Fairey Swordfish

[Daryl J.]

Now we all know the Swordfish is nearly perfect as is.

[finsrin]

Couple J-85's mounted A-10 style for takeoff and combat power.  What more could it need ?

[GTX_Admin]

How about an inline version?

[finsrin]

How about an inline version?

Make it a Merlin + the jets.    Now Swordfish needs drop tanks for fuel.

[jcf]

How about an inline version?

Done, by Fairey and actually before the TSR II/Swordfish, the Kestrel engined S.9/30:
http://www.aviastar.org/air/england/fairey_s9-30.php



The S.9/30, and it's Panther engined predecessor the TSR I, lead directly to the TSR II/Swordfish.

[GTX_Admin]

Hmmm...might need to get me a Swordfish kit...and a Hawker Fury....

[Rickshaw]

Looks much too dainty for a Swordfish alternative.   How about a Swordfish with a Merlin?  Afterall, they put Merlins on nearly everything else, didn't they? 

[jcf]

Yep, it's interesting how the inline makes it look so much smaller. In reality the Swordfish was only longer by one
additional fuselage bay, 2', and the wingspan was only 6" greater. The enlarged fin of the Swordfish is what creates
the visual difference.

A single-stage Merlin would fit easily as its not much different in terms of external dimensions when compared to
the supercharged Kestrel IIMS used on the S.9/30. A Hurricane I or, better yet, a Battle or Fulmar nose would
probably fit fairly well.

The 9-cylinder R-1820 along with the Hercules, R-1830 and Gnome-Rhone 14-cylinder engines are all viable re-engining
possibilities. Heck, why not a Nakajima Sakae on an IJN variant?  Single row engines like the R-1820 could have the
standard short-chord or full NACA-type cowlings, see the Blackburn Shark for applicable real world examples.

... and as a blast-from-the-past three of Jennings Heilig's Stringbag What-Ifs:

899 Swordfish


Coral Sea Swordfish


Faireishi

From Madoc Pope's kindly hosted archive page:
http://www.madoc.us/profiles.html

[tigercat]

Swordfish plus Double Mamba surely

[jcf]

I could see a P.24.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Monarch



P.24 powered Battle:

[Daryl J.]

So if I read between the lines correctly, what we have going on here is the foundation for a Fairey Swordfish on floats with an American engine serving in the PacNW's Defense of Bremerton patrol unit.     :)     Queen of the Emerald City one would read.   If there were any involved further south in the Portland area it could be The Weird One.   

[jcf]

So if I read between the lines correctly, what we have going on here is the foundation for a Fairey Swordfish on floats with an American engine serving in the PacNW's Defense of Bremerton patrol unit.     :)     Queen of the Emerald City one would read.   If there were any involved further south in the Portland area it could be The Weird One.   

If you mean the P.24 engine then no, it was a Brit engine. The Battle test-bed was shipped to the US and tested at Wright Field, thus the rudder sripes in the photo.

However, if on the other hand you are ruminating about an Allison engined variant, then, well of course 'twould be based in Bremerton ... or Port Angeles ... or Everett ... or ...   

[Daryl J.]

...or the more boring R-1820 or 1830.   Nope, no p.24 engine.

Now as to the Allison...... :) :) :)

[Acree]

I now have a new-mold Airfix Swordfish in the stash, and I seem to have developed an allergy to OOB building.  Here are three ROUGH sketches of some ideas.  Any thoughts?  Which one do you like best, or do you have other suggestions?

swordfish ambulance by cacree, on Flickr
swordfish reengine by cacree, on Flickr
swordfish vip by cacree, on Flickr

[The Big Gimper]

I am not helping here as I like all 3 versions.

[elmayerle]

Ambulance with R1820.  Let the VIPs find their own way.

[Volkodav]

How about a parasol or gull wing monoplane version with an enclosed cockpit canopy?

[jcf]

A cowling like that of the Blackburn Shark II would be more
likely than a Northrop/Douglas 8 type.

[Kelmola]

Ambulance with R1820.  Let the VIPs find their own way.

This sounds most promising. Swordfish's STOL capabilities would be very useful in the ambulance role before the age of helicopters.

For VIPs, there were already much more comfortable options available already when the Stringbag was introduced into service, even more post-war.

[Vuk]

My vote for the ambulance version... Here's the real world Polikarpov U-2 ambulance version designated S-2...

[Acree]

I think I am definitely leaning toward the ambulance.  Not decided about re-engining yet.  If I could find a nice Douglas O-43 to nick the Curtiss Conqueror from, I would do that in a heartbeat.
Conqueror Swordfish by cacree, on Flickr
But I have a bit of a backstory for the ambulance in mind, and re-engining really doesn't fit well.   

FYI, backstory has to do with a Swordfish from a to-be-determined carrier disembarked and left behind in British Guyana, converted to ambulance duty.  That's also why I thought the VIP transport idea might work - transporting colonial civil and military officials between the various British colonies in the Caribbean area. 

It will be a while before I get to this build, so I'll continue to cogitate upon it.

[Acree]

thanks, Vuk!  The ambulance / limousin versions of the Po-2/U-2 were my inspiration for the Swordfish ambulance!

[tankmodeler]

R-1820

Semi retracting gear (a la F4F Wildcat)

Torpedo bomber with enclosed cockpit and a manual turret (like on the Martin B-10).

Oooorrrr:

R-1820

Semi retracting gear (a la F4F Wildcat)

Enclosed cockpit like the ambulance but for radar operators and a partially retracting thimble radome for surface or air search.

Slipper tanks under the lower wings.

[apophenia]

The Curtiss Conqueror is an interesting choice. The V-1570 Conqueror was an improved and enlarged derivative of the 1,150 cid Curtiss D-12 which was imported into the UK as the Fairey Felix. So, in Whif-World, maybe Fairey imports the Conqueror under its own brand too?

Of course, Fairey developed a V-12 aero-engine of its own -- the 1,558 cid Fairey P.12 Prince of c.1935. Jon has already suggested a Merlin-Swordfish with Battle or Fulmar nose. You could go that route in styrene but whif the engine-development history to claim that Fairey persisted with their P.12 Prince engine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Prince_(V-12)

Alternatively, go with the 1,500 hp Fairey P.16 Prince ... a smaller H-16 related to the P.24 Monarch mentioned by Jon. You'd need to scratch-build the cowling but it was a fairly simple, blocky shape. And, though contra-rotating, the spinnerless propellers do resemble your Conqueror set-up.

[Vuk]

thanks, Vuk!  The ambulance / limousin versions of the Po-2/U-2 were my inspiration for the Swordfish ambulance!

Don't mention... I found another one, with slightly different windows... great work of Polish artist Marek Radomski on the website of Polish Aviation Museum in Krakow. There's a lot of his artwork, just choose the aircraft type from falling menu above...

http://www.muzeumlotnictwa.pl/galeria_en.php?ng=5&ig=82

[tankmodeler]

Alternatively, go with the 1,500 hp Fairey P.16 Prince .

I'd suggest that 1500 hp would be far too much for an aircraft built around a 650-700 hp engine. Using a 900-1000 ho engine is probably as much as you'll get out of that airframe. As a biplane, and with all that rigging, its never going to go too much faster, so the extra HP will be wasted anyway.

Paul

[apophenia]

I'd suggest that 1500 hp would be far too much for an aircraft built around a 650-700 hp engine...

Agreed. I suggested the P.16 simply because it's the only 'real world' option from the Fairey engine stable.

[Acree]

I originally posited the Conqueror based on being in the approximately right hp range, but giving a radically different look. A Kestrel would accomplish the same thing, but I like the rounded, blunt nose of the O-43 or Consolidated PB-2 installation.  Either way, this time around I think I'll pass on the re-engine anyway, because of the backstory.

[tankmodeler]

Agreed. I suggested the P.16 simply because it's the only 'real world' option from the Fairey engine stable.