If It Can Fly, It Can Float!!!

johnbr · Jan 3, 2019

Catapult trials of a Loening-Keystone XO2L-1
During the inter-war period, most navies experimented with and perfected the catapult launching of aircraft from ships. The role of ship-launched aircraft for observation, spotting for the guns and scouting was fully recognised. The Loening Company developed, in particular, amphibious seaplanes and the similarity between these amphibians and those of the Grumman company are not fortuitous. Leroy Grumman was General Manager at Loening and when he left the company to start his own, he incorporated many concepts developed at Loening. This photograph shows the sole prototype XO2L-1 sometime around 1932, performance was such that the Navy did not pursue trials, note the arrester hook. Ironically,the Navy went to Grummans looking for a new amphibian and the result was the JF/J2F Duck.
Verso: "Verso: "Navy tests catapults at Washington Navy Yard. Washington D.C. A combination of the oldest and the newest weapons of warfare, the catapult, which hurled missiles into beleaguered cities in the Middle Ages and the airplane of today, has been developed by the U.S. Navy to release planes from small decks of ships and its undergoing tests at the Navy Yard here. This picture shows a thrilling closeup of an amphibian plane as it is hurled into the air after a run of only 60 feet, by the catapult. The carriage and arresting gear of the catapult are also shown in the photo".

20cm x 15cm Gelatin silver print

johnbr · Jan 3, 2019

A Loire 130 on board the French cruiser La Marseillaise, February 1938
The Loire 130 first flew in 1934. It was aid to be ugly - a compliment it shared with the Supermarine Walrus - but it had a sturdy appearance and was used in many roles, being carried by all major French warships. Endurance was 7 ½ hours at 93 mph with the pilot in an open cockpit above and to the rear of the main cabin - we can just see the top of his windscreen. The Loire 130 carried two 7.5mm Darne machine guns in bow and dorsal positions and could carry two 165-lb bombs, it was launched from a compressed air type of catapult fixed to the top of the aft gun turrent.
Verso: "Appareil de la Marseillaise placé sur sa catapulte pour le lancement. Février 1938 " in pencil

8.2cm x 5cm Gelatin silver print

johnbr · Jan 3, 2019

Marine Nationale Gourdou-Leseurre GL812
Top The Gourdou-Leseurre GL812 also had a light alloy fuselage on a steel tube structure. We can see the pilot and the gunner at their posts, the observer is doing something on the wing. Initially, the observer had the centre post but was moved back in the L-3 model. Note the flying helments and the headrests for pilot and gunner, very useful during catapult launches. This aircraft doesn't seem as yet to have been allotted to a squadron as the only identification is the number 57.

Middle The GL812 could be catapulted off a ship, here the seaplane carrier Commandant Teste. Note the aircraft rests on the trolly by the float supports as opposed to the fuselage as for the Hawker Osprey shown above and as a result, a strengthened float structure was required. The ramp used to propel the trolly forward can be seen through the lattice structure of the catapult
Bottom This aircraft is from the 7S2 squadron and is being recovered onto the Commandant Teste in the port of Arzew in 1937. Just left of centre in the foreground is one of the unshielded 3.9 inch guns and on the raised deck are two quick-firing guns, whilst a sailor seems to be painting the underside of this structure.

Top Verso "Gourdou-Leseurre" in pencil

small_Commandant Teste Arzew mai 1937 grue avion.jpg

small_Commandant Teste Arzew mai 1937 catapult avion.jpg

Top 100041 10.7cm x 6.3cm Gelatin silver print

Middle 21043 16.4cm x 10.9cm Gelatin silver print

Bottom 21043 16.4cm x 10.9cm Gelatin silver print

johnbr · Jan 3, 2019

Marine Nationale Breguet 521 Bizerte
Top The Breguet 521 Bizerte was a French development of the British Short Calcutta flying boat built under licence by Breguet. This long-range reconnaissance aircraft had a two-tier flight deck and an open bow gun position initially. Note the impressive span of the upper wing - over 35m.
Bottom This photograph shows one (N°18) of the batch that were ordered in 1936 with the elimination of the open bow gun position and the extended cockpit canopy which was well-adapted for the role of long-range reconnaissance. Note the important dihedral angle of the upper wing, the radio direction finding aerial on the top of the wing, the wolf emblem of the E1 squadron on the hull and the gun blister just aft of the cockpit. This aircraft is flying over the Iles du Frioul off the coast of Marseille in 1937.
Top 94061 Verso : " Bréguet " Bizerte " in pencil, " 1934 " in red crayon and " Hydravion Breguet " Bizerte " de Haute Mer 1938" (sic) in blue ink

Bottom 87 Verso: "Bréguet-Bizerte Poids total: 17 tonnes Force moteurs: 2550 CV." in black ink
Top 94061 20.8cm x 15.7cm Gelatin silver print

Bottom 87 37.8cm x 27.9cm Gelatin silver print

johnbr · Jan 3, 2019

Saunders-Roe SR.A/1
One. The Saunders-Roe SR.A/1 was a revolutionary, water-based aircraft with a top speed in excess of 500 mph. Construction began in 1946 to produce this single-seater, twin jet-propelled flying boat fighter. It had no official name and was referred to as the "Squirt" but the project came to an end in the early 1950s as the Squirt lost out in the competition with the new land-based jet fighters that were appearing on the scene plus the success in war of the aircraft carrier. Shown here is one of the three prototypes (TG263) with the initial Perspex bubble canopy. It had two Metropolitan-Vickers F.2/4 Beryl axial flow turbojets placed side by side in the fuselage and sharing the same nose air intake but with separate exhausts. Surprisingly, it is said that there was no problem with water ingestion but the SR.A/1 was not designed to operations in choppy seas.

Two. The first test flight took place on 16th July 1947 and the test pilot Geoffrey Tyson reported satisfactory handling of the flying boat both in the air and on water. Here, the flying boat is just sitting on the step of the planing hull.

Three. The SR.A/1 had semi-retractable floats to improve the aerodynamics. Each float first pivoted inwards through 90° before the arm folded into a well in the lower surface of the wing. This way, only the streamlined part of each float was exposed. In the first photograph, we can see the two dark bands of the pivoting mechanism on each float. In the lower photograph, we can see the orifice for the planed four nose-mounted Hispano 20mm cannons.
Four. TG263 was brought out of store in November 1950 and hydrodynamic tests recommenced, the last flight being in June 1951. Here we can see the underwing recess on the port wing and the float pivot points as two dark areas on the starboard float.
Five. After the initial trials, several modifications were made including replacement of the Perspex bubble canopy with a metal canopy and reducing the rudder horn balance as can be seen in this photograph. A short take-off could be attained - 26 seconds - by retracting the wing floats, and so reducing drag, once the aircraft had lateral stability.
One. Verso: "SR A1" in black ink
Two. Verso: "Britain has first jet flying boat fighter. 30.7.47. The first jet-propelled flying boat fighter in the world - the Saunders-Roe A1 - was successfully tested at Cowes, Isle of Wight, this afternoon. It is fitted with twin Metropolitan Vickers jet units known as the Beryl, but its maximum speed is a top secret. The picture shows the jet-propelled flying boat taking off on her trial flight to-day."
Three. Verso: "First flying boat tested. 31.7.47. The world's first jet-propelled flying boat fighter, the Saunders-Roe SR/A1 made its first …. appearance over the Solent yesterday, after …."hush-hush" test flights. It has ….a speed of more than 400m.p.h….in a pressurised cabin, and it….cannon. The pilot has an ejector seat."

The source of all the post text above and pictures : Naval Aviation

Images - catalogue number 96095, 31008, 66039, 95038 & 94090