Fairey Gannet

[Cobra]

Hey Guys, just wondering if the Gannet was ever used or Considered for SAR/ASR Duty? i know it couldn't land on the water, but it could Drop rafts,Etc. to Victims until help arrived.  think it could be used for that? Dan

[Mossie]

I love the O.21/44 design! Might have to attempt that at some point. I have a Spearfish in the stash - I was thinking of doing it for the 46 GB, but I've got too many projects on the go already between that, Africa and my other in-progress builds.

Do it!  Shouldn't be too difficult (he says, having never attempted anything like this!) to adapt the Spearfish, it's basically the same design.  Build up the front, add a Gannet forward canopy, extend the intakes.  There's more info in BSP Fighters & Bombers in Chapter 9 including a three view.

[rickshaw]

Still be awfully narrow at the rear.  The difference between the C-2 and the Gannet is of course they designed a completely new, wide fuselage for freight duties for the C-2 as against the small, narrow one they had on the original E-2.  While the drawing looks OK in profile, I'd like to see what they did with it in plan.  Do they give it a big, wide new fuselage or stick with the same old, narrow one?   If they do, then rather negates the point of a loading ramp in the rear fuselage, now doesn't it?

Oh come on!  

It took me at least 5 mins to knock that profile together, while I was in the middle of replying! Of course the fuselage is wider, a bit like a Herk comes to a duck tail under the fin. But remember the real COD Gannets only had their bomb bay to carry stuff in, so ANY increase in volume would be good.

It was meant more as constructive criticism than anything else.  What looks good in profile doesn't always pan out in plan.  How about this?

[Weaver]

Hey Guys, just wondering if the Gannet was ever used or Considered for SAR/ASR Duty? i know it couldn't land on the water, but it could Drop rafts,Etc. to Victims until help arrived.  think it could be used for that? Dan

Don't see why not - the radar would prove useful too. It's design was governed by the need to fit onto carrier though, so it's probably sub-optimal when compared to a land-based SAR aircraft. For instance, you can't move around in the cabin (helps with "comfort" on long flights).

Talk of it landing on the sea gives me a mad idea though: what about a Gannet floatplane?

[PR19_Kit]

It was meant more as constructive criticism than anything else.  What looks good in profile doesn't always pan out in plan.  How about this?

That's pretty much what I had in mind, yes, with perhaps a slight taper towards the rear, and maybe smaller tailplanes.

Making one in 1/72 could be a real pain though, but maybe a 1/144 scale C-130 tail end could be hacked and chopped.

[NARSES2]

Must admit I do like those Fairey Strike Fighter designs. I've dug the Magna Spearfish out of the stash as a possible for the 46GB as well.

I have seen a Fairey Strike Fighter scratch build around somewhere ? Probably here, but the search function always throws me 

[kitnut617]

the Double Mamba of course being two Mamba's coupled together.

Correction there Simon, they were joined together but not coupled.  Each engine could be shut down seperately and the props worked singularly and flown that way.

[kitnut617]

Making one in 1/72 could be a real pain though, but maybe a 1/144 scale C-130 tail end could be hacked and chopped.

One of those Falcon Greyhound conversions would work better Kit.

[PR19_Kit]

One of those Falcon Greyhound conversions would work better Kit.

I agree, if was thinned down a bit, but they are SO rare here!

It took me 5 years to find one so I could build a Greyhound. I still haven't finished it though....... 

[kitnut617]

One of those Falcon Greyhound conversions would work better Kit.

I agree, if was thinned down a bit, but they are SO rare here!

It took me 5 years to find one so I could build a Greyhound. I still haven't finished it though....... 

Strange they should be rare Kit, they're still listed on the Falcon website.

http://www.falconmodels.co.nz/index.html

[DamienB]

Hey Guys, just wondering if the Gannet was ever used or Considered for SAR/ASR Duty? i know it couldn't land on the water, but it could Drop rafts,Etc. to Victims until help arrived.  think it could be used for that? Dan

Yes, they could carry ASR containers in the bomb bay or underwing, along with smoke and flame floats and dye markers.

[PR19_Kit]

Strange they should be rare Kit, they're still listed on the Falcon website.

http://www.falconmodels.co.nz/index.html

Well I'm damned, so they are!

I thought they were long obsolete, thanks for pointing that out Robert. Not only that Hannants have 3 in stock! £17.35, which is about twice what I paid for mine at Telford some years ago.

[Mossie]

the Double Mamba of course being two Mamba's coupled together.

Correction there Simon, they were joined together but not coupled.  Each engine could be shut down seperately and the props worked singularly and flown that way.

Didn't realise that Robert, thanks.  Looked into it a little, found that Fairey had done some earlier work on similar arrangements for piston engines, the Fairey P.16 Prince & P.24 Monarch.  They were mounted on the Battle to try & give it some more power but never came to anything.  Wonder if Fairey had more than the usual input on the design of the AS Double Mamba?

[Rheged]

Assuming the "WHAT IF" leap of faith that the Royal Navy was allowed to keep proper  fixed wing carriers, how much development  stretch was  still possible with the Fairly Grommet? ..........and in an act of thread drifting.......anyone for a Short Skyvan as a C O D aircraft?  The five ton budgie wouldn't even need a catapult and probably not a hook either.

[PR19_Kit]

..........and in an act of thread drifting.......anyone for a Short Skyvan as a C O D aircraft?  The five ton budgie wouldn't even need a catapult and probably not a hook either.

It would need a LOT of wing folding though. The Skyvan has very high aspect ratio wings, from its Hurel-Dubois concept roots, and to be really usefull it'd have to fit on a RN carrier lifts still.

That's getting back to the 'PR Gannets' multi-wing fold again.