Modification XXX

[philp]

Not that, the Beer carrying Spitfires.

Dad forwarded this so went online and found several articles and some pics.

http://spitfiresite.com/2012/01/modification-xxx-beer-carrying-spitfires.html
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/history/secondwar/berryman/brun





So, in the world of what if, what aircraft should have been modified for these runs, and no easy answers like KC-135?

[rickshaw]

Lancaster.  Nothing answers an Army's thirst like a thousand bomber beer run!   

[lenny100]

sunderland for the navy with Vaux beer

[Cobra]

B-24,Can You Picture All the Beer that Could Carry? Dan

[PR19_Kit]

I have a vision of a 617 Sqdn Lanc with a Grand Slam sized 22000 lbs beer barrel clamped underneath, complete with security chain of course. 

[NARSES2]

sunderland for the navy with Vaux beer

"Vaux" and "beer" in the same sentence - unusual concept 

Sorry Lenny couldn't resist 

[bobbo]

Hope they are full of Guinness . . .

bobbo

[NARSES2]

Hope they are full of Guinness . . .

bobbo

I've often puzzled over these propaganda beer flights as to what condition the beer was in upon landing ? Now it wouldn't have had any added gas back then so no problem with the pressure etc. Just wonder what it would have tasted like. Could this have lead to a beer sold on the lines of the original Indian Pale Ale ie : it was allegedly matured on the journey to the Indies (I've heard so many variations of this story my brain hurts) So Normandy Pale Ale ? 

Maybe some bright spark on Ch 4 should stage a re-run so we can see what it's like ? Tony Robinson where are you ? 

[Rheged]

I read somewhere that the beer transported this way (no it's not a whiff yet)   was Henty & Constables  Best Bitter.   

Given the immense thirst of a certain Shackleton crew of my acquaintance, did anyone consider air to air beer transfers.........or I suppose it would be Guinness for the Ballykelly crews.

As to Kit's wonderfully surreal Grand Slam Keg.............. do you drop these beyond the front line and tell the Scots regiments thereabouts that there's "FREE BEER OVER THERE"

[Go4fun]

"Okay Squad. They dropped our beer beyond that enemy Regiment. So let's kill our way through before it's all gone!" said Captain Johnathan Blackwell.

[lancer]

How about the Mossie for those time critical high speed deliveries??

[PR19_Kit]

How about the Mossie for those time critical high speed deliveries??

The business! You could even carry a 4000 lb barrel with the bulged bomb doors! 

A quick mathematical whizz shows that would be around 500 gallons, but it depends on the densiity of the beer! 

[Weaver]

Updated jet versions pose an interesting problem due to the kinetic heating of external stores: maybe they should carry mulled wine instead?  

Visions of a Viggen with Glogg tanks instead of drop tanks.......

[rickshaw]

A couple of technical questions.

What would have been the drag penalty of carrying such unaerodynamically shaped barrels?

How would you have attached the barrels to the bomb racks?  Would they have fixed bomb carriers to the barrels or perhaps to a hoop around the barrel or chains/cables?

These questions have interested me ever since I first learnt about the flights yonks ago.

[kerick]

I have heard stories of people loading beer in odd places of aircraft, usually to avoid customs.  Also loading beer bottles into baggage pods or other compartments and taking off, flying to a high cold altitude and landing quickly to have chilled beverages.  So this concept is not that far off.  A BAE Lighting could get to high altitude quickly and chill quite a load in that belly tank.