Steam Powered SBC-4

[Alvis 3.14159]

Much has been written about the Curtiss-Wright SBC-4 helldiver, but little is known about the only steam powered aircraft used by any belligerent during WWII. This is that story.

Inventor Rory McTavish was obsessed with steam power. His great-grandfather had helped James Watt with some of the earliest steam engines, and he had steam in his blood (A medical condition usually fatal!) He had become obsessed with the idea of a steam powered aircraft sometime in the mid 1930s, and pestered the RAF for years to help him prove the technology. Once WWII started up in earnest, his interest became unquenchable, and he refused to let the RAF have a moment's peace. He was completely convinced he had the secret to cheap, powerful aircraft engines that were robust and could run off cheap and easy to get at coal...now if only the RAF would lend him a plane to prove it!

Oddly, the RAF seemed preoccupied with fighting the Luftwaffe at the time, and didn't have the time or energy to be bothered with McTavish, but fortunately for both, several Curtiss-Wright SBC-4s originally destined for France came into the possession of the RAF. Totally unsuited for combat, a quick thinking RAF supply clerk realised they could get rid of two problems in one go. Soon, a SBC-4 and Mister McTavish were off to the Orkney Islands for some Steam Powered Flight Research.

A minimal amount of money was sent to keep things moving, but not enough to actually lead to the completion of the project, but they hadn't counted on Rory's obsessive nature. He was also lucky in that an abandoned Arado 196 washed up near his research station, and thus he obtained a set of floats for his plane. Working feverishly around the clock, by November of 1940, he had converted the SBC-4 to steam power! Removing the R-1820 engine, he slightly extended the nose section with an annular boiler, fired by a pulverised coal burner located just in front of the pilot's seat. A geared drive turbine was attached to the standard propeller, and it was estimated that it would produce the equivalent of 1200 horsepower, or approximately 30% more than the R-1820. Success was achieved..but it was soon to be dashed.


The maiden flight of the Steam SBC-4 was to take place on December 19, 1940, but terrible weather kept things from happening until January 1, 1941. Nursing a terrific scotch hangover, Rory McTavish slipped the mooring ropes at 2:15 PM, and proceeded to begin his takeoff run. Whether he would have been able to achieve flight, or sustain it is not known, as he appeared to let the boiler pressure build up to an unacceptably high level, and with a tremendous detonation, the Steam Driven SBC-4, or as it is known in official RAF documents "Cleveland, Steamer, Mark One",  was destroyed. Thus ended the experimentation in the UK with steam driven aircraft for the rest of WWII.





Yes, i know it's a crappy story, but I can't produce gems all the time...wink wink. Anyhow...The kits used were all French, being as I used the Heller Cleveland kit, and the Heller Arado for the floats. Most decals were from the spares bin, with some lettering by the ole ink jet.

Alvis Pi

[Tophe]

Hehehe! I would love to hear the sound of this seaplane taking off!

[Jeffry Fontaine]

If you had gone with a Royal Navy theme you could have got away with painting the funnel gray :^)

[Alvis 3.14159]

Hehehe! I would love to hear the sound of this seaplane taking off!

Something like : Chuff chuff chuff chuff chuff whooossssshhh whooooosssshhh chuff chuff chuff WOOOO WOOOO whoosh shhoosh shwoosh splash splash cuff chufff....BOOOOOOM!


Alvis Pi

[beowulf]

haha...i like that... ....at least there would be plenty of hot water for a cup of tea 

[Pablo1965]

Beautifull plane, Amazing concept to the steampunk culture.
Great!

[The Rat]

Well you got away with it on ARC, let's see what happens here! 

[ysi_maniac]

 

[NARSES2]

I can just see that in the Victorian Navy's Black/White/Buff scheme 

[jcf]

Hilarious, pity that Rory didn't read Popular Science and Scientific American.

http://www.rexresearch.com/besler/beslerst.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw6NFmcnW-8

[lancer]

Interesting, but doesn't the funnel sort of odstruct the pilots forward view a tad??

[Modelling_Mushi]

Utterly ridiculously cool 

[Pablo1965]

Hilarious, pity that Rory didn't read Popular Science and Scientific American.

http://www.rexresearch.com/besler/beslerst.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw6NFmcnW-8

The people forget his past, and be loughing with his science.
The  :cheers:Steampunk is our answer.

[JayBee]

Brilliant, absolutely Brilliant, both story and model. I honestly can not say which I think is best

JimB

[Taiidantomcat]

Interesting, but doesn't the funnel sort of odstruct the pilots forward view a tad??

Pilots are an unfortunate side effect of aviation.   

Great work as always Alvis