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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 0377.PDF
FEBRUARY 13TH, 1941. Sixth of the Series FRIEND or FOE ? Aircraft All Should Get to Know : Features Which Disclose Identity The Avro Anson : Low-wing, tapered on trailing-edge,rounded tips, fillets at roots where dihedral begins. Small radial engines with helmeted cowlings. Rather pointed nosewith transparent panels beneath. Long line of side windows in cabin and gun-turret amidships. Sharply tapered tailplane. W HILST nobody could very well confuse an AvroAnson with a Focke-Wulf Fw 187 when the twomachines are seen together, there is perhaps suffi- cient similarity about the nose and wing-plan to make it possible for the German to be mistaken for the Anson, at any rate under none too easy spotting conditions. Although the Focke-Wulf is a two-seater fighter, the overall dimen- sions approximate to those of the Anson; and, while this particular German machine has not as yet become a familiar visitor to these island shores, the enemy's tendency to use, aircraft of this type for short-range " nuisance " raiding is well known. The chief difference between the wings of the Anson and those of the Fw 187 (both are of the low-wing type) are that those of the German are slightly cranked. Reference to the picture above, however, will show that this character- istic is not strikingly apparent except from a directly head-on view. When seen in plan from below, the spotter will notice he more pronounced taper of the German's wings, especi- ally on the trail- ing-edge, those of the Anson i Avro Anson being only veryslightly tapered. The Fw 187, also,has rather square- cut tips, whilethose of the Anson are wellrounded. In both machines, h o w-ever, the trailing- edge is faired offinto the fuselage at the root witha fillet—a com- mon British prac-tice, but unusual °n Germanmachines. It is in the en-gines, of course, That the major ;•' sffere.ncebetween these Focke-Wulf Fw 187 The Focke-Wulf Fw 187: Low-wing, slightly cranked, tapered,rather square tips, fillets at roots. Underslung in-line engines with "beard" radiators. Small, pointed nose with trans-parent panels beneath. Top of two-seater cabin makes un- broken line to pointed tail. Almost triangular fin and rudder. two aircraft is found ; but, while this is obvious enoughwhen a clear and fairly near view is obtained, it must not be forgotten that at a distance, or in poor visibility, theengines of a machine appear merely as little more than a blob on each wing. The Cheetah engines of the Ansonare distinguished by the "helmeting" on their cowlings, while beneath the nacelles the lower peripheries of theretracted wheels project slightly. On the Fw 187 the underslung in-line engines have "beard" radiators, butlater models may have ducted radiators beneath the wings similar to the Me 110. The nose of the fuselage on bothmachines is rather pointed, and has a downward slope and transparent panels on its underside, but that of theGerman is appreciably smaller, and has scarcely any greater frontal area than that of its "engines. A long line of cabinwindows and a gun-turret amidships characterise the Anson, in contrast to the Fw 187, which has a short cabinfaired off in an unbroken line to its pointed tail, on which rests an almost triangular fin and rudder. " The tailplaneof the Fw tapers on its leading-edge and has rounded tips, butthat of the Anson is sharply taperedand is almost pointed at thetips. Types previ-ously compared: (1) Hurricane andMe 109. (2) Spitfire and He 113. (3)Beaufort and Ju 88. (4) Ly-sander and Hs 126. (5) Hudsonand Me no. Next week: Hampden and Hereford; Dor- mer Dc 17 and 215-
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