The aviation art of Michael Turner - [email protected] (1/2)

__________ 1938 Westland Lysander 1
A No 208 Squadron Westland Lysander, patrolling the Suez
Canal in 1939, circles the Gebel-Mariam monument


What are these things (well) above the wheels?

How do you call the aerodynamically (*) shaped
features in which the wheels are nested?

(*) or at least one would hope so.

Also why do the wings have this double taper
(see next picture where it's more apparent)?

Thanks.

On Fri, 25 Apr 2008 23:36:32 -0400, "Charles Manoras"
wrote:





__________ 1938 Westland Lysander 1
A No 208 Squadron Westland Lysander, patrolling the Suez
Canal in 1939, circles the Gebel-Mariam monument


What are these things (well) above the wheels?

How do you call the aerodynamically (*) shaped
features in which the wheels are nested?

(*) or at least one would hope so.

Also why do the wings have this double taper
(see next picture where it's more apparent)?

Thanks.



I can't answer those questions. Perhaps one of the resident metal bird
gurus can.

What I can give you is the text from the book concerning the Lysander:


Westland
Lysander

Conceived in World War One, the role of army co-operation
was considered essential enough to justify a series of aeroplanes
specifically designed for this task in the following two decades,
and for the RAF to designate complete squadrons to such duties.
Westland's high-wing Lysander - or 'Lizzie' as it was commonly
called - was the first monoplane in RAF service to undertake the
role, and in the event the last to be designed solely for such a
purpose.

First issued to No 16 Squadron at RAF Old Sarum in June
1938, Lizzies eventually equipped more than 30 squadrons and
other special units. Seeing brief but gallant action in France
and the North African campaigns of 1940-41, the Lysander was then
relegated to more mundane but no less vital roles such as
target-tugs, air-sea rescue, and general communications liaison.

Specially adapted versions, however, played a secret 'cloak
and dagger' role from 1941 to 1944, transporting and retrieving
Allied secret agents to and from Occupied Europe.

Bearing in mind its original design conception, the Lysander
was admirably suited to its role. Pilots sat high with an
excellent all-round downward field of vision, while the
aircraft's slow speed characteristics offered landing runs said
to be no longer than a cricket pitch. A heavy landing was
occasionally known to shake loose the weighty Mercury engine from
its holding bolts, but when treated with average respect a
Lysander was considered a pleasant, restful machine to operate.

Group Captain Vaughan-Fowler flew the Lysander extensively:

"My first introduction to the Lysander was in November, 1941
at RAF Old Sarum where the Army Co-Operation Operational Training
Unit was based. Having finished my advanced training on
Hurricanes I was not looking forward to regressing to some
aircraft that looked as though the Science Museum was clearing
out its old stock. How wrong my original thoughts were. Some
three years and 800 hours later I had - and still have - a
tremendous affection for an aircraft which had taken me and not a
few passengers in and out of some fairly odd places.

One's first approach to the aircraft was slightly daunting.
To get into it required two steps to reach the top of one of the
wheels and then a rather complicated climb up the wing strut and
into the cockpit which sat some ten feet above the ground. From
this vantage point a very good downwards view was obtained. The
main difference in the controls from other aircraft of the time
was the elevator trimmer. This changed the angle of incidence of
the tail plane and could be lethal if the aircraft was taken off
with the landing incidence still selected; this was achieved by
winding a wheel on the left of the seat. Another similar wheel
on the right of the seat raised and lowered the seat. This could
also cause embarrassment at times; if dive bombing was being
carried out and the seat was not in the fully up position you
found yourself plummeting to the bottom of the cockpit when high
G-forces were applied.

I was able to fly the Mark I, II, III and IIIA. They were
all very similar except for the engines. The Mark I had the
Bristol Mercury XV rated at 15,000ft and with only a two speed
propeller it had to be throttled back above 10,000ft so as not to
exceed engine speed limitations. The Mark II had the Bristol
Perseus, a sleeve-valved engine; not too successful and not many
were built. The Mark III had the derated XX and XXX Bristol
Mercurys and the aircraft used for special operations also had
the Rotol variable pitch propeller allowing for more economical
operation.

My main connection with the Lysander was over two years on
special operations operating into France from the UK and into
Greece, Yugoslavia and France from Italy and Corsica. If I
describe one of the more difficult trips it will, perhaps, best
underline the sterling qualities of the aircraft. Squadron
Leader Hugh Verity (author of We Landed by Moonlight) and I were
detailed for an operation (code-named Floride) near Chateroux in
the middle of France. Cloud base was 200 feet and raining when
we left Tangmere on the night of 21/22 July 1943 and remained
thick and low for virtually the whole trip. By that time in our
tour of operations we were fairly experienced and we had to fly
on instruments most of the time breaking cloud just before coming
to our major check points like the French coast, the River Loire
and the target area where there were a number of easily
recognised water land marks. The return was similar and about 6
1/2 hours later we arrived back at Tangmere with seven passengers
including a mother and her two children. I noted at the time
that we were the only two aircraft to leave the UK on operations
that night. It would have been impossible for any other aircraft
to manoeuvre in such poor visibility and low cloud base let alone
land in a 600-yard field. One of the more bizarre episodes of
this period was a landing on a flare-path of three candles! The
Gestapo had surprised the reception party the day before and they
were unable to replace the torches that had been abandoned."

What are these things (well) above the wheels?

A: They are sponsons for the hanging of external stores (i.e. bombs).
(Or in some cases containerized dingies.)

How do you call the aerodynamically (*) shaped
features in which the wheels are nested?

A: The coverings are commonly refered to as spats, and because they
often became caked with mud it was common enough for them to be
removed in the field.

Also why do the wings have this double taper
(see next picture where it's more apparent)

A: The outer leading edge of the wing has a slat fitted to it. The
inner portion tapers backward for pilot visibility, and has no slat.
The plane was an army cooperation (i.e. observation) model. At low
altitudes the ability for the pilot to look around is paramount.

Waldo.





On Fri, 25 Apr 2008 23:36:32 -0400, "Charles Manoras"
wrote:





__________ 1938 Westland Lysander 1
A No 208 Squadron Westland Lysander, patrolling the Suez
Canal in 1939, circles the Gebel-Mariam monument


What are these things (well) above the wheels?

How do you call the aerodynamically (*) shaped
features in which the wheels are nested?

(*) or at least one would hope so.

Also why do the wings have this double taper
(see next picture where it's more apparent)?

Thanks.