Messages

736

Combat Warplanes / CAC Wirraway

« on: September 03, 2021, 03:08:49 PM »

Founded in 1936, the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) was supposed to provide Australia with combat aircraft of its own production. To speed up, we decided to start with the production of aircraft under license. A special commission of the Australian Air Force selected the American North American Aviation NA-16. The aircraft was modified and received the designation CAC Wirraway. September 3, 1937-the first flight of the general purpose aircraft CAC Wirraway.

The Wirraway differed from the original with a reinforced fuselage and armament — 2 × 7.7 mm wing machine guns instead of 1 for the NA-16. Otherwise, it was the same two-seat low-wing with a retractable landing gear. It was equipped with a Pratt & Whitney R-1340 S1H1-G engine (600 hp) Maximum speed-350 km / h, flight range-1160 km. It could carry up to 454 kg of bombs.

755 CAC Wirraway aircraft of all modifications were produced. It was used as a training, light bomber and attack aircraft. In 1942, the CAC Boomerang fighter was designed on the basis of Wirraway.

737

Miscellaneous Subjects / Avro 706 Ashton

« on: September 01, 2021, 06:08:43 PM »

The first jet airliner was the Viking Nene, converted from the piston-engined Vickers VC. 1 Viking. It was a purely experimental aircraft. The designers of A.V. Roe & Company decided to go the same way. Based on the piston-powered Avro Tudor, they designed the Avro Tudor 9 jet airliner, later renamed the Avro 706 Ashton. September 1, 1950-the first flight of the experimental Avro 706 Ashton passenger aircraft.

Ashton was an all-metal low-wing aircraft with a retractable landing gear. 4 × Rolls-Royce Nene 6 engines with a thrust of 22 kN were installed in the underwing engine nacelles. The maximum speed is 707 km / h, the flight range is 2776 km.

6 Avro 706 Ashton aircraft of various modifications were built. They were never considered for mass production and were used exclusively for research-engines, radars, bomb sights, etc.

738

Miscellaneous Subjects / Re: Photos

« on: August 29, 2021, 09:38:51 PM »

The Sea Eagles of Momotaro (桃 太郎 の 海 鷲) is a 1943 Japanese cartoon, the oldest surviving Japanese anime film. It is inspired by the legend of Momotaro, the "peach boy", a hero of Japanese folklore. In the film, Momotaro is the commander of the Imperial Japanese Navy, who sends his pilots to attack the Island of Demons. A torpedo bomber pilot, a puppy and a small monkey, who are part of a wave of Japanese planes, destroy the fleet of demons. The film uses real footage of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

739

Combat Warplanes / Re: Ilyushin Il-2- Илью́шин Ил-2

« on: August 29, 2021, 06:59:23 PM »

Senior (from the regiment commander's plane) air gunner of the Soviet Il-2 attack aircraft, Petty Officer Pyotr Fedorovich Shulyakov (Петр Федорович Шуляков)(born in 1922) from the 948th Assault Aviation Regiment (308th Assault Aviation Division of the 3rd Assault Aviation Corps). In the foreground is a 12.7-mm UBT machine gun (universal Berezina turret).

740

Ground Forces / Re: Photos

« on: August 29, 2021, 06:47:05 PM »

French field gun Canon de 75 modèle 1897 on a Panhard K13 truck, 1919.

741

Combat Warplanes / Piaggio-Douglas PD.808

« on: August 29, 2021, 06:38:39 PM »

In 1957, Douglas Aircraft began developing the D-808 auxiliary aircraft for the US Navy. But the project had problems with financing. The solution was cooperation with the Italian Piaggio Aero Industries. In 1961, an agreement was signed, the aircraft was renamed PD. 808 and all the documentation was transferred to the Genoese company. Douglas remained in the project as a consultant.

It was a low-wing aircraft with a retractable landing gear and 2 × Rolls Royce Viper Mk526 engines with a thrust of 13.34 kN installed in the rear fuselage. Cruising speed — 722 km / h, flight range-2128 km. I took on board from 6 to 10 passengers. August 29, 1964-the first flight of the Piaggio-Douglas PD. 808 multi-purpose jet aircraft.

Only 24 PD.808 aircraft were produced. The reason was the exit of Douglas from the project in 1967. All PD. 808s were in service with the Italian Air Force. They were used as VIP transports, electronic warfare aircraft, training aircraft for navigators, etc. The PD.808 was not delivered to the civilian market.

742

Aircraft Modeling / Re: Chibi F-104G

« on: August 29, 2021, 04:35:56 PM »

 

743

Aircraft Modeling / Re: Messerschmitt BF 109Z (RetroWings 1/72)

« on: August 29, 2021, 04:35:10 PM »

This one will have special place in your collection- with most correction ever done on it

744

Combat Warplanes / Junkers Ju 90

« on: August 28, 2021, 03:46:58 PM »

The airline Deutsche LuftHansa in 1933 published the requirements for a passenger aircraft for long-distance routes. Junkers Flugzeug - und Motorenwerke was able to implement them only in 1937. The Ju 90 transport aircraft was built on the basis of the third prototype of the failed Ju 89 long — range bomber. August 28, 1937-the first flight of the Junkers Ju 90 multi-purpose transport aircraft.

The Ju 90 was a low-wing aircraft with a retractable landing gear and a two-keel tail. It was equipped (in the Ju 90A-1 version) with 4 × BMW 132 H-1 engines (820 hp) Cruising speed-320 km/h, flight range-1247 km. He took on board up to 40 passengers.

18 Ju 90 aircraft of all modifications were produced (they differed mainly in engines). They were operated by Deutsche LuftHansa and, as military transport, flew in the Luftwaffe. Only 2 aircraft survived the Second World War, which were disposed of after the end of the war.

745

Combat Warplanes / Martin AM Mauler

« on: August 26, 2021, 08:30:22 PM »

In 1943, the US Navy decided that it was better to have a multirole attacking aircraft, rather than separate torpedo bombers and dive bombers. A competition was announced, one of the winners of which was the Glenn L. Martin Company with its AM Mauler deck attack aircraft (aka — XBTM). August 26, 1944-the first flight of the Martin AM Mauler deck attack aircraft.

It was a single-seat low-wing aircraft with a retractable landing gear and a folding wing. The Pratt & Whitney R-4360-4 Wasp Major engine (3000 hp) allowed a speed of up to 538 km/h. The combat radius is 2452 km. Armament — 4 × 20 mm T-31 guns + up to 2041 kg of bombs/missiles/torpedoes on 15 suspension points.

A total of 151 AM Mauler attack aircraft were produced. The first aircraft entered the fleet in 1947. Shortcomings were immediately revealed — a weak design of the tail section, a poor cabin layout, poor handling, etc. Part of the AM Mauler was converted into electronic warfare aircraft. It was not possible to completely solve the problems and by 1953 all AM Mauler was withdrawn from service.

746

Combat Warplanes / MiG-17

« on: August 26, 2021, 09:00:34 AM »

It would seem-MiG-17F jet fighters of the Syria Air Force at a field airfield. What could be unusual here and why are they guests? And it was like this. On August 12, 1968, 2 planes landed on the Moshava Betset unpaved runway in the Western Galilee, Israel. These were MiG-17s of the Syrian Air Force. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) won the Six-Day War against the coalition of Arab States a year earlier, and a War of Attrition began. Syria was considered an enemy, and therefore it was a real success to get a MiG'i.

But did the Syrian pilots voluntarily desert with their planes? No. They were unlucky with ... cards. Instead of modern ones, they used maps from 1945. There was no Israel on them yet, but a British military airfield near Betset, then located on the territory of Lebanon, was marked. The pilots were sure that they were landing in Lebanon.

The MiG-17Fs were thoroughly studied and tested by the Israeli Air Force. After that, one plane was given to the United States, and the second was transferred to the exposition of the Israeli Air Force Museum.

747

Combat Warplanes / Re: Aircraft photos

« on: August 24, 2021, 05:24:25 PM »

Cats in air patrol, USA, 1940

748

Warplane Art / Re: Lockheed C-130 Herkules

« on: August 24, 2021, 10:23:31 AM »

Progress after 1,5 hours of work

749

Warplane Art / Re: Lockheed C-130 Herkules

« on: August 23, 2021, 06:52:37 PM »

Almost ten years later, continue on subject

750

Miscellaneous Subjects / Sikorsky S-35

« on: August 23, 2021, 05:43:20 PM »

In 1919, businessman Raymond Orteig established a prize of $ 25,000 for a transatlantic flight between New York and Paris. In 1926, the French pilot Rene Fonck decided to try his luck. He turned to the Sikorsky Manufacturing Company, which, by his order, converted its twin-engine passenger aircraft S-35 into a three-engine one.

The S-35 was a sesquiplane with a non-retractable landing gear. 3 × Gnome-Rhône Jupiter 9A engines (425 hp) allowed a maximum speed of 233 km/h. There was enough fuel for 7 hours of flight. With additional tanks — at 5850 km (according to calculations). August 23, 1926-the first flight of the Sikorsky S-35 transport aircraft.

During the test flights, the S35 showed good flight characteristics. But for a long-distance flight, additional training was needed. Fonk hurried Igor Sikorsky and it ended badly. On September 21, 1926, an overloaded plane crashed during takeoff. 2 of the 4 crew members were killed.