Frustated Projects

[gekho]

The Short S.14 Sarafand was a British biplane flying boat built by Short Brothers. It was planned as a general reconnaissance aircraft for military service. When it was built in 1932 it was the largest aircraft that had been built in the United Kingdom. The Sarafand was first proposed by Oswald Short in 1928 as an enlarged development of the Singapore II, to provide transatlantic range capabilitity. Short managed to persuade first his chief designer Arthur Gouge and then the Chief of the Air Staff, Sir Hugh Trenchard (later Viscount Trenchard) of the feasibility of such a large aircraft and Air Ministry specification R.6/28 was drawn up to define the project. It was conducted as a public/private joint venture, the Air Ministry funding it with £60,000 and Short Brothers providing the rest. The aircraft was originally designated the Short R6/28 before being named the Sarafand.

The Sarafand was a six-engined biplane flying boat with equal span wings. Due to the high wing end loads, Gouge specified corrugated steel spars for both upper and lower wings. The six engines, in tractor/pusher pairs, were housed in monocoque nacelles mounted between the wings on integral girders; the central nacelle was further supported by two pairs of splayed struts to the lower wing-roots. The hull, largely constructed of anodised Alclad, had a stainless-steel planing bottom. It had a monoplane tail unit with one large fin and two small auxiliary fins on the tailplane.

Source: Short Sarafand - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[gekho]

A helicopter with extremely advanced capabilities for its time, the Fa 223 was fundamentally an extension of the concept which had produced the smaller Fw 61 and employed a generally similar arrangement of twin counter-rotating rotors mounted on outriggers from the main airframe and driven by a fuselage-mounted radial engine. In the case of the Fa 223, however, the engine was installed amidships in the fabric-covered steel-tube fuselage to the rear of the 4-seat passenger compartment. The forward part of this cabin was a multiple-panelled enclosure made up of flat Plexiglas panels, and the aircraft was fitted with a tricycle undercarriage. Usual powerplant was a 1000hp Bramo 323Q3 radial engine.

The Fa 223 actually originated as the Fa 266, ordered in 1938 as a feeder transport helicopter for Deutsche Lufthansa, but by the time the prototype (D-OCEB) was completed in autumn 1939 a new designation confirmed its adoption instead for a military role. Manufacturer's trials with the Fa 223V1 revealed slight instability at the lower end of the speed range, but the helicopter's general handling and controllability were excellent and on 28 October 1940 D-OCEB was flown to a record height of 7100m. Official acceptance trials early in 1942 were followed by an order for one hundred Fa 223E production helicopters; by July a second prototype (D-OCEW) had flown but the ten other Fa 223's completed that year were destroyed by Allied air attack. Further raids in July 1944 destroyed six of the eight additional aircraft then completed and flown, together with all others under assembly. The only other example to be built was one completed at a new Berlin factory set up to build Fa 223's at the rate of four hundred per month for the German armed forces, and by VE-day only three airworthy Fa 223's survived. One of these, flown in September 1945 to the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment in southern England, became the first helicopter to fly the English Channel, exactly seventeen years after the first rotorcraft crossing by the Cierva C.8L autogiro. Unfortunately, on only its third test flight in Britain, it was written off when it crashed from 18m after a vertical take-off.

Three known examples were completed after the end of World War 2, all from captured or salvaged components. One of these was built, with the assistance of Doktor Heinrich Focke, by the SNCA du Sud-Est in France with the designation SE.3000 and flown on 23 October 1948. The other pair, designated VR-1, were built at the Ceskoslovenske Zavody Letecke (formerly Avia) factory in Czechoslovakia. Uncompleted German wartime projects included proposals to produce a 4-rotor helicopter by joining two Fa 223's together in tandem with a new fuselage centre-section; and the much larger Fa 284 crane helicopter to be powered by two 1600 or 2000hp BMW engines and capable in the latter form of lifting a 7000kg payload.

Source: Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 "Drache" helicopter - development history, photos, technical data

 

[gekho]

As a class of vehicle the helicopter had no single inventor, any more than the fixed-wing aeroplane did. Much of the credit for the modern helicopter goes, deservedly, to Igor Sikorsky; but in Britain, France, Italy, Germany and the U.S.S.R. contemporaries of Sikorsky all produced significant designs well before the historic VS-300 had left the ground. High on the short list of helicopter pioneers must come the name of Doktor Heinrich Karl Johann Focke, whose Fw 61 made its first free flight, lasting 28 seconds, on 26 June 1936. This was, coincidentally, exactly one year after the less-publicised flight of the Breguet-Dorand machine, which can thus claim to have been the first really practical helicopter to have flown in Europe. But the Fw 61, once it had begun to fly, rapidly proved itself a much superior machine to the Breguet, not only as regards performance but as a practical basic design capable of much further development. The Focke-Achgelis GmbH was an offshoot of the Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau, established after Focke had been dismissed from the latter company by the Nazis as a political embarrassment. Focke's first experience of rotorcraft construction and operation was gained from building the Cierva C.19 and C.30 autogiros under licence, and then in 1934 he built and flew successfully a scale model helicopter that rose to a height of some 18m. There followed a period of research into, and testing of, rotor and transmission systems before, in 1936, the Fw 61 prototype made its appearance.

Registered D-EBVU, the Fw 61V1 utilised the fuselage and Sh.14A engine of a Focke-Wulf Fw 44 Stieglitz basic trainer, with the tailplane mounted on top of the fin and the propeller cut down to the diameter of the engine cylinders to serve purely as a cooling fan. It gave no assistance to the aircraft in forward flight, though its presence may have led the Hungarian engineer von Asboth to believe that the Fw 61 was really an autogyro, for he vehemently challenged the helicopter records set up by the German machine. Focke confirmed, however, that not only were these all genuine helicopter flights, but that every landing was made vertically. The twin rotors, mounted on steel-tube outriggers on either side of the cabin, were fully-articulated 3-blade assemblies whose blade angle could be increased or decreased so as to provide lateral movement of the aeroplane by creating a lift differential between one side and the other. In May 1937, some months before a similar feat was accomplished by the Breguet-Dorand helicopter, the Fw 61 made its first landing using autorotation, and in February 1938 the aircraft's controllability was convincingly demonstrated by Germany's celebrated aviatrix Hanna Reitsch, who flew the machine inside the Deutsch-landhalle sports stadium in Berlin. Meanwhile a second prototype, D-EKRA, had been completed, and from mid-1937 the Fw 61 established the following list of FAI world records for helicopters:

25/26 June 1937 (pilot Ewald Rohlfs): 2439m altitude; 1 hr. 20 min. 49 sec. endurance; 80.604km distance in a straight line; 122.553km distance over a closed circuit; 16.40km/h speed over a closed circuit.

25 October 1937 (pilot Hanna Reitsch): 108.974km distance in a straight line.

20 June 1938 (pilot Karl Bode): 230.348km distance in a straight line.

29January 1939 (pilot Karl Bode): 3.427m altitude.

The obvious promise in the Fw 61's basic design led to a development contract for a 6-passenger feeder transport, the Fa 266 for Deutsche Lufthansa, and a prototype of this aircraft (D-OCEB) was completed during the early part of 1939. War intervened, however, before this machine could be flown, and it was subsequently developed for a military role with the type number Fa 223. Using as a starting point the experience gained from 1932 by Prof Heinrich Karl Focke in the licence building of Cierva Autogiros, the Focke Achgelis company began a series of helicopter experiments and model tests which culminated in the design of the Fa 61. Although a helicopter, the Fa 61 showed signs of having been influenced by the Cierva C.19 Autogiro, but its most strikingly obvious difference was its twin rotors mounted side by side. This layout of the rotors was to prove so successful in the helicopter field that Focke pursued it throughout the war (during which time nations such as Britain, the USA, and the USSR also produced helicopters with similar rotor mountings), and his rotor designs were further characterized by their exceptionally high disc loadings for the time.

The fuselage of the Fa 61 was no more than that of a conventional light aircraft with horizontal stabilizer attached to the top of the fin and rudder, a single open cockpit, a nose-mounted 160hp Bramo Sh 14A radial engine with a small two-blade cooling propeller, and a tail-sitting undercarriage. To prevent nosing-over, there was a small wheel fitted beneath the nose. Extending from either side of the forward part of the fuselage were two tubular-steel outrigger structures, which terminated in the rotor heads. A system of gears and shafts transmitted the engine power out to the two rotors, which revolved in opposite directions, each rotor having three articulated and tapered blades with cyclic pitch for longitudinal and directional control. Differential operation of the cyclic pitch gave lateral control by inducing asymmetric rotor lift.

With the test pilot Ewald Rohlfs at the controls, the Fa 61 made its first flight, of 28 seconds, on 26 June, 1936, and made its first autorotative landing in May the following year. Once developed, the great success of the machine was demonstrated by the series of new FAI world rotorcraft records it established until the start of the war, when official recording became impossible. On 25 June, 1937, with Rohlfs at the controls, the Fa 61 established an altitude record of 2,439m and an endurance record of 1 hr 20 min 49 sec. The following day, the same pilot and machine established a straight-line distance record of 16.4km, a closed-circuit distance record of 80.604km and a straight-line speed record of 122.553km/h over a 20km course. On 25 October, 1937, the straight line distance record was broken by Hanna Reitsch, who flew the Fa 61 helicopter 108.974km between Bremen and Berlin, and she also flew the machine indoors in the Deutschlandhalle, Berlin, in February 1938 to demonstrate the Fa 61's ease of control and sensitivity. The straight-line distance record was broken yet again by the Fa 61 on 20 June, 1938, when Karl Bode flew it 230.348km, and he established a new altitude record of 3,427m with the machine on 29 January, 1939, this being the last official record obtained by a German rotorcraft of pre-1945 vintage. Despite the great success of the Fa 61 and the large amount of publicity its noteworthy flights received, it was in reality no more than an experimental machine to put Prof Focke's ideas to the test. There was, however, to have been a two-seat sports version of the Fa 61, designated Fa 224, which would have had performance augmented by use of the more powerful 270hp Argus As 10C engine, but this was shelved with the advent of war. By 1938, design was already under way of a far more ambitious and useful helicopter, the Fa 266 (otherwise Fa 223).

Heinrich Focke's rotary-wing experience was gained initially from licence production of Cierva C.19 and C.30 autogyros, leading to development of the Focke-Wulf Fw 61 helicopter. The fuselage was similar to that of a light fixed-wing aircraft with a 119kW Bramo Sh. 14A radial engine mounted in the nose, the primary purpose of this power-plant being to drive two outrigger-mounted three-bladed counter-rotating rotors; it also turned a small-diameter conventional propeller for engine cooling purposes. The rotors were fully articulated and control was achieved by the use of cyclic pitch, differential pitch and differential collective pitch in the longitudinal, directional and lateral axes respectively. Vertical control was achieved by varying rotor revolutions through the use of the throttle, in contrast to the present method of maintaining reasonably constant rotor speed and altering the pitch of the blades.

Following a maiden flight on 26 June 1936, one that is usually reported as lasting for 28 seconds, but which is recorded in Heinrich Focke's log book as 45 seconds, the Fw 61 prototype completed its initial development programme and then established a number of world rotorcraft records. On 25 June 1937 Ewald Rohlfs flew it to a height of 2440m and remained airborne for 1 hour 20 minutes 49 seconds. Next day he set a straight-line distance record of 16.40km, a closed-circuit speed record of 122.55km/h and a closed-circuit distance record of 80.6km. Perhaps the most publicised flight was that made by Hanna Reitsch in the Deutschlandhalle during February 1938. Such achievements encouraged Deutsche Lufthansa to order a passenger-carrying development of this helicopter, leading to the Fa 223 and Fa 266. By then Heinrich Focke had formed the new company Focke-Achgelis Co. GmbH to concentrate on his interest in rotary-wing aircraft, this explaining the redesignation of the Fw 61 as the Fa 61.

Source: Focke-Wulf Fw 61 helicopter - development history, photos, technical data

 

[Gnomey]

Interesting stuff!

 

[vikingBerserker]

I agree, well done!

 

[gekho]

Attempting to regain its position as a supplier of fighter aircraft to the U.S. Navy (a position then dominated by Grumman Aircraft), Curtiss proposed in early 1941 the development of a high-performance, heavily armed fighter designed around a liquid-cooled engine. At that time the Navy was dedicated to air-cooled engines, but Curtiss' experience with the P-40 gave the company good grounds for its faith in a liquid-cooled unit, and on June 30, 1941 it received a contract for two prototypes, to be designated XF14C-1. The Lycoming XH-2470-4 engine in the first prototype failed to deliver the expected performance during wind tunnel testing, and the Navy eventually concluded that the performance of the XF14C-1 would be inadequate by the time it could be ready to enter service, and the program was cancelled in December 1943. Because the first airframe was virtually complete, the Navy suggested that it be flown with the Wright XR-3350-16 Cyclone engine, driving six-blade contra rotating propellers. In this configuration the aircraft was redesigned XF14C-2 and the first flight was made in July 1944. Performance again fell below expectations, and the R-3350 engine continued to suffer teething problems. The progress of the war in the Pacific made further development of the XF14C-2 unnecessary, and the program was cancelled in the early months of 1945. This history taken from the Unicraft website.

 

[gekho]

The Dewoitine D.33 was a single-engine low-wing monoplane aircraft built by the Dewoitine Company. It is remembered for setting a long-distance record on its first flight in 1930. Little is documented on the specifics and the basic model of the D.33, other than the fact that it had a fixed undercarriage, and was a low-wing cantilever monoplane. There were three documented variations to the model, each of which was designed as a separate aircraft. This line of aircraft were regarded highly commercially before World War II, and they were influential in the establishment of the Dewoitine Company.

 

[Gnomey]

Good stuff!

 

[Wayne Little]

Agreed!

 

[rochie]

nice stuff but some fugly birds in that selection

 

[vikingBerserker]

Interesting bird that is.

 

[gekho]

At the end of March 1933, criticism of the gulled wing of the D 560 led Emile Dewoitine to replace this with a wing of classic parasol form and of marginally reduced span and area. Re-designated D 570, the modified prototype entered flight test on 27 November 1933, transferring from Francazal to the Centre d'Essais at Villacoublay early in December. It flew back to Francazal for minor modifications, and, on 21 December, while returning to Villacoublay, suffered an aileron failure and was destroyed.

Source: Dewoitine D 570 - fighter

 

[gekho]

In August 1933 the French Ministry of Aviation published a program to build new military aircraft multi-role "BCR" (Bomber, Combat, and Reconnaissance). The SAB AB-80 was built for the task. The first flight of the single prototype took place at Mérignac on June 13th 1934 piloted by Mr. Descamps. The early flight testing was never fully completed as the company was taken over by Potez-Bloch and it was also up against 6 other aircraft for the task: The Amiot 144, Breguet 460, Bloch 130, Dewoitine 420, Farman 420 and Potez 541. The AB-80 was powered by two Hispano-suiza 860hp engines. Its defensive armament consisted of three planes 7.5-mm machine guns located on movable turrets. To bomb strikes plane could carry up to 2,000 pounds of conventional bombs (weighing from 10 to 500 kg) and 4 30 kg of flares. For ground attack it had a 25mm gun and flare could also be fired. To conduct reconnaissance flights mounted cameras were fitted.

Source: THE AVIATION ANORAK: Societe Aerienne Bordelaise AB-80

 

[gekho]

Conceived as a means of applying the promised advantages of jet propulsion to a single-seat fighter flying boat for use in the Pacific, the SR.44 was proposed by Saunders-Roe (Saro) during 1943. This proposal led to a contract for three prototypes being placed in May 1944 to Specification E.6/44. To be designated SR.A/1 before first flight, the fighter was of light alloy construction throughout, power being provided by two Metropolitan Vickers F2/4 Beryl turbojets and provision being made for an armament of four 20mm cannon grouped in the forward hull above the air intake. The first SR.A/1 did not fly until 16 July 1947, its Beryl turbojets each being rated at 1465kg. The second flew on 30 April 1948 with 1587kg Beryls and the third followed on 17 August of that year with fully rated Beryls of 1746kg. As no operational requirement remained for a fighter flying boat, official interest waned, and, after a brief revival of interest during the Korean War, the last surviving SR.A/1 was retired in June 1951.

Source: Saunders-Roe SR.A/1 - flying boat - fighter

 

[Wayne Little]

Interesting!

 

[gekho]

While the Wapiti and Wallace biplanes were yet giving good service with the Royal Air Force, thoughts were turning towards a successor capable of carrying a still greater load, and, in 1931, the Air Ministry issued a new General Purpose Specification - No. G.4/31 - from which the Westland team produced a pleasing two-seat high-wing monoplane design, known as the P.V.7. This machine, which was a further link in the Westland high-wing monoplane line, was capable of fulfilling all the standard general-purpose requirements and could, alternatively, be used as a torpedo-bomber, carrying an externally slung 450kg torpedo or an equivalent bomb load. The preliminary test-flights at Yeovil, in the hands of Mr. H. J. Penrose, produced extremely satisfactory results and there were high hopes that the machine would have a long production run. However, while undergoing extended official trials at Martlesham Heath, the P.V.7 was unfortunately wrecked.

Mr. Penrose, who was flying the machine solo at the time, was engaged in making a series of dives under overload conditions and, while travelling at high speed in rough air, the port rear outrigger strut failed under an unexpected down-load. The resulting fracture brought about the collapse of the complete wing structure and, as it broke away from the machine, it severed the empennage. The pilot made what must be one of the first parachute escapes from an enclosed-cockpit military aeroplane, emerging through one of the small side doors of the coupe and eventually landing unhurt some distance from the wreckage. The inevitable delay caused by the necessary investigation into the cause of the accident rendered the risk of building a further Private Venture too great, and the type, despite its great promise, was dropped. However, it paved the way for the next design, the Lysander, with results that are now a matter of world history.

Source: Westland PV.7 - general purpose, torpedo bomber

 

[WolfManSpecial]

Hola:
muy bueno TODO

 

[gekho]

Hola:
muy bueno TODO

Gracias, NO HAY DE QUE

 

[Gnomey]

Good stuff!

 

[vikingBerserker]

I agree, excellent info.