Fairey Hastings - North Africa 1942

[Bungle]

Fairey Hastings (close to Battle in East Sussex)

The story of the Fairey Battle is widely known. Though a great step up from the Hawker Hind it replaced in the RAF and despite being powered by the new RR Merlin it was too slow and had a limited range (The Ministry thought Britain's next enemy would be France so at that time a range to Paris and back was acceptable). Out gunned and outclassed the Battle was obsolete by the start of the Second World War and despite being the first RAF aircraft to shoot down an enemy fighter it failed to serve with any distinction.

By 16th May 1940 299 Battles had been lost in action, the rest returned to England to be re-assigned to Polish squadrons but by October of that year the Battle had been replaced by the Wellington for frontline duties. The Battle continued service with the RAF as a trainer, target tug and as a coastal patrol aircraft. It remained in production until late September 1940 when the last of a staggering 2,185 of these obsolete aircraft where built by the Austin Motor Company.

The Fairey Battle story didn't end there. It had seen service in North Africa and the Mediterranean, flying with the Greek, Turkish and South African Airforce. It served as a trainer in Australia and Canada but it was in its later life that the Battle saw a new role as an engine test bed. Over the years the Battle had been teamed up with a Bristol Taurus,



a Napier Sabre





with a cumbersome Rolls-Royce Exe



and even a Bristol Hercules



The Canadians worried about a shortage of Merlin engines even tried a Wright Cyclone 9



But it was in America that stranger adaptations were happening where a Battle was modified to accommodate the experimental 2,240- h.p. Fairey P.24 Prince X-type, 24- cylinder liquid-cooled engine (twice the power of the normal Rolls-Royce Merlin-engined Battle) The P.24, driving a 6-blade contra prop, was developed from the 480-h.p. licence-built Curtiss D.12 (Fairey Felix) which powered the two-seat day bomber Fairey Fox of 1925. The Prince F.T.B. was first flown on 30th June 1939. After 100-hours test flying, it was crated and shipped to the Wright Field on 5th December 1941 exchanging R.A.F. camouflage and roundels for U.S.A.A.F. markings. The Americans were keen on this new concept especially as one bank of cylinders could be shut down in flight but the plane itself was not very graceful and initially nothing came of the project.




That was not until America entered the war and found themselves in North Africa. Here they required an attack aircraft similar to the Hawker Hurricane IID to be used in the tank busting role. They had nothing similar and the British Air Ministry did not have enough Hurricanes to give to the Americans so the American air chiefs contacted Fairey. They liked the extra power of the Prince but had no time to continue the development of the engine. What they did have was a great number of licence built Merlin's so took the Prince's 'twin engine' concept by adding two Merlins.

To achieve this Fairey extended the nose by a foot and moved the pilots position back to accommodate the second Merlin. Normally a three man crew the new 'Fairey Hastings'  lost a crew member with the second  man become solely a defensive gunner sitting deep in the rear fuselage using a periscope to control a radio controlled barbette. Provision for internal bomb storage gave way to the need to house two 37mm cannons plus to .5 brownings. The two Merlins powered two four bladed propellers which kicked up one hell of a dust storm in the North African desert.

The Fairey Hastings F.1

[Bungle]

More Pictures.....

















Kit was the venerable Fairey Battle with a balsa wood plug added to extend the nose, the props are from a 1/100th Tu-95, the turret is made from an Airfix refuellers tyre everything else is from the spares box with plenty of the new Deluxe Materials Perfect Plastic Putty (very nice !). Inspiration from this forum and considerable amounts of alcohol.

[JayBee]

Looks a tad nose heavy but I like it. 

[PR19_Kit]

Cor, wow, etc. 

I bet they didn't open the throttles too rapidly on take-off or that lovely 6 bladed prop would have become a nought bladed one pretty swiftly. 

[NARSES2]

Wonderfull imagination 

[JayBee]

We have a new branch of maths courtesy of Kit.

4+4 = 6

[PR19_Kit]

We have a new branch of maths courtesy of Kit.

4+4 = 6

Nothing's QUITE what it seems in PR19 land............ 

[Glenn Gilbertson]

What a novel take on the old battle! Long live alternative reality!

[Captain Canada]

What a beauty ! Long and slender.....nice one !

[major]

Oooh! Cool !!!!
Is it just me, or would it look great also in South Vietnamese markings? A USAF Ground attack?