Combining a propeller driven aircraft with a turbojet

[McColm]

 Hi,
There has been several propeller and turbojet powered aircraft that have entered service.Are there any aircraft that you have whiffed or intend to whiff?
For me the Br1150 Atlantic and C-160.

In the real world there is:
C-123 Provider
C-119 Flying Boxcar
P2V Neptune
Martin P4M
Avro Shackleton
KC-97
B-50
B-36
North American Savage
Nord Noratlas
Grumman TB3F

To name but a few.

[Weaver]

There have also been fighter-style projects:

Ryan Fireball : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_FR_Fireball
Ryan Dark Shark : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_XF2R_Dark_Shark
Consolidated XP-81 : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convair_XP-81
Breguet Vultur : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breguet_Vultur
Curtiss XF15C : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_XF15C
Douglas XBTD-2 : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_XBTD-2_Destroyer

I've been thinking about this kind of thing of late because I have a project for a fictional aircraft company who's history mirrors Westland's, and I need an equivalent for the Wyvern. I couldn't see the RN funding two turboprop stike fighters in the post-war era, but it might be credible to have them produce a mixed-power type for comparison purposes.

[McColm]

Great idea,
Well you know that I added two jet pod auxiliaries to a Heller 1/72 Lockheed Constellation and has four Griffon engines with contra-rotating propellers ( not fitted yet).
Looks like a raid in the spares bin for drop tanks to be kitbashed into auxiliary turbojets.

[scooter]

You also forgot about the XF-84H Thunderscreech for experimental birds. 

[zenrat]

Anything that rivals the Tu-95 in the noise stakes can't be bad.  Love the name.

Reading the wikipedia article about the asymmetry designed into the thing makes it even more attractive.

Speaking of asymmetry, how about something like a Mosquito with one Meteor wing?

[PR19_Kit]

The Thunderscreech wasn't a dual power aircraft though, it had one BIG turboprop, the Allison XT-40 that also powered the VTOL Convair Pogo and Lockheed Salmon. The XT-40 was a dual engine though, like the Double Mamba in the Gannet, but they were both the same as each other.

[Dizzyfugu]

One XF-88 had been converted into a dual propulsion aircraft, though. It kept ist standard jet engines, but a turpoprop was added in the nose (tilted to one side, and the landing gear was moved to the side, IIRC):

[kitnut617]

I've read that the XF-88 couldn't take-off or land with the turbo-prop running ---

[Dizzyfugu]

That could be true - I have never seen pics of the "propped" XF-88 starting with the propeller running, it's always still and in neutral position. AFAIK, it was rather an engine testbed than a "serious" alternative to jets.

[McGreig]

How about the various Soviet proposals to use the VRDK motorjet, including this 1943 project to install it in a Yak-9 fighter:



Back in 2007, I adapted this to a Yak-3:





For the original build thread, see http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,17121.msg243147

And in the real world they had the Su-5 (top) and MiG I-250:

[jcf]

The XF-88B was a propeller test-bed for use in the development of transonic and supersonic
propellers. The Allison installation was offset to port, the nose-gear to starboard.

[Rheged]

Among the test-beds, I can offer the following Lancastrians

Nene-Lancastrian  VH742  2x Rolls-Royce Nene + 2x Rolls-Royce Merlin 14 August 1946 Flew the first international all-jet passenger flight from London to Paris on 23 November 1946.

Nene-Lancastrian  VH737  2x Rolls-Royce Nene + 2x Rolls-Royce Merlin

Avon-Lancastrian  VM732 2x Rolls-Royce Avon + 2x Rolls-Royce Merlin

Avon-Lancastrian  VL970  2x Rolls-Royce Avon + 2x Rolls-Royce Merlin  Latterly used to test the Rolls-Royce Avon 502 civil turbojet for the de Havilland Comet 2 airliner.

Ghost-Lancastrian  VM703 2x de Havilland Ghost 50 + 2x Rolls-Royce Merlin + 2x Walter HWK 109-500 RATOG packs  24 July 1947  Testing the Engines and take-off boost system proposed for the de Havilland Comet 1 airliner

Ghost-Lancastrian  VM729   2 x de Havilland Ghost 50 + 2x Rolls-Royce Merlin  Used for afterburner research and later development and certification of the Ghost 50 for the Comet 1 a.

Sapphire-Lancastrian  VM733  2x Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire + 2x Rolls-Royce Merlin     18 January 1950

Among other jet Lancastrians were various test-beds with the Canadian Orenda, Swedish Dovern and the British ASX, Adder and Viper


Also a Wellington  http://www.flickr.com/photos/bud_scotland/7710983050/

And from another source:- 

Turbine test bed Lancs
BT308 Mk1 prototype Metrovick F2/1
LL735 Mk2 Metrovick F2/1 june 1943 F2/4 Beryl 1945
ND784 Mk6 Armstrong Sidley ASX in bomb bay, Mamba turboprop in nose
NG465 Mk3 Various Darts from Oct1947-Jan 1954
RE137 Mk3 Armstrong Siddley Python mock-up
SW342 Mk3 Armstrong Siddley Mamba in nose Viper and Adder in tail positions
TW911 Mk3 Armstrong Siddley Pythons in outer engine positions
FM205 Mk10 Avro Canada Chinook engines in outer positions. Not flown.
FM209 Mk10 Avro Canada Orendas in outer nacelles
80001 Mk1 Ex Ra805 Royal Swedish Air Force test of Stal Dovern engine in bomb bay 1951. Later used to test RR Ghost with reheat.

The highlighted one seems to be 7 (yes, seven) engined!!

[Pellson]

80001 Mk1 Ex Ra805 Royal Swedish Air Force test of Stal Dovern engine in bomb bay 1951. Later used to test RR Ghost with reheat.

...and subsequently, in 1956, it went down with a bang but not after having tested the Swedish developments of the RR Avon engine as well.

When experiments with jet engines began in England some modified Lancasters were used as flying engine test beds. At STAL in Finspong (ca 1 hr north of SAAB:s home in Linkoping) jet engines Glan and Dovern were developed. After the engine had been tested on the ground in Finspong it was felt that flight testing along British lines were motivated. To gain access to a suitable test aircraft, the Swedish Air Force Material Command contacted the British Air Ministry to buy a Lancaster that could be used.

After negotiations a former RAF Lancaster (serial number RA 805) was procured and delivered to Hamble for modification to test bed. On the fuselage underside, all the light metal was replaced with stainless steel to avoid structural damage from the jet exhaust. The bamb bay was reinforced and fitted with suspension devices and jet engine mounts in a large underbody nacelle. To protect the tail wheel from the hot exhaust, it was made retractable. The former radio operators station was rebuilt to cater for all jet engine monitoring instrumentation.

RA 805 was flown from England to the Swedish Air force test center (FC) at Malmslatt, just across town from the SAAB factory in Linköping. This also became the home for the Swedish Lancaster during its short spell in Sweden. First test flight with a jet engine Dovern was conducted June 27, 1951 . Totally 130 hours with Dover engine was flown before a decision was made to use English engines for the Swedish aircraft, rumours still linking this decision to the possibility to procure radar sets for the Swedish J32B all-weather interceptor then being developed. During the spring of 1953, the rig was modified to accept the de Havilland Ghost engine tested with a Swedish designed afterburner for the SAAB J29F Flying Barrel. Subsequently, he aircraft was used in the testing of the atferburning Rolls Royce Avon that would be used in the SAAB J32B Lansen and J35A Draken interceptors.
During one of these test flights, the airplane crashed at Slaka church almost within sight from the home base, just southwest of Linköping. At the crash, two crew members were killed while two others managed to escape by parachute. One of the victims was a distant relative.

The crash was not linked to the tests but rather to the original Merlin engines. On engine no 1 (outer left engine), the throttle valve jammed, in the process thrashing the regulator leading to the valve getting stuck fully open. This caused the engine to stall and backfire violently which in turn caused a fire which rather quickly damaged the wing structure to such an extent that the aircraft couldn't stay airborne.

Interestingly, the STAL Dovern was later developed into a powerpack for generation of electricity, and even later, in the 1990:ies, further developed into a marine propulsion unit. As such, it powers the high speed catamarans between UK and Ireland, and I have actually been working on both variants world wide. Whaddyaknow..


Wildly offtopic, but anyway..

[McColm]

Loads of information and whiffs to build. I'll use the Shackleton as a test bed as an alternative to the Mk 3 as flown in South Africa.

[Captain Canada]

Wow....a lot more there than you'd think ! Off to google I go...but I already dig that Vultur, I had no idea !