On Wed, 24 Sep 2003 09:16:49 GMT, Guy Alcala
wrote:

The Stirling III and Halifax III still seem to have a major
differential in terms of operational ceiling, which I can only put
down to structure weight and the wing.

snip

A better operational ceiling comparison would be between the Stirling III
and Halifax II, as the latter has the original 98(?) foot wing (some
sources claim that early Halifax IIIs had the original wing; I don't have
enough info to say). The Halifax II is still better but not much, and I
expect the difference is largely due to the lower weight, and maybe the
drag of the Stirling's nose turret.

[quick driveby]

The early Halifax II's (i.e. those produced throughout 1941-42) had
the Mk I nose turret, and clocked in at 34,980 lbs with an auw of
60,000lbs with a 98 ft 8in wingspan. The Stirling III seemed to come
in at something like 42,000lbs with auw's somewhere over 60,000lbs
(figures I have vary between 61,000 and up to 70,000lbs), so there's a
couple of tons of weight difference before the operational load gets
included.

The Stirling Mk III couldn't get above 17,000 feet (a couple of
thousand feet below routine operational heights for the Halifax), and
had a lower rate of climb than the Halifax. Early Halifax Mk IIIs did
have the shorter-span wings before they got the extended 103 ft 8in
wingspan.

Gavin Bailey

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