Pemberton-Billing. Самолеты
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Для противодействия атакам немецких дирижаблей на Великобританию, Пембертон-Биллинг создал квадроплан P.B.29, развивающий скорость 56 км/ч, что позволяло ему патрулировать в течение достаточно продолжительного времени. Фюзеляж с двумя открытыми кабинами, расположенными тандемно, был установлен на втором крыле, так же как и два двигателя Austro-Daimler мощностью 90 л. с., приводившими во вращение четырехлопастные толкающие винты. Отличительной особенностью самолета стало наличие места для третьего члена экипажа: стрелок располагался в гондоле-обтекателе, укрепленной между третьим и четвертым крыльями, а пулемет был установлен сверху. Хвостовое оперение было бипланной схемы и трехкилевым. Построили только один P.B.29, который вскоре разбился.
Впрочем, он успел привлечь огромный интерес, а Пембертона-Биллинга попросили продолжить усовершенствование этой конструкции. В результате появилась модель P.B.31 Night Hawk с двумя звездообразными двигателями Anzani мощностью 100 л. с. и двумя стрелковыми установками над кабиной. Передний стрелок имел в своем распоряжении пушку Дэвиса, стрелявшую снарядами массой 0,68 кг. Имелся также небольшой прожектор в носовой части фюзеляжа, управлявшийся с помощью троса Боудена и применявшийся для подсветки цели или для облегчения посадки. Энергия для прожектора вырабатывалась бортовой вспомогательной силовой установкой. Из заказанных двух P.B.31 был построен только один.
- Описание
Фотографии
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Aviation Historian 8 / M.Goodall - Pemberton Billing an the Four-Winged Farrago
A poor-quality but very rare photograph of the P.B.29E following its completion. Note the searchlight mounted in the nose and the gun-equipped nacelle between the centre-sections of the upper wings.
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Aviation Historian 8 / M.Goodall - Pemberton Billing an the Four-Winged Farrago
The completed P.B.29E at RNAS Chingford in early 1916. The Austro-Daimler engines were mounted in pusher configuration and drove four-bladed propellers. Ailerons were fitted to all four wings.
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Aviation Historian 8 / M.Goodall - Pemberton Billing an the Four-Winged Farrago
A previously unpublished photograph of the P.B.29E under construction at Woolston in 1915. The aircraft was designed and built in little more than two months, such was the need to counter the Zeppelin menace, which was threatening to undermine public morale. The aircraft was transported to Chingford and flown in January 1916.
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Aviation Historian 8 / M.Goodall - Pemberton Billing an the Four-Winged Farrago
Two P.B.31Es were ordered by the RNAS in November 1916, and were allocated serials 1388 and 1389. The first is seen here at Woolston with Pemberton Billing staff. Fourth from left in the group standing by the machine, in the back row, is R.J. Mitchell, who joined the company in 1915. The second machine was never completed.
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Aviation Historian 8 / M.Goodall - Pemberton Billing an the Four-Winged Farrago
Another view of the P.B.31E, later called Nighthawk, at the Woolston works. The star louvres behind the nose-mounted searchlight were to provide cooling air to the auxiliary ABC engine that powered the light. The aircraft is fitted with a Lewis gun on the nose mounting and a recoilless Davis gun in the upper gun position.
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Aeroplane Monthly 1993-08 / A.Williams - Heavy guns of the RAF (1)
The Supermarine P.B.31 Night Hawk with searchlight in nose and Davis gun mounted on the Scarff ring on the top wing.
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Aviation Historian 8 / M.Goodall - Pemberton Billing an the Four-Winged Farrago
The P.B.31E Nighthawk after its completion; it was deemed an improvement over the P.B.29E “Battle Plane", but still struggled to impress.
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Aviation Historian 8 / M.Goodall - Pemberton Billing an the Four-Winged Farrago
The completed Nighthawk, minus guns and searchlight, awaits its delivery to Eastchurch in December 1916. One of the most distinctive features of the P.B.31E was its extensively glazed cabin, in which the pilot sat forward of the leading edge of the third wing. Glazed panels in the fuselage served to improve the view downwards.
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Aeroplane Monthly 1993-08 / A.Williams - Heavy guns of the RAF (1)
The 60ft-span Night Hawk minus its armament. a “Battleplane” armed with three COW guns as well as machine-guns.
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Aviation Historian 8 / M.Goodall - Pemberton Billing an the Four-Winged Farrago
Огромный для своего времени, Supermarine Night Hawk мог находиться в воздухе до 18 часов. P.B.31 имел размах крыла 18,29 м, максимальную взлетную массу 2788 кг и массу топлива 1016 кг.
The P.B.31E proved to be underpowered, and was scrapped in March 1917. Pemberton Billing (whose name had no hyphen, despite his attempts to adopt one) continued to work on his unorthodox, but often innovative, concepts for aviation, including an unbuilt pre-Second World War concept for a flying-bomb. He died in 1948. -
Aviation Historian 8 / M.Goodall - Pemberton Billing an the Four-Winged Farrago
A fragment of Pemberton Billing company drawings of the P.B.31E, signed by a young draughtsman by the name of R.J. Mitchell and dated September 18, 1916. It is unknown whether the future designer of the Spitfire had any input into the P.B.31E, but it is more likely he was only providing drawings at this time.
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Aviation Historian 11 / K.Hayward - High Anxiety
To supplement Mike Goodall’s article on Supermarine’s “Battle Planes" in TAH8, we offer these drawings of the P.B.29E, dated “12/11/15”
- Фотографии