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MODEL AIRPLANE PLANS: PAGE 3

The Grumman F7F Tigercat

The F7F Tigercat was designed as a twin-engine fighter-bomber for operation from aircraft carriers. Powered by two 2,100 horsepower radial engines, the aircraft began flight evaluations in November 1943. However , while praised by test pilots for its remarkable flight performance, the Tigercat proved to be less than adequate for aircraft carrier operations. Because of the difficulty pilots experienced when landing the large aircraft on carrier decks, along with initial tail hook failures characteristic of early F7F's, the Navy decided to restrict Tigercat operations to shore based squadrons.

Delivery of the first single-seat, land-based F7F-1s to Marine Corps Fighter Training Squadron 911 (VMF-911) began in April 1944. Only thirty-four F7F-1's were built before operational changes led to the production of a two-seat night fighter variant. Designated F7F-2N, sixty-five were built before the design reverted back to the original single-seat fighter concept. With the advent of new and better radar equipment, Grumman again returned to the two-seat night fighter configuration and produced what proved to be the ultimate Tigercat, the F7F-3N, of which over 200 were built.

The Pacific war ended before the Tigercat saw combat, even as a squadron of F7F-2N's transported onboard an American carrier approached Guam.. Nevertheless, they were called to action with Marine night fighter squadrons during the early phases of the Korean War. Operating mostly at night, Tigercats conducted Communist truck and troop interdiction and air defense patrols, claiming two aerial kills before the Marines traded their F7F's in for jet-powered Douglas F3D Skyknights.

After its withdrawal from Korea, the Navy used Tigercats as remote-controlled target drones. Many ended their flying careers as civilian water bomber fire fighters, performing especially well in narrow canyons due to their superb handling and maneuverability. Grumman produced a total of 361 F7F's.

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The Fairey Gannet

As the Battle of the Atlantic drew to a close during World War II, the Admiralty was looking into the future and saw the continued need for a high-performance specialised anti-submarine aircraft. One of several proposals put forward was one from Fairey Aviation to produce a twin-engined version of their successful Firefly fighter (with the second engine buried in the fuselage behind the pilot). Fairey had been experimenting with a twin-engine installation driving contra-rotating propellors since 1935 in the face of official disinterest. At one point they had a Battle light bomber (infamous because of the mauling Battles received during the Battle of France) fitted with their P.24 engine driving two props - the Americans were interested for some time in using the P.24 for the new P-47 Thunderbolt but eventually abandoned the idea.

As the Admiralty realised anti-submarine aircraft could be fitted with far more advanced systems than those used during the war, they changed their requirements and issued GR.17/45 in late 1945. Fairey realised that one of their other projects (an observation aircraft with twin Merlins) would be suitable for carrying the new electronic equipment now available and could be modified to take two Armstrong-Siddeley Mamba turbojets instead of the bulky and outdated Merlins originally planned. Driving two large props, the double Mamba installation soon became an engine in its own right, known imaginatively as the Twin Mamba. While their competitors Blackburns (later to create the Buccaneer) submitted their YB.1 design to the Admiralty, Fairey applied the final polish to their design, now known as the Type Q. With typical decisiveness in August 1946 the go-ahead was given for two prototypes to be built - of both the Blackburn and Fairey machines!

A little over three years later in September 1949, Fairey's first Type Q prototype was assembled at their plant at Hayes and transported to Aldermaston for its first flight (on the 19th). The rival YB.1 had already flown by this point. Early testing of the Type Q revealed a number of aerodynamic flaws, including large trim changes on flap deployment, mushy elevator response and some directional instability. Relatively minor changes to the elevators, ailerons and rudder soon cleared up these problems and deck trials began soon after. The first deck landing by a turbo-prop aircraft was made on HMS Illustrious on 19th June 1950 by Lt. Cdr. G. Callingham. With reports of excellent flying characteristics from all the test pilots, the future for Fairey's new aircraft looked bright - and then the Admiralty changed their minds once more. They now wanted a radar, housed in the rear fuselage along with an additional crew member to operate it, and the weapons bay was to be enlarged. The second prototype was already practically complete so a third had to be ordered to be built to the new arrangement.

By the time the third prototype was flying, the name Gannet had been given to the Type Q and the programme had gained Super Priority status, with an order placed for 100 aircraft. The new radome caused more directional instability when lowered, so Fairey had had to add small finlets to the tailplane - enlarging the tail itself would have been too expensive and would have impacted on the amount of space the aircraft could take up onboard ship. Happily for Fairey the late change in requirements caused little else in the way of adverse effects and production AS.1s began rolling out of the factories in 1953, initially to be used for development. The Navy received their first AS.1s at RNAS Ford in April 1954 and intensive trials begin with 703X Flight, whose pilots did not have the luxury of a trainer version and so were finding out about the completely different qualities of turboprop engines. The need for a trainer had been recognised and the first T.2 flew in August, with deliveries to the the FAA beginning in early 1955.

One aircraft was deployed to Egypt for tropical trials as Fairey had had a fair amount of interest from overseas navies, while the RN's first operational Gannet squadron (826 NAS) embarked on HMS Eagle and sailed to the Med. Operational use soon ironed out any remaining difficulties with the engine and airframe, but the Gannet was a little under-powered. This would be solved with the AS.4, an AS.1 with an uprated engine giving superior performance - the German and Australian Navies were highly impressed by the new specifications and both ordered Gannets. The Australians even settled for AS.1s, with the intention of exchanging them for AS.4s when they became available - though this never actually came to pass. The Germans were content to wait for the AS.4s, but to hurry things along Fairey supplied them with AS.4s earkmarked for the RN, and also supplied a T.5 (an uprated T.2) so they could begin pilot training before the AS.4s arrived.

Prior to the AS.4 in number order but delayed by difficulties with development was an Airborne Early Warning variant, the AEW.3. Initially intended to be an AS.1 with minimum modifications to carry radar equipment cannibalised from the RN's Skyraiders, this turned out to be impossible and a new fuselage was required. The AN/APS 20 radar was to be mounted in a radome underneath the centre fuselage and room would be made for an operator's position by deleting the second cockpit and moving the exhausts forward of the wing. A larger tail was necessary to combat the instability caused by the bulbous radome. Finally flying in August 1958, trials were carried out with HMS Centaur in November and in December the RN received the first production AEW.3. Initially lukewarm to the AEW idea, the Admiralty soon realised the usefulness of such a type when it was realised the new Buccaneer strike aircraft could easily sneak up on a carrier task force and would be detected far too late with ship-based radars.

The Gannet's only other export order came from Indonesia in 1959 - a number of AS.1s and T.2s were bought back from the Ministry of Supply to be converted to AS.4s and T.5s and sold to Indonesia. Interest from other nations died away as the submarine threat seemed ever less likely to countries now beginning to recover from the devastation of WWII. A single Gannet deployed to Canada for trials with the RCN but though impressed with the aircraft, the Canadians decided not to buy any.

As more AEW.3s came off the production line more trials were carried out and in August 1959 700G Intensive Trials Unit was formed, continuing the FAA's tradition of forming a trials unit for each new type introduced into service to accelerate service acceptance. As this was happening helicopter development had surged ahead of its initially underpowered beginnings, and the Admiralty soon saw how superior the helicopter would be - not only could they carry out the anti-submarine mission but they also didn't require large carriers and could carry out many other duties

By mid 1960 the AS.1 and AS.4 Gannets were all replaced by the Westland Whirlwind in RN service, but some AS.4s survived to become ECM.6s - with considerable modifications and additions to the aircraft's electronics suite. These aircraft were shore-based and did not fly from aircraft carriers however. Another minor variant was the COD.4 - AS.4s modified to become a rather basic transport by removing much internal equipment to free space for extra seats or cargo. As the AEW.3 Gannet was proving to be one of the most useful aircraft the RN had ever operated, including backing up the RAF and Army on numerous occasions by providing AEW for those services, the UK had a change of government in 1964. While a replacement for the Gannet AEW.3 was planned and would be very necessary in the next decade, the new government cancelled all plans along with the Navy's new large carrier CVA-01 and numerous other planned defence projects (including of course the TSR.2). Plans to keep the Gannet in operation for much longer than initially intended were put into place and the AEW.3s and a small number of COD.4s remained in service until more defence cuts from another government spelt the end of the RN's carrier force. The Gannets were flown to Lossiemouth, most to be scrapped. The radars were rescued and used by the RAF's Shackleton force for land-based AEW but the RN was now without any form of AEW, which was to prove a costly lack when Argentina invaded the Falklands in 1982.

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The Bell P39 Airacobra

Larry Bell started Bell aircraft in 1935. It was started due to Consolidated aircraft decided to move from Buffalo to San Diego. The new company took over most of the Buffalo’s factory and its designers began designing new fighter of different and new design. The only aircraft that was built in huge quantity was the model P-400 Air cobra it was known to the troops as the P-39.

Like a few dozen of fighters before it, the Airacobra put the engine behind the cockpit in order to get it on the center of gravity and achieve maximum maneuverability. This meant driving the propeller reduction gearbox via a long tubular shaft passing between the pilot’s legs. This proved to be one of the few parts of the P-39 that did not give them a lot of problems. Another advantage of the rear engine was that it provided adequate space to install heavy gun armament in the nose of the aircraft. The third reason was that it protected the pilot from behind.

Another feature of the Bell was at the time radical: the landing gear. This also proved almost trouble-free, although because of its novelty caused great problems in air forces unfamiliar with it. But with proper training the problems vanished. A minor novelty was the use of a car-type-hinged door on each side of the roomy and well-equipped cockpit. The roof was now an integrated part of the aircraft.

Despite its unconventionality, the prototype demonstrated an excellent all-round performance. The Airacobra had a turbo-supercharged engine that could exceed speeds of three hundred and ninety miles per hour at medium altitudes and it was much faster than any other fighter in the world was. But unfortunately as what often happens, it was all downhill from there. The Bell P-39 Airacobra undertook some changes that were not in its best interest. First the turbo was removed from the engine, then the cooling system was moved from the fuselage to the wings. The designers decided to add more than one ton of extra platting, self-sealant tanks, bulletproof transparencies and armament.

The US Army ordered 80 P-45 Airacobras in August 1939, soon changing there order to the design of the P-39C, and large batches were ordered by the French. In 1940, the French orders were taken over by the British. A combination of poor serviceability and deep distrust of this unfamiliar fighter resulted in a pathetic experience, culmination in rejection by the British after just one combat mission.

Production of this new and hardly used aircraft were slowed in the early part of 1944 and stopped completely in July of that same year. This was partly due to the release of the newly built Marietta, Georgia factory that would produce the B-29. About 5,000 Airacobras were flown via Iran to the Soviet Union where they proved satisfactory in close air support operating from rough dirt and board airstrips.

The normal armament for the Bell P-39 was one 37mm Oldsmobile T-1 cannon with 15 rounds and two 12-7mm browning in the nose. It was equipped with four 7-7mm browning in the wings and a place for one 500 lb. bomb under the fuselage.

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The North American P-51 Mustang

The continued domination of the European skies by the Luftwaffe was caused by two factors, the first of which was the difference in military theory between the Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force. The theories concerning the purpose and function of the Luftwaffe and RAF were exactly opposite and were a result of their experiences in World War I. During WW I, Germany attempted a strategic bombing effort directed against England using Gothas (biplane bombers) and Zeppelins (slow-moving hydrogen balloons) which did not give much of a result. This, plus the fact that German military theory at the beginning of WW II was based much more on fast, quick results (Blitzkrieg), meant that Germany decided not to develop a strategic air force. The Luftwaffe had experienced great success when they used tactical ground-attack aircraft in Spain (e.g. at Guernica), and so they figured that their air force should mainly consist of this kind of plane. So Germany made the Luftwaffe a ground support force that was essentially an extension of the army and functioned as a long- range, aerial artillery. The RAF, on the other hand, had experimented with ground-attack fighters during WW I, and had suffered grievous casualty rates. This, combined with the fact that the British had been deeply enraged and offended by the German Gotha and Zeppelin attacks on their home soil, made them determined to develop a strategic air force that would be capable of bombing German soil in the next war. Thus, at the beginning of WW II, the RAF was mostly a strategic force that consisted of heavy bombers and backup fighters, and lacked any tactical dive-bombers or ground-attack fighters.

The P-51 was designed as the NA-73 in 1940 at Britain's request. The design showed promise and AAF purchases of Allison-powered Mustangs began in 1941 primarily for photo recon and ground support use due to its limited high-altitude performance. But in 1942, tests of P-51s using the British Rolls-Royce "Merlin" engine revealed much improved speed and service ceiling, and in Dec. 1943, Merlin-powered P-51Bs first entered combat over Europe. Providing high-altitude escort to B-17s and B-24s, they scored heavily over German interceptors and by war's end, P-51s had destroyed 4,950 enemy aircraft in the air, more than any other fighter in Europe.

Mustangs served in nearly every combat zone, including the Pacific where they escorted B-29s to Japan from Iwo Jima. Between 1941-5, the AAF ordered 14,855 Mustangs (including A-36A dive bomber and F-6 photo recon versions), of which 7,956 were P-51Ds. During the Korean War, P-51Ds were used primarily for close support of ground forces until withdrawn from combat in 1953.

In April of 1940, "Dutch" Kindleberger, president of North American Aviation, visited Sir Henry Self, the head of the aircraft division of the British Purchasing Commission, asking if Britain would like to buy some of his B-25 bombers. Self was not interested in buying any more bombers, but was interested in buying a good fighter. He directed Kindleberger to the Curtiss company, who had a new fighter design, but were too busy building P-40's to do anything with it. Kindleberger went to Curtiss and bought their design for $56,000. He promised Self to have the planes ready by September of 1941. The prototype of the NA-73, as it was called, was ready to fly in October of 1940 and proved to have an excellent design. The NA-73 had a revolutionary wing design that allowed it to fly at high speeds without adverse compression effects. In other planes, as they approached a certain speed, usually around 450 mph, the air would be flowing around the wing at nearly the speed of sound, putting huge amounts of pressure on the wings, which were unable to deal with the stress. The NA-73 did not have this problem, which meant it could fly safely at much higher speeds. Another revolutionary idea in the plane was the way heated air from the radiator was dealt with. The NA-73's engineers designed it to expel this air and boost the plane's speed by 15 or 25 mph. The engineers also worked especially hard on making the plane as aerodynamic as possible, and so they positioned the radiator in a new place, made the fuselage as narrow as possible, and set the cockpit low in the fuselage. (Perret 118-119) It was at this point that an error was made that made the Mustang useless as a long-range offensive fighter. When the NA-73 was mass produced as the P-51, it was powered by a 1250 horspower, liquid-cooled Allison V-1710 engine, which did not have a supercharger and lost performance above 11,800 ft. At high altitudes air pressure goes down, and so there is less oxygen in a given amount of air, which means that engines do not burn as cleanly, and so lose power. Superchargers compress air before it is pumped into the engine cylinders so that there is enough oxygen for the engine to function well. The early Allison-engined planes did not have the supercharger, and so were limited to low-altitude operations. Even without a high-altitude capability, the Mustang was an impressive plane and was bought in quantity by the RAF. It flew its first mission on May 10, 1942, against Berck-sur-Mer on the French coast.

So, for the next eighteen months, the P-51A's continued to fly with the RAF, doing their unexceptional jobs well. After the plane began to go into combat, some people began looking into the idea of fitting the Mustang with a more powerful engine. As the RAF said, it was "a bloody good airplane, only it needs a bit more poke." (Grant 22) One day, an RAF test pilot was flying a P-51A and the thought occurred to him that the plane could be fitted with a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, which had about 300 more horsepower and included a supercharger. He suggested it to Rolls-Royce's Chief Aerodynamic Engineer and "both men realized that the combination of this sort of performance with the aerodynamically efficient airframe of the Mustang would revolutionize its potential." This plan was duly carried out and in November 1943, the first group of P-51B's arrived in England.

So, at the end of 1943 and the beginning of 1944, the new American P-51B's began arriving in England in force. (Dupuy 34) For the first few months of the year, the Mustangs were settling in and having their systems perfected. But by March, the Mustangs had decisively taken control. The arrival and subsequent heavy use of the P-51's had several effects.

The first effect that the Mustangs had was in the running air battles over Europe. Before the beginning of 1944, the bombers had been alone as they approached their faraway targets. But the P-51 changed this, and quickly made an impression on all concerned, enemy and ally alike. For example, on January 11, 1944, the Eighth Air Force launched its first deep penetration of Germany with P-51 coverage. The bombers' targets were the cities of Oschersleben and Halberstadt, where many German planes were being constructed. When they arrived, there were 49 Mustangs covering a force of around 220 bombers. Even though the bombers suffered heavy casualties, they were able to inflict substantial damage on their target factories. But the most significant thing about the battle was the shining performance of the P-51's. Since the bombers were attacking two different cities, the Mustang force had to divide into two groups, to support the different attacks. Because of the sensitive nature of the bombers' targets, the Luftwaffe came out in force to defend their factories. During the ensuing melee, the 49 P-51's shot down 15 enemy planes without suffering a single loss. Major Howard, the group's leader, was credited with four kills within minutes. (Bailey 155) In the grand scheme of things, this battle was insignificant, but it goes to show how much of an advantage the P-51's had over their German counterparts. Considering that these were essentially first-time pilots in the Mustangs' first big battle, this is very impressive.

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The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver

AKA: Son-of-a-Bitch Second Class

The Curtiss Helldiver, despite a reputation for being difficult to handle at low speeds, was responsible for the destruction of more Japanese targets than any other aircraft.

The Curtiss SB2C single-engine dive-bomber joined the fleet late in 1943, joining the Douglas Dauntless as the primary attack/bombing planes for the US Navy. The two-man Helldiver had a top speed of 295 mph and good range, making it an essential tool in the far reaches of the Pacific war.

With underwing and bomb attachments, the Helldiver could carry 1,000 pounds of bombs or an internal torpedo; later improvements included an uprated Wright Cyclone engine and rocket hardpoints. It carried two fixed forward 20mm cannon and machine guns in the rear cockpit.

Only 26 of the 7,000 Helldivers built found their way to the other services; the plane was so valuable in the Pacific theater that the Navy absorbed nearly every plane.

Postwar, the Helldiver found further use with the French, Italian, Greek and Portuguese Navies and the Royal Thai Air Force. Only one airworthy Helldiver remains, with the Confederate Air Force in Texas.

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