Hawker Hunter

[rickshaw]

from the files ... there was a Hunter variant proposed to the RN. back in the late 50's the 'P.1117'...a nice easy conversion from any single seat kit... remove dogtooth from wings, add leading edge slats, add rear fuselage airbrakes, add 'Blue Parrot' shaped nosecone, revised windscreen, tip tanks, underwing firestreaks and a 'proper' arrestor hook and the there you have it...one navalised Hunter!
ps. re the RN. operated T.7/T.8 i think the undercart was pretty much as per standard at least i cant se any obvious differences comparing pics of the RN. and RAF. ones apart from the obvious hook and nose light ??

It then appears doable.  The side-mounted airbrakes though, caused pitch down in the early versions of the Hunter, that'd be a dangerous problem in a naval craft and the ventral airbrake couldn't be used on landing.  "Blue Parrot" shaped nosecone?  Shaped or sized?  Revised windscreen in what way?

Out of a matter of interest, does anybody have a picture of a Hunter F1 with the side mounted airbrakes?

[kitnut617]

Out of a matter of interest, does anybody have a picture of a Hunter F1 with the side mounted airbrakes?

There's a few photos of the Mk.3 in the Modellers Data File book which has the side airbrakes Rick.

[PR19_Kit]

Try this link on Airliners.net for a sice view of the real WB18 Hunter protoype showing the airbrakes.

http://www.airliners.net/photo/UK---Air/Hawker-Hunter-F3/1364479/&sid=0d354a68a1b1523840ca8349e2b2c214

Beware of photos of 'WB188' as there are currently three of them!

The real one, the F3, is the one you're talking about and is currently at the Tangmere Museum, is painted red and has the pointed nose and the side airbrakes, but not its curved windcsreen that it had during its Air Speed Record run. But there are two copies, both based at Delta Jets at Kemble, one is also painted red, but it's really an FGA9, XF300, with sawtooth wings etc. and the other is another FGA9, WV256 painted pale green as was WB188 when it first flew.

[Mossie]

I seem to recall reading somewhere that tip tanks on the Hunter caused some problems during testing, so it was dropped?

Yeah, according to Air Vectors they caused buffeting so they weren't adopted.  That same paragraph also mentions a thrust reverser being fitted to a single Hunter, wonder what that looked like?
http://www.vectorsite.net/avhunt_1.html#m6

Out of a matter of interest, does anybody have a picture of a Hunter F1 with the side mounted airbrakes?

There's a pic on this link of an experimental set up on F.6 XF379, scroll down to page 8.  It's mounted further foward than that on the F.3.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/4648571/Aircraft-Profile-004-Hawker-Hunter-F-6

[PR19_Kit]

Yeah, according to Air Vectors they caused buffeting so they weren't adopted.  That same paragraph also mentions a thrust reverser being fitted to a single Hunter, wonder what that looked like?

I saw it at Farnborough one year. 

I think that was also fitted to WB188 as the aircraft was the same pale green as WB188 was when it was first shown, or perhaps a pale cream colour. It certainly wasn't normal RAF camo or red. The reverse exhaust ducts were pretty well in the same place as the side mounted air brakes we're talking about on '188, one each side of the rear fuselage underneath the tailplane. They were rectangular black ducts, maybe 3' high by 2' long, with curved corners.

Amazing how your memory works sometimes. 

[TsrJoe]

i recall an old (Lindberg?) 1/48 scale Hunter kit from the 1960's which was based upon the Sapphire engined F.2 with thrust reverser vents on the rear fuselage as per kit's description

cheers, Joe

[PR19_Kit]

Joe,

An F2? Hadn't thought of that, yes, could be the one I saw.

I wish my Dad was still around, he was amazed when the Hunter stopped in no distance at all, and was pretty scathing about it. Quite what he'd have made of Tornadoes and Viggens I have no idea.

[Jeffry Fontaine]

i recall an old (Lindberg?) 1/48 scale Hunter kit from the 1960's which was based upon the Sapphire engined F.2 with thrust reverser vents on the rear fuselage as per kit's description

I don't recall any thrust reverser in that old Lindberg kit when I built it way back when.  That same kit was also released under a Japanese brand name, Nichimo if I am not mistaken.  Only difference was the Japanese writing instead of English on the instruction sheet and no rubber bands for the ejection seat which were included with the Lindberg kit. 

[Mossie]

I've looked it up out of interest, the Lindberg kit has something that looks like a thrust reverser.  I'm guessing this worked by using some kind of petals in the exhaust, like the Viggen?

[elmayerle]

I've looked it up out of interest, the Lindberg kit has something that looks like a thrust reverser.  I'm guessing this worked by using some kind of petals in the exhaust, like the Viggen?

I think so since it was trialed, ISTR, by the Swedish as a J34B.

[PR19_Kit]

According to the 'Thunder and Lightnings' site, WT585 was an F1 that flew with 43 Sqdn., which are the markings carried by the model on the box, but there's naff all information on the reverse thrust test-bed Hunter anywhere.  

As I recall they did talk about 'diverter plates' fitted to the aircraft at Farnborough.

[GTX]

Cover it in gold leaf, Sultan of Bruni's personnel aircraft    

Go on - I dare you!!!

Regards,

Greg

[GTX]

Sea Hunter - practicality be damned!!



regards,

Greg

[NARSES2]

Practicality and FAA procurement...interesting thought

[GTX]

Practicality and FAA procurement...interesting thought

I was actually thinking of technical practicality, but that works too...

Regards,

Greg