Avro Z.101 Manned Blue Steel - The Real Missile with a Man in It

[Thorvic]

SR177 would fit the bill, probably better as can use the jet to maintain formation with the Vulcan and then hit the rocket to track the Z101 initial burn (for a few seconds at least ! LOL ) plus the radar and stores means it can carry the instrumentation and cameras. You could use one of new Gnat kits as a chase plane for the landing sequence too.

[JayBee]

slow to stall

What? A stall in that beast would have been about Mach 2, given it's wing area, or rather lack off.
I think just a simple parachute recovery would have been the safest way to get it back to earth.

[Mossie]

An interesting idea to do that.  I'd have thought it was just easier to use ordinary chutes.   Come in over whichever airfield, slow to stall and pop the chutes and float down.   I assume there was no ejector seat?

They investigated 'chutes with a target drone version and the Z.99, which was an unmanned precursor to the Z.101.  Externally the Z.99 would have been identical to Blue Steel with parachute recovery, but the size of 'chute required was too large to make it feasible.  The next stage was the Z.100, which was basically the unmanned version of the Z.101 with undercart and Rogallo wing, it was a fairly natural step to add a pilot in.

It wouldn't have had an ejection seat, but I think the nose section would have seperated in an emergency.  I thought I'd read it but I can't find it again.  It seems to be shown on the diagram I posted in the Blue Steel thread, I represented it with a painted line as I was too lazy to scribe it!

[Mossie]

SR177 would fit the bill, probably better as can use the jet to maintain formation with the Vulcan and then hit the rocket to track the Z101 initial burn (for a few seconds at least ! LOL ) plus the radar and stores means it can carry the instrumentation and cameras. You could use one of new Gnat kits as a chase plane for the landing sequence too.

SR177 would be a good choice indeed.

Simon, you really should put the Z101 into the Aussierama/Antipodelica GB as is, as given the fact test flights would be taking place at Woomera, it fits the bill perfectly.



Duncan

Come to think of it, who says the chase plane has to be British.... ?   

Why not have an RAAF Mirage IIIO as a chase plane?



Duncan

I might dust off the SR.177 then, although I do like the idea of the Mirage IIIO, or maybe some other windswept and intersting Aussie type?

[Thorvic]

CA-23 perhaps ?

Although i suspect Overkiller is thinking about a use for the new High Planes Mirage IIIO kit due out at the end of the month 

[Hobbes]

If you're going to use the SR.177, you could do it as a twoseater, with space for an observer in the back. Maybe change the canopy to a bubble to improve visibility.

[rickshaw]

Has anybody suggested the Fairey Delta as a chase plane?

[Mossie]

That's not a bad idea, I've sometimes fancied one of the FD.2 derivatives.

CA-23 perhaps ?

Although i suspect Overkiller is thinking about a use for the new High Planes Mirage IIIO kit due out at the end of the month  

How about an Aussie Mirage loaned to the RAE for the Z.101 program?  British roundels on an early ARDU machine?

I found this profile with a mix of roundels that's intriguing but I don't know it's background or accuracy, maybe swap the positions of the hoppies and the British roundel?
http://www.hsgalleries.com/gallery04/mirageiiiojf_1.htm

[rickshaw]

Not sure but IIRC, the 'roo roundel was initially only applied on the fuselage position and the standard RAF/RAAF roundel was used on the wing still.  Must have been in the early 1960s that they started applying it in all positions so it would be likely initial Mirages would have still carried the older roundels on the wing stations.

If you want a Mirage III, you could make it a double odd-ball and make it the "City of Hobart".     It was the sole IIIA which was fitted with an Avon engine and it never carried ADF serials.