TSR.2 trainer

[Gondor]

Of course not that most TSR2 fans have a copy of Damien's book someone will want to make a trainer out of the Airfix 1/48 kit.

Gondor

just to put the cat among the pigeons

[JayBee]

If you want I can send you a couple. They are the same shape as the Airfix kit but of course completely clear.
If you are interested PM me your address.
It will be some time next week that I will be able to make them as in about an hour I will be starting the long treck south to Huddersfield.

Jim (in Prestwick)

[Nigel Bunker]

Jim

PM inbound

Nigel

[Devilfish]

someone will want to make a trainer out of the Airfix 1/48 kit.

That'll be me then.....

I plan to build a GR1, T2, F3, GR4 and VG....all in 1/48th!

[van883]

I wonder why the TSR could not have used the one piece canopy for the combat version.

Van

[Thorvic]

I wonder why the TSR could not have used the one piece canopy for the combat version.

Van

Because windows are for looking out of, TSR2 was built around its avionics so the crew were supposed to be looking forward or down at their instruments whilst the electronics did the looking around, a gold fish bowl is for fighters engaging in dogfights where the line of site is vital for situational awareness. Simples

G

[PR19_Kit]

I wonder why the TSR could not have used the one piece canopy for the combat version.

Wasn't there a speed limitation on the trainer too? Maybe because of kinetic heating effects at low level and high Mach numbers, or maybe just the aerodynamic pressure on that big piece of 1960s era plastic?

[DamienB]

Speed limitation purely linked to temperature rises in the material at high speed.

There were discussions about giving the strike version a similar clear canopy if the materials limitations could be overcome - the view from the original canopies was strongly criticised by all of the crews.

[PR19_Kit]

- the view from the original canopies was strongly criticised by all of the crews.

Damien,

Was that the GIB or both of them? I managed to sit in the front seat of '222 when it was at Cranfield and I was amazed at how much you could see. OK, there was NO rear view and in fact you couldn't see any part of the airframe at all, but the forward and side view was amazing. I imagine the GIB's view would be  restricted, his windows are minute.

[DamienB]

If anything the pilots were more critical than the navs, though most of their complaints were about optical quality rather than the view. However, the large windscreen arch and supports were criticised for blanking out a good portion of the forward view. The forward view from a Tornado is significantly worse though!

[ChrisF]

Dont forget it was originally supposed to be a nuclear bomber... Generally looking out the windows when that baby goes off tends to be frowned upon... 

[PR19_Kit]

It was back in the 60s when I sat in '222 and I'm darned if I can remember the windscreen frame size, but the Airfix kit does show that they were pretty hefty.

I managed to con  my way into the front seat of a Tonka GR4 at Lossie a while back too, and the view was surprisingly smilar to that in the TSR2. I could JUST see part of the nose radome in the Tonka, but nothing at all in '222. The one thing that did impinge itself on me in the Tonka was there was NO way I could have ejected from it without losing my kneecaps on the bottom of the instrument panel! I think they must have a height restriction on Tornado pilots!

[Tornado]

The bubble canopy seems not to have been favoured when the mock-up was inspected in Jan 1965 and by March BAC was told to go back to the drawing board.
It's not hard to whiff a trainer version with something like a Hawk canopy but with perhaps a more raised rear seat. Or perhaps something more ugly and weird, something like a Il-28U with another canopy stuck higher up!