Fairey Firefly Ideas and Inspiration

[GTX_Admin]

A thread for your Fairey Firefly Ideas and Inspiration.

[GTX_Admin]

To start with, what about a floatplane version, probably with Spitfire style floats:

[GTX_Admin]

[GTX_Admin]

Ethiopian Fireflies:

[upnorth]

There's a lot of space for a good reece camera set up in the back if you remove the gear and seat. Cut some holes where they need to be for the cameras and paint over the glass (or engineer a solid panel replacement for the glass) and you'd have a decently ranged carrier borne reece platform.

It could be interesting to stick a Dart or other early turboprop engine into it. Design the radiators off the wings to reduce drag while you're at it.

[kitnut617]

Ethiopian Fireflies:

IIRC, these were some of the six aircraft a Canadian got hold of so he could retore at least one to flying condition. Read about it in one of the Air-Britain quarterlies I get a few years ago. I've also got a late '40's 'The Aeroplane' cutaway too.

[apophenia]

Robert: There were six ex-RCN Firefly FR.1s abandoned at Asmara but, AFAIK, only four were recovered - two went to South Africa, two more came back to Canada - DK560 going to CAM, PP462 to Shearwater.

[kitnut617]

Yes Stephen, they were left there as a source of spare parts for the region. There were more than six though, but the boneyard got tied up in one of the many conflicts that sprung up.  They had planned to make a careful assessment of what was there before picking out aircraft to take, but the recovery team were basically told 'not to f*!k around, grab what they want and get out double quick'.

[The Big Gimper]

I have seen DK560 at the CASM. Tucked up again the wall. Maybe in the restoration hanger now.

[jcf]

One day when I was working at Heli-Pro at the airfield in Bellingham, Washington in '95-'96 we heard
the sound of big piston engines over the field. Went out the runway side of the building and was treated
to the sight of a P-51D and Firefly WH-632 beating up the runway. They made five passes up and down
the runway at fairly low level and then flew off to the northwest, most likely on the way back to Victoria.

This was not long after the Firefly's second rebuild in Victoria following its crash in 1992 on what was
supposed to be its delivery flight to the Canadian Warplane Heritage museum in Hamilton, Ontario.

It was quite the sight.
 

[The Big Gimper]

I was looking to whether there ever was a Bristol Centaurus with a contra-prop. The answer is no. Never done.

BUT I did find this. That a Fairey took a Mk. IV with fitted one as a trial installation.


Firefly-MK.IV-Contra-prop-02 by Big Gimper, on Flickr


Firefly-MK.IV-Contra-prop by Big Gimper, on Flickr

[GTX_Admin]

 

Of course, you now have me thinking about a Bristol Centaurus powered Firefly...

[The Big Gimper]

I happen to re-arranging my work space again so I have access to the Airfix Firefly Mk.V, a Centaurus engine cowl and a Napier Sabre engine

The width of the Firefly nose is about 2' 10"
The width of the Sabre cowl is about 3' 6"
The width of Centaurus cowl is about 5

The Napier Sabre appears to be your best bet if you want more HP.