Done +++ Another Royal Navy Gnat: a flying boat version (Pics @ p.3)

[RAFF-35]

That is just fantastic, very very well done 

[ysi_maniac]

Looks great!!!

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you, gentlemen. 

Beauty pics and story next, but that might take a couple of days.

[Cobra]

Superb Job Looks like it Belongs in an Episode of Thunderbirds! Keep up the Superb Work Dan

[zenrat]

Superb Job Looks like it Belongs in an Episode of Thunderbirds! Keep up the Superb Work Dan

Second that. 

[DogfighterZen]

Superb Job Looks like it Belongs in an Episode of Thunderbirds! Keep up the Superb Work Dan

Second that. 

X3!

[Tophe]

Congratulations!

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you for your enthusiasm! 

[Glenn Gilbertson]

What a beauty - well done!

[Flyer]

Awesome.

This has inspired me, I might seaplane the Boomerang II as it is wheels up...

[Old Wombat]

Top job, Dizzy!

[bearmatt]

Really cool! 

[Captain Canada]

Love it ! Early favourite for me 

[Dizzyfugu]

With a little delay, the truth about the Folland Fo-150, a.k.a. 'Project Volans', for the Royal Navy:

1:72 Folland Fo-150, a.k.a. 'Project Volans'; 'WS685/101' of the Royal Navy No. 7001 Flight, during weapon trials in the Solent/Isle of Wight (UK) region, summer 1956 (Whif/Matchbox Gnat T.1 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Some background:
The Folland Fo-150 was directly inspired by the (modest) successes experienced by the Saro SR./A.1, a jet-powered flying boat fighter that went through trials in the late 1940ies.

The project had been kicked-off in the end phase of the 2nd World War, when the Imperial Japanese Navy with seaplane fighters such as the Nakajima A6M2-N (an adaptation of the Mitsubishi Zero) and the Kawanishi N1K demonstrated the effectiveness of a fighter seaplane.

In theory, seaplanes were ideally suited to conditions in the Pacific theatre, and could turn any relatively calm area of coast into an airbase. Their main disadvantage came from the way in which the bulk of their floatation gear penalized their performance compared to other fighters.

1:72 Folland Fo-150, a.k.a. 'Project Volans'; 'WS685/101' of the Royal Navy No. 7001 Flight, during weapon trials in the Solent/Isle of Wight (UK) region, summer 1956 (Whif/Matchbox Gnat T.1 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Folland Fo-150, a.k.a. 'Project Volans'; 'WS685/101' of the Royal Navy No. 7001 Flight, during weapon trials in the Solent/Isle of Wight (UK) region, summer 1956 (Whif/Matchbox Gnat T.1 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The new jet engines offered more power and aerodynamically cleaner designs, and the Saro SR./A.1 proved the soundness of the concept. But while the Saro SR./A.1 proved to have good performance and handling, the need for such aircraft had completely evaporated with the end of the war. Furthermore, the success of the aircraft carrier in the Pacific had demonstrated a far more effective way to project airpower over the oceans. The project was suspended and the prototype put into storage in 1950, but it was briefly resurrected in November 1950 owing to the outbreak of the Korean War, before realization of its obsolescence compared with land-based fighters, the prototype last flying in June 1951.

Anyway, this was not the end of the jet-powered flying boat fighter. After the Korean War, Saunders-Roe came up with a design called the "Saunders Roe Hydroski" (reminiscent of the Convair F2Y Sea Dart) to improve the performance closer to land-based aircraft but "received no official support". Other ship-based fighter concepts were developed and proposed, too. In the early Fifties, Folland made several proposals based on its newly developed light fighter, which would evolve into the Gnat.

1:72 Folland Fo-150, a.k.a. 'Project Volans'; 'WS685/101' of the Royal Navy No. 7001 Flight, during weapon trials in the Solent/Isle of Wight (UK) region, summer 1956 (Whif/Matchbox Gnat T.1 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Folland Fo-150, a.k.a. 'Project Volans'; 'WS685/101' of the Royal Navy No. 7001 Flight, during weapon trials in the Solent/Isle of Wight (UK) region, summer 1956 (Whif/Matchbox Gnat T.1 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The Gnat was the creation of WEW "Teddy" Petter, a British aircraft designer formerly of Westland Aircraft and English Electric. It was designed to meet the 1952 Operational Requirement OR.303 calling for a lightweight fighter. Petter believed that a small, simple fighter would offer the advantages of low purchase and operational costs. New lightweight turbojet engines that were being developed enabled the concept to take shape.

In 1951, using company funds, he began work on his lightweight fighter concept, which was designated the "Fo-141 Gnat". The Gnat was to be powered by a Bristol BE-22 Saturn turbojet with 3,800 lbf (16.9 kN 1,724 kgp) thrust. However, the Saturn was cancelled, and so Petter's unarmed proof-of-concept demonstrator for the Gnat was powered by the less powerful Armstrong Siddeley Viper 101 with 1,640 lbf (7.3 kN / 744 kgp) thrust. The demonstrator was designated Fo-139 "Midge".

From this land-based basis, several navalized variants for the use on board of smaller ships were deducted and taken to the hardware stage. The Gnat's selling point was its very small size and low weight, so that it would be easy to handle, operate and stow, even if it was no dedicated carrier.

One development direction focused on rocket-assisted ZELL (Zero-Length-Launch) and conventional landing on land-based airstrips, while another direction reverted to the idea of a light jet-powered flying boat conversion for reconnaissance and (daylight) interception and attack duties.

1:72 Folland Fo-150, a.k.a. 'Project Volans'; 'WS685/101' of the Royal Navy No. 7001 Flight, during weapon trials in the Solent/Isle of Wight (UK) region, summer 1956 (Whif/Matchbox Gnat T.1 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Folland Fo-150, a.k.a. 'Project Volans'; 'WS685/101' of the Royal Navy No. 7001 Flight, during weapon trials in the Solent/Isle of Wight (UK) region, summer 1956 (Whif/Matchbox Gnat T.1 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Both were taken to the hardware stage as private ventures (even though supported by the MoD since both concepts were regarded as fundamental research), and the flying boat project took shape under the handle Folland Fo-150, internally referred to "Project Volans".

The Fo-150 had only rudimentary similarity with the land-based aircraft, though. Beyond the addition of a hydrodynamic, lower hull, the fuselage was stretched between the cockpit and the wings, for a better CoG distribution. The wing area was increased considerably in order to compensate for the higher all-up weight, improve handling and lower landing speed. The horizontal stabilizers were moved away from the original low position, higher onto a new cruciform tail, in order to keep these surfaces away from spray. The fin itself was slightly enlarged, too.

Power came from a modified Bristol Siddeley Viper turbojet, rated at 3,100 lbf (14 kN). In order to protect the engine from water ingestion the air intakes were extended forward under the cockpit canopy and featured spray dams. Balance in the water was achieved through semi-retractable stabilizer floats. These could be folded backwards under the wings, behind bullet-shaped fairings at about half the wing span that also contained a pair of 30mm Aden cannons. Hardpoints above and under the wings allowed the carriage of light external weapons like unguided rocket pods, or, alternatively, test equipment and camera pods.

1:72 Folland Fo-150, a.k.a. 'Project Volans'; 'WS685/101' of the Royal Navy No. 7001 Flight, during weapon trials in the Solent/Isle of Wight (UK) region, summer 1956 (Whif/Matchbox Gnat T.1 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Folland Fo-150, a.k.a. 'Project Volans'; 'WS685/101' of the Royal Navy No. 7001 Flight, during weapon trials in the Solent/Isle of Wight (UK) region, summer 1956 (Whif/Matchbox Gnat T.1 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The first airframe for Project Volans was built in Folland's facility on the western side of the Hamble peninsula and later taken to the Solent in May 1955. On 14 June 1955, the aircraft inadvertently made its first short flight during a fast taxi run – the enlarged wing created a massive ground effect that easily lifted the light aircraft up into a glide when the nose raised through wakes to a certain degree. The Fo-150's official maiden flight was on 9 July 1955.

The underpowered engine made the fighter sluggish, and the strong uplift close to the ground made handling complicated and created violent vibration during takeoff and landing. Work on the wings leading edge profile improved this situation somewhat, but they could not cure the sluggish performance.

Otherwise, handling turned out to be good, but the Fo-150 could never show its full potential due to the weak engine. A second airframe was finished until late 1955 and joined the flight tests from early 1956 on, while a third airframe was reserved for static tests.

1:72 Folland Fo-150, a.k.a. 'Project Volans'; 'WS685/101' of the Royal Navy No. 7001 Flight, during weapon trials in the Solent/Isle of Wight (UK) region, summer 1956 (Whif/Matchbox Gnat T.1 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Folland Fo-150, a.k.a. 'Project Volans'; 'WS685/101' of the Royal Navy No. 7001 Flight, during weapon trials in the Solent/Isle of Wight (UK) region, summer 1956 (Whif/Matchbox Gnat T.1 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Anyway, even before that, the Navy had been losing interest (problems with supersonic fighters on carrier decks having been overcome, and ship-based missiles filled the aerial defense role much more efficiently than aircraft). This relegated the Fo-150 and the whole Volans program to pure experimental status. As a consequence, the two airworthy airframes were de-militarized and the aircraft kept in service as testbeds for hydrodynamics, especially for the development of planing bottoms, hydrofoils and hull shapes for high speed ships.

In 1960, WS685 was also used for the development and tests of hydroskis, while its sister ship was retired and used for spares. This program lasted until 1963, and after that, the worn-out airframe was scrapped, too.

1:72 Folland Fo-150, a.k.a. 'Project Volans'; 'WS685/101' of the Royal Navy No. 7001 Flight, during weapon trials in the Solent/Isle of Wight (UK) region, summer 1956 (Whif/Matchbox Gnat T.1 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


General characteristics:
    Crew: 1
    Length: 10.44 m (34 ft 5 in)
    Wingspan: 8,71 m (28 ft 6 in)
    Heigh (keel to fin tip)t: 3.74 m (12 ft 3 in)
    Wing area: 19.00 m² (204.5 ft²)
    Empty weight: 2,560 kg (5,644 lb)
    Max. takeoff weight: 4,235 kg (9,336 lb)

Powerplant:
    1× Bristol Siddeley Viper turbojet, rated at 3,100 lbf (14 kN)

Performance:
    Maximum speed: 695 km/h (375 knots, 432 mph) at sea level
    Cruise speed: 324 km/h (175 knots, 201 mph)
    Stall speed: 145 km/h (92 knots, 106 mph) with flaps down
    Endurance: 1 hour 45 min
    Service ceiling: 30,000 ft (9,150 m)

Armament:
    2× 30mm ADEN cannon with 80 RPG in underwing pods
    Two overwing hardpoints for 500lb (227kg) each, 
    e.g. for SNEB rocket pods containing seven 68 mm rockets
    or pods with 7.62 mm machine guns
    Two underwing hardpoints for 500lb (227kg) each,
    for bombs or a pair of 50-Imp Gal (226 litre) drop tanks



1:72 Folland Fo-150, a.k.a. 'Project Volans'; 'WS685/101' of the Royal Navy No. 7001 Flight, during weapon trials in the Solent/Isle of Wight (UK) region, summer 1956 (Whif/Matchbox Gnat T.1 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Folland Fo-150, a.k.a. 'Project Volans'; 'WS685/101' of the Royal Navy No. 7001 Flight, during weapon trials in the Solent/Isle of Wight (UK) region, summer 1956 (Whif/Matchbox Gnat T.1 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Folland Fo-150, a.k.a. 'Project Volans'; 'WS685/101' of the Royal Navy No. 7001 Flight, during weapon trials in the Solent/Isle of Wight (UK) region, summer 1956 (Whif/Matchbox Gnat T.1 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Folland Fo-150, a.k.a. 'Project Volans'; 'WS685/101' of the Royal Navy No. 7001 Flight, during weapon trials in the Solent/Isle of Wight (UK) region, summer 1956 (Whif/Matchbox Gnat T.1 conversion) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

[Captain Canada]

Perfect ! Love the shots of her up on her trolley. Excellent idea and execution.