Erryplanes by perttime

[perttime]

I wonder if in this scenario Sweden would get involved? 

I have one or two things lined up that mention Sweden being involved... Maybe tomorrow. The dog WANTS to go out NOW 

[perttime]

Now, a break in the Spitfires. I think I should adjust the color schemes on a couple of Seafires...
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

When Squadron Leader G.L.G. Richmond was preparing to test fly the first prototype of the Nuffield-Napier-Heston J5 high speed aircraft, he knew he would have a hot bird in his hands. If all went well, he would soon take the World’s Landplane and Absolute Speed Record from Fritz Wendel and the Messerschmitt Me 209, also known as Me 109R. But it was not to be... There was a war in Europe and Speed Records had ceased to be a priority by the time he got "The Racer" in the air on 12 June 1940.

Wikipedia photo:


The first flight revealed some "issues" but nothing that a little more engineering couldn't fix: the engine was overheating and elevator control was not quite right. Subsequent flights showed improvement, and the second prototype - G-AFOL - turned out even better. The power of the Napier Sabre engine made the little aircraft go fast and climb quickly, and adjustments to the control system had made the plane quite nimble and well behaved. Could this beast be turned into a fighter?

After even more engineering, the first Heston Dragon Mk 1 took to the air, with four 12.7mm machine guns, larger fuel tanks, and a cockpit canopy from a Spitfire. There was not enough space for fuel tanks in súch a compact aircraft to make it a long distance performer but it was a supreme point defence fighter, only rivaled years later by the Grumman Bearcat.

Improvements incorporated into the Heston Dragon Mk 3 included enlarged tail surfaces and ailerons, a bubble canopy, and a more powerful version of the mighty Sabre engine. This one was protecting the Stockholm area against long distance bomber raids in mid 1940s.



... For what really happened to the Napier-Heston Racer, see Wikipedia or a 1943 article on it at Flight Global archives.

[jorel62]

Great Spitfires......

[perttime]

Great Spitfires......

I had great fun with the Spitfire variations. I might still make a somewhat different one 
... but there's a few old ones coming soon.

[perttime]

Having put the Dragon point defence interceptor into production, the Heston Aircraft Company started on a design for an all-rounder fighter with more range. To accomplish this, Heston's Chief designer George Cornwall started by stretching the Dragon fuselage to make room for more fuel. Two 20mm guns were fitted on top of the longer nose and two or four 12.7mm machine guns could be installed on the bottom, as on the Dragon. To carry the additional weight, Cornwall designed a larger wing, somewhat influenced by the one used on the heavier Hawker Tempest.

By the time the Basilisk was ready for service, most European countries had gone for various Spitfire marks. However, the resently liberated Norway found the new Basilisk to be ideal for their particular needs. Most Norwegian Heston Basilisks were painted in simple Coastal Camo schemes, designed to disrupt the shape of the aircraft.

[perttime]

Later, the Dragon was also used by Finland - in a defensive role over southern parts of the country.

[GTX_Admin]

Wow!!!

[perttime]

In the north, Naval action was needed initially to capture the nickel and cobalt resources of the Murmansk area, and later to prevent Soviet naval action through the Barents and Kara seas. Those operations were mainly given to to the Western nations of the area: Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. The Co-Nordic Fleet included an Air Component where Finnish Seafires had primary responsibility for fighter defence. While the first carrier ship was under construction in Sweden, VL navalised a Spitfire MK 27 batch into Seafire 27 standard. As the nations were new to carrier operations, some experiments on color schemes were carried out, including an all blue, and a black & silver one:

 

[perttime]

[perttime]

A more subdued two-color scheme was finally adopted for Finnish Seafires. The same scheme remained in use on later models - and other types.

[perttime]

Since early 1940, volunteer pilots from USA were flowing to Great Britain to join RAF and Fleet Air Arm in the fight against Nazism. It turned out to be a short fight and everybody was preparing to go home when it became obvious that the end of one fight had become the beginning of another one. Most felt that Stalin's policies were not much better than Hitler's - and decided to stay on.

In 1942 British and US leaders determined that they might as well make it official. American squadrons were formed and their aircraft were given United States Army Air Forces and United States Navy markings.

While US forces in the Pacific area used aircraft made in USA, units on the European side mainly kept using "local" hardware.

... Black Sea, 1946

[apophenia]

I'm enjoying the Seafires but your avatar Heston Dragon is a stunner!  :)

[perttime]

I'm enjoying the Seafires but your avatar Heston Dragon is a stunner!  :)

Thanks!
I was a bit worried about touching the "Napier-Heston Racer" because the real-world original is so beautiful - but it turned out better than I expected.
I have a few more developments coming on that theme but - staying with the alternative history chronology - there's a Supermarine prototype next...

[perttime]

Having seen the Ambrosini, Kyushu, Henschel, Curtiss-Wright, and Miles experiments with fighter aircraft in the "pusher canard" configuration, Supermarine decided to build one of their own. There were challenges - but the configuration had its advantages too. A tricycle landing gear was needed and, for emergencies, Supermarine discarded the American idea of jettisoning the propeller to keep the pilot alive on bailing out, and went for Martin-Baker's new explosive-powered ejection system.

Jeffrey Quill first flew Type 402 in September 1947. The aircraft performed as expected. By then, however, the new German turbine engines were well on their way and were clearly the engines of choice for future fighters.

Stripped of engine, guns and instruments, Type 402 ended its days as a target at a gunnery range in Essex, UK.

[GTX_Admin]

Mmmm...

[apophenia]

Oh, your Type 402 will have the Spitfire purists pulling their hair out! Keep up the good work 

[perttime]

When I posted Type 402 elsewhere, it was noted that it should be quite possible to kitbash it in plastic.
For the picture, most of it came from Seafire 47 tracings. If you want a different engine, a Tempest or Sea Fury can work. The nose could come from an early jet or a DH Hornet. Landing gear might cause some head scratching.

At the moment... I don't have more late '40s or '50s designs. So, keeping things in some sort of chronological order, we'll have a look at what happened to some war time airplanes after they were retired.

[perttime]

Tor Odinsson left the Norwegian Air Force when they stopped flying propeller fighters. He preferred the sound and feel of piston engines. As he left, he purchased his trusty Heston Basilisk, and a few extra Napier Sabre engines just in case.

You can tell that he enjoyed his airplane but by mid 1980s he started feeling that it could be even better. Being a firm believer in lots of cubic centimeters, he started looking for a bigger engine but nothing seemed quite suitable. One day it occurred to him that there was quite a lot of space between the engine and his legs. It wasn't empty space but a few quick measurements confirmed that there was - barely - enough to bolt a second crank case onto the engine.

A period of furious wrenching ensued, interspersed by shopping for new propellers and other parts. The space that the second crank case filled had previously mainly been occupied by the main fuel tank. The reduced range did not bother Tor much. This wasn't, after all, his long range travelling vehicle. It is just perfect for his Thorsday joy rides and the occasional air race.

[apophenia]

Why? Because the Napier Sabre just wasn't complicated enough! 

On the Type 402, a Supermarine Attacker nose and canopy would keep it in the family. For landing gear, maybe a P-39 nose gear?

[perttime]

   More is better. Right?   
(That may be in character for Tor Odinsson, at least... )

I think Type 402 needs a tall landing gear, to keep the props from hitting the ground when landing.

[perttime]

With the advent of jet engines, propeller fighters were gradually phased out of service. Thousands of Spitfires were recycled but many were also preserved in museums and in the hands of individuals who wanted to own and fly an aircraft powered by a big V12 engine.

To maximize the fun of the retired fighters, people started racing them. Out of the many somewhat informal races, a European air racing series was developed. European pylon race courses are mainly longer than the American ones, and include turns in both directions.

In the forested north of Europe, racing didn't become wide spread until it was realised that it is best to run the major contests during the winter. A big frozen lake is an ideal base for racing, with lots of open space for runways or, in case of a serious Mayday, opportunities to land just about anywhere.

Spitfires, and especially short wing variants, are among favorite aircraft types in the Stock Piston Warbird class.

[perttime]

In the Open Piston Warbird class of the European Air Racing Series, modifications to the aircraft are allowed - and needed if you take your racing seriously. A Griffon powered Spitfire is a good starting point. A low drag canopy is a standard feature in the Open class. This one also has the engine cooling systems re-located into the rear fuselage. Griffon powered Spitfires tend to be so nose-heavy that weight needs to be added to the rear anyway ... Might as well put something useful in the tail.

[Litvyak]

Suuri Suomi Uraliin asti! I wonder if Hungary might end up joining that Federation...

Love it - some great stuff here. It's also making me think of actually posting my Alternate Hungary story/ies...

[perttime]

Hungary joining the Finnish Federation ?
My imagination cannot make it happen on such short notice...
There's all sorts of other nations in between, and I keep thinking that Nation States should have common borders, and not too many common languages - but that is not always so.

You have stories but haven't posted any yet?

[Litvyak]

Well, I've posted a bunch of my Alternate Canada and my Dominion of British Columbia stuff, but no, I haven't yet posted anything of my Alternate Hungary project. Maybe soon, though!