Fantasy of Flight Page 2
The British-built Shorts Sunderland would start it's life as a civilian luxury airliner. It was an Empire Class flying boat. In 1938 it would enter service with the Royal Navy. It was used as a maritime patrol aircraft, search and rescue, cargo, and used as convoy protection against submarines. This type of aircraft was credited with sinking 31 German U-boats during WWII. Originally they were powered by Bristol Pegasus engines that were incapable of feathering. The British had experience flying the PBY Catalina and subsequently used the higher power, fully feathering Pratt and Whitney R-1830's on all other models. The aircraft in the picture is a Sunderland MkV. During WWII it served with the British, Norwegians, and Canadians. In the mid 60's this aircraft was operated by Australia's Ansett Airlines. It is the last airworthy four engine flying boat in the world. It was also the last aircraft to operate out of the original Miami Pan Am Clipper Base out of Dinner Key. It is also the last four engine flying boat to cross a major ocean.
The Lockheed Constellation was a design that was brought about by a team of engineers employed by Howard Hughes. Hughes pushed the aircraft into development so that the airline that he hold the majority stock in, TWA, would have an advantage over other airlines of the day. At the time 90% of the competition was using DC-3's capable of carrying up to 28 passengers over a range of about 1,000 miles at 170mph. The L-49 would carry up to 60 passengers over 3,000 miles at a speed of 370mph. The aircraft was a very large tricycle gear aircraft for it's day. It is known for it's triple tail which was implemented in the design so that it would fit in the standard large hangers of the day. Design of the L-49 Constellation started in 1939 but construction was interrupted by the outbreak of WWII. During this time the government took delivery of 22 of these aircraft and designated them the C-69. Over half the Connie's built would be used by the U.S. Navy and Air Force. These aircraft were also used by Generals Eisenhower and McArthur as VIP transports designated VC-121's. When Eisenhower became president the Constellation "Columbine III" would serve as Air Force One. The Connie would serve during WWII and beyond in many roles such as: electronics intelligence gathering, VIP transport, and airborne early warning radar. The Constellation pictured above was one of a very few L-1649 Starliner's produced. It had seating for 94, an improved wing, and upgraded R-3350 Turbo Compound engines. The Constellation production would end in 1958.
On August 31, 1947 the prototype Antonov An-2 "Colt" first flew. The Colt was powered by a 1,000-hp Shvetsov ASh-62IR radial piston engine. It is the worlds largest single engine biplane with a wingspan of 59 feet and is still in production today. It is still used by 30 of the world's Air Forces. This aircraft has an extremely short takeoff run of only feet due to it's double wings and ailerons that droop 20 degrees to help produce lift when the flaps are extended. It required about a 500 foot takeoff roll and a 550 foot landing roll. Over 20,000 of these aircraft have been produced. They have been used as an airliner, troop transport, utility transport, skydive aircraft, paratrooper aircraft, surveying, glider tug, light bomber, air ambulance, and agricultural aircraft. Apparently the pilots manual says that if the engine quits in instrument conditions or at night that the pilot should pull the control column full aft. The leading edge slats will pop out at about 40mph and the aircraft will continue to slow to about 25mph. The plane won't stall but at this rate will drift down at about the same decent rate as a parachute which gives a good chance of survivability!
The Ford 5-AT Trimotor was designed by the Stout Metal Aircraft Company at the request of automobile maker Henry Ford. Stout had used the basic design of the Fokker F-VII Trimotor in it's design. In 1925 it would play a major part in the history of civil aviation. Henry Ford developed the aircraft and sponsored a demonstration to show that an aircraft could be used to transport people from New York to Los Angeles in less than 48 hours and do so safely. It would become one of the first airliners in the world. It could hold 17 passengers and fly at 90 miles per hour. It made history on November 28, 1929 when Admiral Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett along with three others became the first people to fly over the South Pole. This particular aircraft can be seen in the movie "Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom."
This odd looking bird is the German Fieseler Fi-156 "Storch." (translated Stork) It was designed in 1935 and used on all fronts in WWII. The Storch was powered by a 240 hp Argus inverted vee 8-cylinder air-cooled engine. It had leading edge slats and drooping ailerons that made it a superior Shot Take-Off and Landing aircraft. It could fly at speeds slower than 25mph! The takeoff roll was about 65 feet and the landing roll under 200! The aircraft was designed as a liaison aircraft. It was this type of aircraft that was used to rescue Italian Dictator Mussolini from the top of a hotel. It was also used to carry the bomb in an attempt on Hitler's life in July of 1944. After the war the French were left with the machining shops that built these aircraft in occupied France. The French would go on to produce these aircraft themselves. The German aircraft had wings built of wood and contained a rear gunner. The French version had no gunner and had aluminum wings.
The Piper L-4 Grasshopper flew it's first combat mission on November 9, 1942 during the invasion of Northern Africa. During the mission three L-4's flew off an aircraft carrier! It was powered by a 63hp Continental O-170-3. It was used extensively in WWII as an artillery spotting and liaison aircraft. It also saw wide use with the Civil Air Patrol searching for submarines off the coasts of the U.S. During WWII the CAP would go on to spot 173 enemy U-boats , attack 57, hit 10, and sank two!
The Fieseler Fi-103 V-1 "Buzz Bomb" was the first viable intercontinental missile to fly. It was created by Germany and first flew in December of 1941. The missile's pulse jet engine produced 660lbs of thrust and was mounted above the fuselage at the rear of the aircraft. The missile weighed 4,806lbs, 1,874lbs of which was a warhead. Starting in June 1944 attacks began on the city of London. Over 8,100 of the V-1's were used against the city. Without any real guidance system onboard these often failed to hit any strategic targets but were more of a psychological impact and a show of technological superiority. With a speed of 350-400mph they could be intercepted and shot down by aircraft such as the Hawker Typhoon.
The Lockheed Vega "Winnie Mae" was a world record setting aircraft flown by Wiley Post. They were named in honor of the pilot, Post's daughter. In 1933 Wiley Post became the first person to fly around the world solo. It took him 7 days, 18 hours, and 49 minutes. The aircraft was equipped with a new Sperry autopilot and new radio direction finding equipment. The Sperry autopilot would revolutionize aviation as it was the first aircraft instrument equipped with a gyro. The Winnie Mae would go on to set many more speed and altitude records. Post would later go on to test the Goodyear pressure suit during high altitude flights. This would become the first prototype for a space suit. The prototype looked more like a deep sea diving suit for the navy than a space suit. In 1935 Post was killed along with this friend, the cowboy comedian, Will Rogers when their aircraft overturned on a lake in Alaska. This aircraft is a Vega painted to replicate the Winnie Mae. The actual aircraft is in the Udvar-Hazey Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. It's also worth noting that another Vega which was flown by Amelia Earhart is also in the National Air and Space Museum.
The Polikarpov PO-2 first flew in 1928. It was intended as a scout and trainer. In WWII it would be used as a light nighttime bomber. It was built out of wood and fabric and used to attack the Germans on the Eastern Front. These materials made the aircraft invisible to the radar of the time period making it a stealthy aircraft for the day. The PO-2 was even known to shut off it's engines in the nighttime sky in order to get the element of surprise. The aircraft was known as the "Nightwitches" on the German Front. It was slow and outdated but cheap and fast to build and had very few vulnerable parts as bullets would pass through the fabric. The plane was also known to be extremely safe in that it was almost impossible to spin and would recover on its own if the pilot did manage to get into a spin. It also had a very reliable powerplant. One of the most interesting things about this aircraft is that the Russians were the first to use women as pilots on the front line. This is one of the aircraft that were used by the female Russian aviators. This plane was the most mass produced aircraft ever with nearly 40,000 examples being built between 1928 and 1959!
This aircraft is a Standard J-1. It was designed by the same man who designed the Curtiss Jenny, Charles Day. This type was used by the U.S. Army to catch Pancho Villa, the Mexican Bandit, in 1916. This aircraft was previously owned by Paul Mantz and Frank Tallman before finding it's home at Kermit Weeks museum. This aircraft was used in the Howard Hughes film "Hells Angels." It also starred in the films "Lucky Lady", "Spirit of St. Louis", and "The Great Waldo Pepper."
This unusual looking aircraft is the Bachem Ba 349 Natter Viper. It was designed in 1944 and luckily none ever saw combat. The basic design is of wood construction and powered by a single Walter 509-C internal liquid rocket producing 3,750lbs of thrust and assisted by four Schmiddling external solid rocket boosters adding an additional 2,200lbs of thrust. The main engine would burn for 80 seconds and the four solid rocket boosters for 12 seconds. The climb rate was approximately 37,000 feet per minute. After the engines ran out of fuel there was a nose cone that jettisoned and the Viper would begin it's glide down. As it descended upon a row of bombers it would unleash it's 24 rockets from the nose. This rocket plane had no form of landing gear. After the pilot dispensed it's ordinance the cockpit section would jettison and the pilot would parachute to safety, hopefully.
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© Brian Whittingham 2004
