Admiral Beez
Captain
Okay, now we're really going to trigger our resident contrarians. Come out ye all, don't be shy. It's early 1937, some overfunded, bored or insane procurement mgr at the Air Ministry asks Vickers to design a carrier-capable variant of the Vickers Wellesley. Requirements include the ability to fit down the 45 by 22 feet (13.7 by 6.7 m) lifts and 16 feet (4.9 m) tall hangar of the new Illustrious class carriers (begun in April 1937), able to carry a torpedo or 2,000 lbs of bombs, able to take off (without catapult, from mid aft) and land fully loaded with WOD of 25 knots. Must also be catapult capable.
Vickers will take the government money, so they get to work on a prototype. What do we see the result looking like? Are the underwing pods maintained? Will these pods when loaded and the undercarriage hold up to arrested landings and catapult launches? If the pods are deleted, presumably to allow the wings to fold, how are the bombs attached to the geodesic structure? Can the geodesic wings fold? Can the Bristol Pegasus manage to get this huge beast airborne?
Vickers will take the government money, so they get to work on a prototype. What do we see the result looking like? Are the underwing pods maintained? Will these pods when loaded and the undercarriage hold up to arrested landings and catapult launches? If the pods are deleted, presumably to allow the wings to fold, how are the bombs attached to the geodesic structure? Can the geodesic wings fold? Can the Bristol Pegasus manage to get this huge beast airborne?
Last edited: