Air Pictorial 1955-10
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Photos by request
VULTEE XA-19A. Out of the five Vultee YA-19 (Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp R-1830-17 radials) three-seat attack bombers delivered to the U.S.A.A.F. in 1939, three underwent engine changes to become the XA-19A (Lycoming); XA-19B (P. & W. Double Wasp R-2800-I) and XA-19C (P. & W. Twin Wasp R-1830-51). The most interesting conversion was that of the XA-19A which served as a flying test bed for the special twelve-cylinder, liquid-cooled Lycoming XO-1230-1 - the highest-rated horizontally-opposed in-line of World War II, with 1,200 h.p. for take-off. To compensate for the increased side area and fuselage length (increased by 5 in. to 38 ft. 3 in.) the characteristic Gerald Vultee fin was altered to give more area. Despite the improved frontal area streamlining, the experimental Lycoming XA-19A improved the maximum speed by only 2 m.p.h. - to 232 m.p.h. Span was 50 ft. The A-19 was developed from the Vultee Model V-11GB.
RENARD R.36. A contemporary of the early Hawker Hurricane was the Belgian "moteur-canon" single-seat interceptor, the Renard R.36. Produced by M. Georges Renard, the R.36 was powered by a 960-h.p. Hispano-Suiza 12Yars liquid-cooled, twelve-cylinder Vee engine driving a three-blade metal airscrew through which was fired a "moteur-canon" fitted between the Vee banks. Like the early Hurricanes, the R.36 had fabric-covered wings as well as a fabric-covered rear fuselage. From the R.36, two further variants were developed, the R.37 with a French 1,050-h.p. Gnome-Rhone 14N21 air-cooled fourteen-cylinder radial and the R.38 of 1939 which was powered by a 1,030-h.p. Rolls-Royce Merlin II
RWD 15. Interest in Palestine-registered aircraft has brought to light a rare photograph of the RWD 15, the last of the Polish high-wing cabin monoplane designs which started in 1929 with the RWD 4 (SP-ADM). The RWD 15 of 1938 was a larger, four-seat development of the 1937 RWD 13 three-seater, fitted with a 205-h.p. DH. Gipsy Six in-line giving a maximum speed of 149 m.p.h. and a cruising range of 500 miles at 135 m.p.h. Both the RWD 13 and RWD 15 were utilised by the Germans as Red Cross ambulances in World War II. This particular RWD 15 (VQ-PAE) was purchased by Aviron-Palestine Aviation Company Ltd after the war and was used for joy-riding and charter operations. Span 40 ft. 7 in.; length 29 ft. 6 in. ; height 8 ft. 2 in. Max. a.u.w. 2,860 lb.
BLACKBURN LINCOCK. Photographed at Dagenham Park in April 1934 was this special Blackburn Lincock - originally intended as a single-seat interceptor - note the machine-gun groove on the fuselage immediately behind the weatherproof covering over the exposed Armstrong Siddeley Lynx of 215 h.p.
Painted a violent purple hue overall, G-AALH was for a time part of the famous "Air Circus" which toured the United Kingdom in the 1930s under the leadership of (Sir) Alan Cobham who, as a pioneer o(many Empire air routes, is perhaps best known today as the founder of Flight Refuelling Ltd.
LOUGHEAD F-1. The ten-passenger, metal-hull F-1 flying-boat of 1916 was the second design built by the Loughead Aircraft Manufacturing Company of Santa Barbara, California. Between the wars, the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation was to take its name from this pioneer American company, and as a foretaste of the Constellation, the F-1 possessed a triple tail assembly. Powered by two 150-h.p. Hall-Scott A-5a liquid-cooled, six-cylinder in-lines, the F.1 was designed to carry a useful load of 3,100 lb. (max. all-up 7,300 lb.) at a sea-level cruising speed of 70 m.p.h. Maximum speed was 84 m.p.h. Dimensions: Mainplane (upper) 74 ft ., (lower) 47 ft. ; length 35 ft.; height 12 ft. The high gloss finish of the fabric-covered wooden wings is revealed in the photograph by the reflection of the struts and background fencing.