FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1950
1950 - 2138.PDF
FLIGHT, 14 December 553 Potez 453 cannon-armed single-seater flying-boat (Hispano-Suiza) the Hurricane project was abandoned. Work on the Spitfire floatplane, however, went ahead, and Mr. J. Smith has des- cribed its evolution in his famous paper, The Development of the Spitfire and Seafire. At first, he relates, a Spitfire 1 was used, and as time was limited twin Blackburn Roc floats were installed. Having a reserve buoyancy of 130 per cent, these appendages did not lend themselves at all well to adaptation to the Spitfire. Nevertheless, a conversion was completed, though early termination of the Norwegian campaign, and the urgent need of aircraft for the Battle of Britain, caused it to be restored to standard landplane form before it flew. These setbacks notwithstanding, the fighter-floatplane re- quirement was not allowed to drop, and in 1942 a second floatplane—basically a Spitfire 5—was produced. Designed by Supermarine, the floats had a reserve buoyancy of 90 per cent and were mounted on cantilever struts attached to the mainplane spars at a distance of 5ft from the centre- line of the aircraft. Fin area was added under the rear of the fuselage to counteract the destabilizing effect of the floats, and the engine air-intake was extended forward to prevent the entry of spray. The handling characteristics of this machine both in the air and on the water were good, and its speed was only 30 m.p.h. less than that of the equivalent landplane. Subsequently a Mk. 9 was con- verted, using the same type of undercarriage, and a number of these floatplanes were manufactured. Largely due to concentration of resources upon land-based and carrier-borne aircraft, no quantity production of sea- plane fighters was undertaken in this country. Interest was not altogether dead, however, and to specification N.2/42 the Blackburn Company submitted designs for a floatplane possessing some unusual characteristics. Most notable of these was the retractable planing bottom—a feature patented by Major J. D. Rennie and first incorporated in the B.20 twin-engined military flying-boat completed and flown at Dumbarton in 1940. The lateral stabilizing floats were like- wise retractable and, as will be seen in the accompanying %sketch, the machine would have presented a very clean N«a^|ippearance in flying trim. The engine was a Napier Sabre, 'driving a contra-rotating airscrew, and the standard fighter armament of four 20 mm guns was built into the wings. Having foreseen that fighter seaplanes would be valuable in their Pacific campaigns, the Japanese built and operated, in considerable quantities, two first-class types. Rejoicing in the Allied code-names Rufe and Rex, these had a single main float and lateral stabilizing floats. Though the Germans had built fighter floatplanes— notably the He51—during the period of their rearmament, no specialized machines of this sort were operated by them in the last war. A singular coincidence, however, is discern- ible in German floatplane operations during both world wars. In the first, it was their practice to use reconnaissance- type floatplanes (principally of Friedrichshafen and \ Brandenburg design) against the British long-range flying- boats engaged on anti-submarine and other patrol duties, and this same practice was re-instituted in the last war, when Arado Arl96 reconnaissance»floatplanes, mounting increased armament (two 20 mm Oerlikon guns), were employed in attacks on our Sunderlands. Having thus briefly noted the vicissitudes through which water-based fighters have passed, and before turning to the present-day S.R./A.1 and the projected Convair Skate, some general observations on modern flying-boat fighters seem appropriate. Especially significant, in affording some explanation of disappointments borne by various manufacturers in the past, is the admission by Saunders-Roe, Ltd., makers of the still- unique " A.1," that only the advent of the turbojet enabled them to develop their flying-boat-fighter ideas to the full. Formerly, their technical staff had found that, in order to provide water clearance for the airscrews, shaft-drives and other Twchaniral complications were required. Expounding the merits of flying-boat fighters, the com- pany points out that the Pacific campaigns afforded proof that, though land-based fighters fulfilled their operational roles successfully once landing strips and base facilities had been established, they were very costly in men and materials. Furthermore, unless carrier-borne aircraft were available, the establishment or capture of land bases was most difficult. Carriers and their attendant vessels were, in any case, very vulnerable to enemy sea and air forces. On the other hand, the company asserts, the fighter flying- boat is independent of fixed bases, for any sheltered stretch of water permits it to operate; thus, the transport of a mass of airfield constructional equipment is rendered unnecessary and the time spent in preparing for action can be greatly reduced. A further important advantage claimed is that the jumping-off point of an air strike-force can be brought much nearer to the objective than would be possible with shore- based aircraft. Developing their argument, Saunders-Roe maintain that, as seaborne operations have often been a prelude to invasion, the fighter flying-boat could undoubtedly play an important part in any future assaults of this kind. While they recog- nize that jet aircraft are restricted in range, due to their inordinately high fuel consumption, they hold that the fighter flying-boat can nullify this difficulty by bringing its take-off point closer to the operational scene. Another weighty argument advanced by flying-boat pro- tagonists generally (and this concerns classes other than fighters) is that its take-off and alighting area is indestruct- ible. Furthermore, it might often be possible, by using suitable inland lakes or fjords, to defy enemy reconnaissance aircraft seeking the precise location of a base; and even below are a Brandenburg floatplane and an Arado Ar 196—comparable German types used respectively in the First and Second World Wars,
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
