havilland rode in the turret. Ted Recalls: "John went in the turret but we didn't have intercom so if we wanted to talk to John I had to turn round and try to make out what he was talking about. So off we went, got up to a resonable speed, then John tried out the turret. All the way round the back of him everything worked beautifully, but when he tried to the turret forwards over the top of the cockpit - which was the rest position for the guns and, incidentally, the only position in which you could get in and out, the thing just stalled on him because of the force of the slipstream. We had two more flights like that, then it was banned - nobody was allowed to fly in it. On one occasion, as the machine was taxying out I saw a head pop up inside the turret. We managed to get Geoffrey and stop it and it was a bloke trying to get a flight without anyone knowing he was there...."
Good shots!
Interesting confirmation, thanks Wuzak.
Really nice guy; used to work with Ian.
fubar57
General
I thought we had an Ugly Aircraft thread but I can't find the dang thing. Anyhoooo a one off. A carrier aircraft no less. I present the
Miles M.35 Libellula!!!!!!
Wiki info here...
Miles M.35 Libellula - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
More weird and wonderful aircraft here, some familiar, some not. It's all in Japanese so break of the translator...
異形の航空機 第２次世界大戦前・戦中編 写真特集：時事ドットコム
Miles M.35 Libellula!!!!!!
Wiki info here...
Miles M.35 Libellula - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
More weird and wonderful aircraft here, some familiar, some not. It's all in Japanese so break of the translator...
異形の航空機 第２次世界大戦前・戦中編 写真特集：時事ドットコム
- Thread starter
- #250
The $5 billion mockup...the stillborn A-12 Avenger II
- Thread starter
- #251
Not sure about this one. F-14 competitor?
- Thread starter
- #253
Ah! Nice looking bird!
Nice shots guys!
johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
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johnbr
2nd Lieutenant
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Old Wizard
2nd Lieutenant
Good shots!
buffnut453
Captain
This is another aircraft that looks like the offspring of 2 other types. One imagines this would be the result of an amorous liaison between an F-14 and a Mirage III.
