Post by Diarist on Sept 21, 2015 20:54:20 GMT 1
The Supermarine Walrus is a British single-engine amphibious biplane reconnaissance aircraft designed by R. J. Mitchell and first flown on 21 June 1933. It is the first British squadron-service aircraft to incorporate a fully retractable main undercarriage, completely enclosed crew accommodation, and an all-metal fuselage.
Development
The Walrus was initially developed as a private venture in response to a 1929 Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) requirement for an aircraft to be catapult-launched from cruisers, and was originally called the Seagull V, although it only resembled the earlier Supermarine Seagull III in general layout. Construction was started in 1930 but owing to Supermarine's other commitments it was not completed until 1933.
The single-step hull was constructed from aluminium alloy, with stainless-steel forgings for the catapult spools and mountings. Metal construction is used because experience had shown that wooden structures deteriorated rapidly under tropical conditions. The wings, which are slightly swept back, has stainless–steel spars and wooden ribs and are covered in fabric. The lower wings are set in the shoulder position with a stabilising float mounted under each one. The horizontal tail-surfaces were positioned high on the tail-fin and braced on either side by N stuts. The wings could be folded on ship, giving a stowage width of 17 feet 6 inches (5.33 m). The single 620 hp (460 kW) Pegasus II M2 radial engine is housed at the rear of a nacelle mounted on four struts above the lower wing and braced by four shorter struts to the centre-section of the upper wing. This powers a four-bladed wooden propeller in pusher configuration. The engine nacelle contains the oil tank, arranged around the air intake at the front of the nacelle to act as an oil cooler, and electrical equipment and has a number of access panels for maintenance. A supplementary oil cooler is mounted on the starboard side. Fuel is carried in two tanks in the upper wings. The pusher configuration has the advantages of keeping the engine and propeller further out of the way of spray when operating on water and reducing the noise level inside the aircraft. Also, the moving propeller is safely away from any crew standing on the front deck, which would be done when picking up a mooring line. The engine is offset by three degrees to starboard to counter any tendency of the aircraft to yaw due to unequal forces on the rudder caused by the vortex from the propeller.
A solid aluminium tail-wheel is enclosed within a small water-rudder, which can be coupled to the main rudder for taxying or disengaged for take-off and landing.
Although the aircraft typically can fly with one pilot, there are positions for two. The left-hand position is the main one, with the instrument panel and a fixed seat, while the right-hand seat can be folded away to allow access to the nose gun-position via a crawl-way. An unusual feature is that the control column was not a fixed fitting in the usual way, but can be unplugged from either of two sockets at floor level. It has become a habit for only one column to be in use; and when control is passed from the pilot to co-pilot or vice versa, the control column can simply be unplugged and handed over. Behind the cockpit, there is a small cabin with work stations for the navigator and radio operator.
Armament usually consists of two .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers K machine guns, one in each of the open positions in the nose and rear fuselage; with provision for carrying bombs or depth charges mounted beneath the lower wings. Like other flying boats, the Walrus carries marine equipment for use on the water, including an anchor, towing and mooring cables, drogues and a boat-hook.
The prototype was first flown by "Mutt" Summers on 21 June 1933; five days later it made an appearance at the SBAC show at Hendon, where Summers startled the spectators (R. J. Mitchell among them) by looping the aircraft. Such aerobatics were possible because the aircraft had been stressed for catapult launching. On 29 July Supermarine handed the aircraft over to the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment at Felixstowe. Extensive trials are to be carried out, including shipborne trials aboard HMS Repulse and HMS Valianton behalf of the Royal Australian Navy and catapult trials carried out by the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough, becoming the first amphibious aircraft in the world to be launched by catapult with a full military load.
"Supermarine Walrus". Licensed under Public Domain via Commons
Source: Wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Walrus
Development
The Walrus was initially developed as a private venture in response to a 1929 Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) requirement for an aircraft to be catapult-launched from cruisers, and was originally called the Seagull V, although it only resembled the earlier Supermarine Seagull III in general layout. Construction was started in 1930 but owing to Supermarine's other commitments it was not completed until 1933.
The single-step hull was constructed from aluminium alloy, with stainless-steel forgings for the catapult spools and mountings. Metal construction is used because experience had shown that wooden structures deteriorated rapidly under tropical conditions. The wings, which are slightly swept back, has stainless–steel spars and wooden ribs and are covered in fabric. The lower wings are set in the shoulder position with a stabilising float mounted under each one. The horizontal tail-surfaces were positioned high on the tail-fin and braced on either side by N stuts. The wings could be folded on ship, giving a stowage width of 17 feet 6 inches (5.33 m). The single 620 hp (460 kW) Pegasus II M2 radial engine is housed at the rear of a nacelle mounted on four struts above the lower wing and braced by four shorter struts to the centre-section of the upper wing. This powers a four-bladed wooden propeller in pusher configuration. The engine nacelle contains the oil tank, arranged around the air intake at the front of the nacelle to act as an oil cooler, and electrical equipment and has a number of access panels for maintenance. A supplementary oil cooler is mounted on the starboard side. Fuel is carried in two tanks in the upper wings. The pusher configuration has the advantages of keeping the engine and propeller further out of the way of spray when operating on water and reducing the noise level inside the aircraft. Also, the moving propeller is safely away from any crew standing on the front deck, which would be done when picking up a mooring line. The engine is offset by three degrees to starboard to counter any tendency of the aircraft to yaw due to unequal forces on the rudder caused by the vortex from the propeller.
A solid aluminium tail-wheel is enclosed within a small water-rudder, which can be coupled to the main rudder for taxying or disengaged for take-off and landing.
Although the aircraft typically can fly with one pilot, there are positions for two. The left-hand position is the main one, with the instrument panel and a fixed seat, while the right-hand seat can be folded away to allow access to the nose gun-position via a crawl-way. An unusual feature is that the control column was not a fixed fitting in the usual way, but can be unplugged from either of two sockets at floor level. It has become a habit for only one column to be in use; and when control is passed from the pilot to co-pilot or vice versa, the control column can simply be unplugged and handed over. Behind the cockpit, there is a small cabin with work stations for the navigator and radio operator.
Armament usually consists of two .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers K machine guns, one in each of the open positions in the nose and rear fuselage; with provision for carrying bombs or depth charges mounted beneath the lower wings. Like other flying boats, the Walrus carries marine equipment for use on the water, including an anchor, towing and mooring cables, drogues and a boat-hook.
The prototype was first flown by "Mutt" Summers on 21 June 1933; five days later it made an appearance at the SBAC show at Hendon, where Summers startled the spectators (R. J. Mitchell among them) by looping the aircraft. Such aerobatics were possible because the aircraft had been stressed for catapult launching. On 29 July Supermarine handed the aircraft over to the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment at Felixstowe. Extensive trials are to be carried out, including shipborne trials aboard HMS Repulse and HMS Valianton behalf of the Royal Australian Navy and catapult trials carried out by the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough, becoming the first amphibious aircraft in the world to be launched by catapult with a full military load.
"Supermarine Walrus". Licensed under Public Domain via Commons
Source: Wikipedia - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Walrus