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So this morning I went to do the laundry at our apartment complex. The washer was working fine, but when it came time to dry the clothes I discovered the dryer was inoperable. Now you may be wondering what that has to do with these quick little sketches. Well I had to take my laundry over to a laundromat and dry them there, and that is where I did these doodles.
As I was sketching these I imagined a designer in the late 1930's coming up with this design. Flying boat fighters had been out of fashion for about a decade, but this designer remembered them fondly from the Great War.
True land-based monoplane fighters were slowly eclipsing all other designs, but that didn't mean the flying boat fighter was dead. No sir! It could take advantage of some of the same breakthroughs in design that land-based monoplanes had. Streamlining, flushed rivets, no retractable landing gears but the wingtip floats could fold up into the wingtips. Why you could even use the floats as additional fuel tanks! A teardrop canopy would improve visibility, struts and wires were reduced to the minimum.
Since the fighter would be used in a maritime patrol/ strike role I imagined the designer giving the fighter some real punch for the time. Four 12.7mm machine guns and a 25mm cannon gave the fighter the ability to destroy larger patrol flying boats, and even inflict serious damage on smaller, unarmored enemy surface vessels. The designer may have even thought of including light bomb racks under the wings.
Alas, his passion for the design was in vain and his design remained only an idea on piece of paper.
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I have had simular thoughts concerning the volksfighter, a little known german jet at the end of the war. I suppose they would have thought of it had there been time, but putting a pontoon underneath it and you would have a sea landing jet. I have thought that might work with the jet engine up on the back of it, away from the water.
I still think the old Sabre jet in the semi-truck trailer was a good idea. sides fold down, ram pushes the jet to 45degrees upwards, unfold the wings, and ride a jet assisted take-off to altitude. Dunno why the f-16 could not be modded for this.
I still think the old Sabre jet in the semi-truck trailer was a good idea. sides fold down, ram pushes the jet to 45degrees upwards, unfold the wings, and ride a jet assisted take-off to altitude. Dunno why the f-16 could not be modded for this.
Not that odd when you consider that the seaplane had a momentary resurgence of popularity towards the beginning of the Cold War (albeit jet-powered sea-planes).
I've always had a soft-spot for retro-tech prop-driven aircraft. The early 20's century saw a lot of wonderful bizarre designs in the race to go higher, further, faster, a lot of them appearing to have a great deal more to do with imagination than engineering.
I've always had a soft-spot for retro-tech prop-driven aircraft. The early 20's century saw a lot of wonderful bizarre designs in the race to go higher, further, faster, a lot of them appearing to have a great deal more to do with imagination than engineering.
I've always loved flying boars, the PBY-5A Catalina in particular. The only suggestion I'd make would be to change the prop to a pusher, they're a tad more efficient since they don't run turbulence directly across the wing. Just my own preference, or prejudice, if you prefer.
Beautiful art, as always.
Beautiful art, as always.
Yes, I know. I've seen several RL versions of that and they all have a modified fuselage. There are options. I've always liked ducted fan designs, too, far more efficient use of power since all of the tip losses on a conventional propeller design are captured and used for propulsion. Rather more complex to build, and with jet technology, there's been no real effort to develop it.
I had a "flying boat" idea of my own, inspired by the general design of a PT boat. But not a boat so much as a ship -- a spaceship. One designed to be able to land and float on water. It would, of course, need to be able to "clean" its outer surface in the atmosphere to prevent icing, but for habitable worlds it means it can land at any seaport.
i see a lot of Proco Rosso's (fictional) "Savoia S.21" in this.. which i consider a good thing.
a lot of the Racing planes turned fighters in WW2 had pontoon versions, though generally the fighters derived from them did not.
personally i think the advent of the aircraft carrier is what ended amphibious aircraft for warfare.. pontoon equipped planes stuck around for scouting (since many battleships and larger cruisers had catapults to launch them), but aside from the handful built for Japan's aircraft carrying submarine's, you didn't see many fighter or bomber types. (japan had special models of a fighter-bomber built to fold up into the steel can on their massive plane carrying subs.. though eventually they dropped the pontoons and had the planes ditch after each mission.)
a lot of the Racing planes turned fighters in WW2 had pontoon versions, though generally the fighters derived from them did not.
personally i think the advent of the aircraft carrier is what ended amphibious aircraft for warfare.. pontoon equipped planes stuck around for scouting (since many battleships and larger cruisers had catapults to launch them), but aside from the handful built for Japan's aircraft carrying submarine's, you didn't see many fighter or bomber types. (japan had special models of a fighter-bomber built to fold up into the steel can on their massive plane carrying subs.. though eventually they dropped the pontoons and had the planes ditch after each mission.)
Same gun loadout as the P38 lighting had, one of my favorite WW2 fighters. With a single engine you'd have a bit of a hard time getting that big of a plane into position to shoot back in a dogfight, someone behind you with a smaller craft, or a twin like the P38 is just going to out muscle you.
You have of course seen the Iranian amphibious fighters, yes? Equally inept in both water and air...
http://www.military.com/video/aircr...../694692648001/
http://www.military.com/video/aircr...../694692648001/
Looking over the design, it works for an intended role of taking down patrol flying boats; 25mm is heavy enough to be able to inflict a fair amount of damage on small craft like PT boats and unarmored ships like destroyers, frigates, and merchantmen, but the position of the wing and engine would be a handicap for dogfighting because of the blind spot in an area you want to have visibility in when in lag pursuit of a target. As a smaller and more maneuverable craft, it would have a better chance if bounced by carrier- or land-based fighters than large flying boats, but it would probably be in much the same position as the German 'Zerstorer' aircraft like the Bf110 against Hurricanes and Spitfires. With the kind of range that it would have, though, it would make a much bigger zone around its base hazardous for patrol aircraft and merchies, and without the requirement of a landing strip, rendezvous with ships to refuel could extend their range out to make huge swathes of the ocean hazardous for the enemy's supply and search activities. Knowing pilots, some of them _will_ try to use it as a fighter, rather than an attack plane, but it looks like a design that would fit as well into its intended role as the Il-2 Sturmovik did into its.
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