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Aviation History
1943
1943 - 2257.PDF
SEPTEMBER I6TH, 1943 heir Characteristics GOTH A Go 244 STRAICHT TAPER HIGH WiNC AND TAIL BOOMS* TWIN RADIAL ENCINES FIXED, TRICYCLE UNDERCARRIACE DIHEDRAL FROM ROOTS WIDE AND SLAB-SIDED SQUARE TIPS Span Length Height Wing DIMENSIONS 79ft. 52ft. 6m. llft.4in. area .. .. 762 sq. ft. ANOTHER German transport glider which has " grown" r\ engines is the Gotha Go 242, which thus becomes •^ -*• the Go 244. Like the Me 323, the power-units employed are French-built Gnome-Rhone 14 cylinder air- cooled radials, and while the first examples of the Go 244 were believed to have engines of the 14M type, developing a maximum output of some 700 h.p. each, it is probable that later versions have the fully blown 14N series with a maximum output of 950 h.p. Apart from the necessary provision of a permanent undercarriage in place of the jettisonable wheels and fixed skids of its glider parent, the Go 244 has not undergone any visible alteration to its airframe, though it can be taken for granted that a certain amount of stiffening up must have been done to cope with the stresses incurred by the addition of engines to an aircraft originally intended for towed and gliding flight. As will be seen from the accompanying illustrations, the twin radials are carried in nacelles which form a forward extension of the original tail booms which formerly began at the main spar of the wing, and in this respect the design of the glider lent itself readily to the addition of power- units. The central nacelle (one can hardly call this stubby body a fuselage!) has been designed with maximum storage space as the ruling factor, though some slight con- cession to aerodynamic form has been made by a bluntly rounded nose and a short tapered tail. A feature of the design is that the tail end of the nacelle hinges upwards to permit quick and ready access to the interior. This not only allows bulky items of freight, such as spare engines, etc., to be loaded and unloaded with ease, but when the aircraft is used for the conveyance of airborne troops, they can get in and (more importantly) out with the minimum delay. The low tricycle undercarriage is, of course, another great advantage in this respect. The fuselage is built up of steel tubes, but the rest of the airframe is entirely of wood. Two pilots, having dual controls, sit side-by-side, and while defensive armament consists basically of four movable machine guns, any troops carried can use their rifles and tommy guns through the side windows, though their accuracy of aim is not likely to trouble the Allied fighter pilot very much.
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