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Aviation History
1943
1943 - 0307.PDF
FEBRUARY 4TH, 1943 heir Characteristics FAIREY ALBACORE No performance figures LONG COCKPITSCOVERLARGE ANDCURVED ROUND TIPS VERTICAL STRUTS STRAIGHT PARALLELEDGES SMALL DIAMETERRADIAL ENGINE FIXEDUNDERCARRIAGE DIMENSIONS OF ALBACORE Span .. 50ft. Oin. Length (landplane) 39ft. lOin. Length (seaplane) .. .. .. 42ft. 5Jin. Wing area 600 sq.ft. HIGH ASPECT-RATIO WINGS OF EQUALAREA f I AHE prototype of the Albacore appeared in 1939 and I was delivered the following year to aircraft carriers "*- to supplement and replace Swordfish. At this time it was understood to have been only an '' interim '' replace- ment type pending something much more formidable in the T.S.R. category. The "interim," however, had spun out for nearly three years, despite the stimulus of war; and, although the Albacore shows a considerable improvement on the Swordfish in a number of vitally important matters (not the least vital of which is performance), no biplane with fixed undercarriage can be regarded as the dernier cri in torpedo aircraft; as Service flying men would express it, there is " no future" in slow biplanes on this job, especially in daylight! The Fleet Air Arm, in fact, may well contrast its own slow biplane torpedo aircraft with such American types as the Avenger, or even the Devastator. Albacores, however, have seen plenty of action against the enemy, and such success as they have had must, of course, be credited primarily to the courage, determina- tion and devotion to duty of their gallant crews ; how much better those same crews could have done had they been provided with really up-to-date, high-performance aircraft can well be imagined. The Albacore'is powered by a Bristol Taurus II sleeve- valve, air-cooled, radial engine developing 1,065 h-P- a* 3,225 r.p.m. at 5,000ft., and giving the aircraft an appre- ciably higher top speed than that of its predecessor; actual performance figures, however, are not officially available. Incidentally, the current production Albacore differs from its prototype in having a taper to its long-chord cowling. Originally, the untapered kind was fitted. Like all aircraft designed for operation from carriers, the Albacore has folding wings, while one of the chief structural improvements over the Swordfish is the much better view of the deck enjoyed by the pilot, who sits high up in front of the leading-edge in a completely enclosed cabin. Metal construction is employed, and the fuselage is stressed-skin covered, but the wings are fabric covered, the" lower pair having trailing-edge" flaps. One i8in. torpedo or the equivalent weight in bombs may be carried. Floats may replace the wheels.
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