Okay Guys,
I am ready to finish BPF attacks of the Ryuku Islands and proceed to the Japanese homeland the summer and fall of 1945.
Here is what I need to finish up the BPF campaign. I would like air and dp files reconfigured to accurately model flight dynamics and ordinance the mods made by the British.
Royal Navy modifications of the Chance Vought Corsairs included “squaring-off” the wing tips to reduce folded height so that the aircraft could fit into the low hangars of British armored carriers. The alteration was found to improve deck landings by eliminating “float” over the arrester wires.
Also, a small spoiler was fitted on the leading edge of the starboard, inboard wing to ensure that it always dropped first, and modification of oleo struts eliminated “bounce” on landing. The Royal Navy fitted its Corsairs with British lead-computing gun sights, crystal frequency-controlled radios, and IFF equipment. (The British gyro gun sight Mark 2 fitted to Royal Navy fighters from early 1944 is an interesting example of “reverse Lend-Lease”; it was manufactured under license in the United States for U.S. Navy and Army Air Forces planes.) Royal Navy Corsair squadrons formed in the United States at the rate of one a month from mid-1943.
The British navy also received more than 1,000 Grumman Hellcat fighters, which it originally named Gannets. (All U.S.-built aircraft in British service reverted to their American names in January 1944.) These included small batches of F6F-5N night fighters that were to have joined the British Pacific Fleet with the night-fighter carrier HMS Ocean . While the British made no airframe modifications to their Hellcats, they did make internal changes similar to those in their Corsairs. A small number also were modified with cameras and used for strategic photo-reconnaissance with 888 Naval Air Squadron.
The United States also transferred more than 800 Grumman Avengers to the Royal Navy. The performance of the U.S. plane was superior to that of the British Fairey Barracuda torpedo and dive bomber, but the British Avengers were still extensively modified in the United Kingdom by Blackburn Aircraft. While a U.S. Navy Avenger crew consisted of a pilot, radioman/tunnel gunner, and turret gunner, a Royal Navy strike aircraft crew was composed of a pilot, observer/flight officer, and telegraphist/air gunner. The British Avengers’ internal arrangements were modified to place the observer in a cockpit behind the pilot, under the canopy.
Also, the “stinger” tunnel machine gun was removed from the ventral position, and bulged windows replaced the flat ones in the radio compartment to give better visibility aft and below. As with the fighters, Avengers were fitted with British radios, IFF, and gun sights. But because the planes were never modified to carry British torpedoes and BPF commanders elected not to use U.S. torpedoes, the Avengers only dropped bombs.
Do I have any volunteers to make some British modifications to Corsairs, Hellcats, and Avengers?
Thank you in advance.
DD73
I am ready to finish BPF attacks of the Ryuku Islands and proceed to the Japanese homeland the summer and fall of 1945.
Here is what I need to finish up the BPF campaign. I would like air and dp files reconfigured to accurately model flight dynamics and ordinance the mods made by the British.
Royal Navy modifications of the Chance Vought Corsairs included “squaring-off” the wing tips to reduce folded height so that the aircraft could fit into the low hangars of British armored carriers. The alteration was found to improve deck landings by eliminating “float” over the arrester wires.
Also, a small spoiler was fitted on the leading edge of the starboard, inboard wing to ensure that it always dropped first, and modification of oleo struts eliminated “bounce” on landing. The Royal Navy fitted its Corsairs with British lead-computing gun sights, crystal frequency-controlled radios, and IFF equipment. (The British gyro gun sight Mark 2 fitted to Royal Navy fighters from early 1944 is an interesting example of “reverse Lend-Lease”; it was manufactured under license in the United States for U.S. Navy and Army Air Forces planes.) Royal Navy Corsair squadrons formed in the United States at the rate of one a month from mid-1943.
The British navy also received more than 1,000 Grumman Hellcat fighters, which it originally named Gannets. (All U.S.-built aircraft in British service reverted to their American names in January 1944.) These included small batches of F6F-5N night fighters that were to have joined the British Pacific Fleet with the night-fighter carrier HMS Ocean . While the British made no airframe modifications to their Hellcats, they did make internal changes similar to those in their Corsairs. A small number also were modified with cameras and used for strategic photo-reconnaissance with 888 Naval Air Squadron.
The United States also transferred more than 800 Grumman Avengers to the Royal Navy. The performance of the U.S. plane was superior to that of the British Fairey Barracuda torpedo and dive bomber, but the British Avengers were still extensively modified in the United Kingdom by Blackburn Aircraft. While a U.S. Navy Avenger crew consisted of a pilot, radioman/tunnel gunner, and turret gunner, a Royal Navy strike aircraft crew was composed of a pilot, observer/flight officer, and telegraphist/air gunner. The British Avengers’ internal arrangements were modified to place the observer in a cockpit behind the pilot, under the canopy.
Also, the “stinger” tunnel machine gun was removed from the ventral position, and bulged windows replaced the flat ones in the radio compartment to give better visibility aft and below. As with the fighters, Avengers were fitted with British radios, IFF, and gun sights. But because the planes were never modified to carry British torpedoes and BPF commanders elected not to use U.S. torpedoes, the Avengers only dropped bombs.
Do I have any volunteers to make some British modifications to Corsairs, Hellcats, and Avengers?
Thank you in advance.
DD73
Let me know if you need anything others - I've been eyeing up the FDG F6F-5 Hellcat for a while now (as a Hellcat II)...
