Short Large Flying Boats; C & G Class, Empire, Mayo, Sunderland, Shetland Etc.

[PR19_Kit]

Wasn't the turret offset to one side, or did I imagine that?

If so, I wonder why.

[JayBee]

Yes, offset to starboard.
Why? No idea.

[Mossie]

It be great to put this kit with the Revell Condor for the mother of all Dogfight Doubles in a copy of the Airfix box art.  Wasn't there a Commando or Battle cover with a similar Sunderland vs Condor dogfight?

[kitnut617]

Also several Sunderlands at the wars end had forward facing .303"/0.5" Mg's fitted to keep the U-Boats crews heads down when attacking. Just wondered what a Sunderland with forward facing 20mm or even a Molin's gun would be able to do ?

Chris

The requirement for the prototype was it to have a 37mm C.O.W. cannon in the nose and a single hand operated .303 at the rear.  After the prototype got flying the requirement got changed, the cannon removed and a four-gun power turret at the rear.  This cause a severe shift in the cg which Short rectified by rotating the wing 4 degrees back around the rear spar connecting point.  This gave the Sunderland it's canted-out engine appearance as there wasn't anytime to straighten out the nacelles.  I've just recently read an article about the Seaford/Solent, in it it says they didn't even bother to straighten out the wing floats on the Sunderland which didn't get rectified until a float got ripped off while they were testing the Seaford.

I'm at present modifying an Airfix Sunderland into a turbo-prop powered amphibian which will end up as a fire-bomber.  I'm removing all military stuff off it so the plan is to swing the wing back into it's original position which is easily done. The engines are some modified Dart nacelles from the Dart Dakota conversion but the props I'm using are the Aeroclub Viscount set which are of the same diameter as the Sunderland props, but have four blades.  The engine nacelless are quite a bit longer than the standard equipment (even though I've shortened them a bit) and my intention was to move the cockpit forward so in appearance it would be closer to 'C' Class, but since reading the article about the Seaford I'm going to go with what Short's did to make a Seaford, which was to move the whole forward fuselage forward about 3 feet and add a plug in. This plug was inserted right where the beaching gear is mounted which also happens to be in-line with the wing's front spar. A fairly easy fix but the extention of the planing bottom aft of the step won't be as easy, as all that got moved was the planing bottom and not the rear fuselage.

[NARSES2]

Thanks lads. It's amazing how many aircraft were due to get the C.O.W. gun

[rickshaw]

Thanks lads. It's amazing how many aircraft were due to get the C.O.W. gun

What has always surprised me is just how few actually did end up with it.  It was by all accounts a good weapon but it seemed never to actually find an application.

[Rheged]

Don't forget the Martin Mars -----

There's the various  female aristocracy.......Princess,  Duchess  etc  and the Blackburn Clydesman.  Anyone have any  data about the latter,  please?

[Rheged]

Berlin airlift they were operating Sunderlands from Lake Havel and theres a seaplane operating on the River Clyde still.

I recall reading somewhere that they were the only aircraft that could safely  fly salt into Berlin. Is  this correct?

[PR19_Kit]

Berlin airlift they were operating Sunderlands from Lake Havel and theres a seaplane operating on the River Clyde still.

I recall reading somewhere that they were the only aircraft that could safely  fly salt into Berlin. Is  this correct?

That's correct, because the hulls had already been andodised against sea-water corrosion when they were bult. The Havel 'terminal' was a small pier that connected almost directly to RAF Gatow on the west bank of the lake, but I don't think they called it RAF Havel.

[Rheged]

Berlin airlift they were operating Sunderlands from Lake Havel and theres a seaplane operating on the River Clyde still.

I recall reading somewhere that they were the only aircraft that could safely  fly salt into Berlin. Is  this correct?

That's correct, because the hulls had already been andodised against sea-water corrosion when they were bult. The Havel 'terminal' was a small pier that connected almost directly to RAF Gatow on the west bank of the lake, but I don't think they called it RAF Havel.

Thank you Kit!  I thought that  this  was  the  case,but I'm increasingly victim to  lapses of memory.

[jcf]

[  and the Blackburn Clydesman.  Anyone have any  data about the latter,  please?

Blackburn Aircraft since 1909, 1989 revised edition, Appendix C 'The B Series', pp 535-36,
B-49, long paragraph of description and program intent, one photo of a model, 2-view drawing.

Stuck on the Drawing Board, 2004, pg. 155 short paragraph of description, pg. 156 small 3-view of
B-49B configuration with Miles Libellula-like tandem wing.

http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,3313.msg26656.html#msg26656

Also a 3-view and a bit of info on the B-49B version in Aerospace Projects Review, Vol 2, Number 3.
http://www.up-ship.com/eAPR/ev2n3.htm

[PR19_Kit]

Also a 3-view and a bit of info on the B-49B version in Aerospace Projects Review, Vol 2, Number 3.
http://www.up-ship.com/eAPR/ev2n3.htm

There's always excellent stuff on Scott's site, where DOES he get his information from? 

That B-49B looks one AWESOME piece of stuff, like a shortened Princess that's run into a quayside rather hard. 

I also noticed the 3-engined 747 further up the page too, now that's one I'd find seriously attractive to build (if not to look at...)

[NARSES2]

Thanks lads. It's amazing how many aircraft were due to get the C.O.W. gun

What has always surprised me is just how few actually did end up with it.  It was by all accounts a good weapon but it seemed never to actually find an application.

Yup I'm not certain but I don't think any aircraft carried it operationally ? Happy to be proved wrong on this.

As fro Sunderlands landing on Lake Havel. One of my uncles spent part of his National Service unloading them during the Airlift, He reckoned that unloading coal was the worst job.