Lysander

Многоцелевой самолет взаимодействия с сухопутными войсками, одномоторный моноплан с верхним расположением крыла и неубирающимся шасси (колеса в обтекателях). Спроектирован в КБ фирмы "Уэстленд эйркрафт" под руководством А. Дэвенпорта и В. Петтера. Опытный образец ДальшеMore>>> "Лизандра" впервые взлетел 15 июля 1936 г. Серийный выпуск самолета был освоен с апреля 1938 г. Строился на заводах "Уэстленд" в Еовиле и "Нэйшнл стил кар корпорейшн" в Мелтоне (Канада). Всего выпущено 1674 экз. (с буксировщиками мишеней ТТ IIA).
Экипаж самолета - 2 чел. (у типов II(SD) и IIIA(SD) -1 чел.+2 чел. пассажиров). Вооружение 3-4x7,69, бомбы до 320 кг.
"Лизандр" состоял на вооружении в Великобритании с мая 1938 г., в Ирландии - с июля 1939 г., в Египте и Канаде-с сентября 1939 г., в Турции - с февраля 1940 г., в Финляндии - с марта 1940 г., в Индии - с августа 1941 г., в Португалии - с сентября 1943 г.
Выпускались три основные серийные боевые модификации:
   - "Лизандр" I с мотором "Меркьюри" XII, вооружение 3x7,69;
   - "Лизандр" II с мотором "Персеус" XII, вариант IIA с вооружением 4x7,69, в Канаде строились машины этого типа с отоплением кабины;
   - "Лизандр" III с мотором "Меркьюри" ХХ/30, имел варианты: IIIA с вооружением 4x7,69, III(SD) - специальный самолет связи без вооружения с лестницей на борту, IIIA(SD) - вариант предыдущего со стандартным вооружением, III(SCW) - вариант с увеличенной дальностью полета (с подвесным баком под фюзеляжем).
Перед началом Второй мировой войны "лизандры" базировались в метрополии, Египте и Палестине. При переброске британского экспедиционного корпуса во Францию вместе с ним туда прибыли четыре эскадрильи этих машин. В мае 1940 г. они как штурмовики и разведчики действовали в Бельгии, Голландии, Северной Франции. Позднее эти самолеты прикрывали эвакуацию из Дюнкерка. С июня 1940 г. "лизандры" вели разведку в Греции.
С апреля того же года они поддерживали наступление англичан и южноафриканцев на эфиопско-кенийской границе. Их там применяли и как штурмовики, в частности, при взятии Керена в феврале 1941 г. В декабре 1941 г. - январе 1942 г. английские "лизандры" действовали в Бирме. Там же до конца 1942 г. летали и индийские машины.
С июля 1940 г. "лизандры" начали использоваться спасательными подразделениями в метрополии. В этом качестве они служили до середины 1942 г. С сентября 1941 г. применялись для специальных операций - высадки агентов и выброски грузов в тылу у немцев. Эскадрильи и звенья специального назначения летали на них до августа 1944 г. в Европе, до апреля 1945 г. на Балканах, до октября 1945 г. на Дальнем Востоке. Финские "лизандры" с июля 1941 г. воевали в районе Ладожского озера как разведчики и легкие бомбардировщики. С середины войны они перешли на ночные полеты. Выведены в тыл в августе 1944 г.
"Лизандр" сняли с производства в январе 1942 г. Последние машины этого типа летали в ВВС Великобритании, Ирландии и Финляндии до 1946 г., в Египте - до 1947 г.


"Лизандр" I||
Размах:||15,25 м
Длина:||9,15 м
Моторы, количество х мощность:||1x890 л.с.
Взлетная масса, максимальная:||2683 кг
Максимальная скорость:||352 км/ч
Практический потолок:||7900 м
Дальность:||965 км

Westland Lysander

Самым успешным изделием компании «Westland» стал самолет непосредственной поддержки сухопутных войск Lysander. Машина была широко известна под названием «Lizzie» и легко узнаваема благодаря высокорасположенному крылу и еще одному крылу, очень короткому, прикрепленному к главным стойкам шасси и предназначенному для подвески вооружения или груза. Первый из двух прототипов был облетан 15 июня 1936 года, а последующие успешные испытания привели к заключению контракта на 144 самолета. Самолет поступил на вооружение 16-й эскадрильи британских ВВС в июне 1938 года, став первым самолетом непосредственной поддержки сухопутных войск. Всего были построены 1652 машины; производство было прекращено в 1942 году.
   На начало Второй мировой войны Lysander стояли на вооружении семи эскадрилий, дислоцированных в метрополии. Причем самолет стал первым из британских самолетов, перебазированных во Францию в начале Второй мировой войны, и последним, принявшим участие в боях во Франции до эвакуации из Дюнкерка.
   После снятия с вооружения боевых эскадрилий самолеты применялись для обеспечения диверсионных и разведывательных операций, доставляя в Европу диверсантов и различные грузы, а также решали поисково-спасательные задачи и применялись в качестве буксировщиков мишеней. В Бирме Lysander использовались до конца 1943 года, а также состояли на вооружении 27 дислоцированных в метрополии эскадрилий (включая одну эскадрилью калибровки РЛС, четыре эскадрильи специального назначения и шесть поисково-спасательных), четырех эскадрилий на Ближнем Востоке и двух - в Индии.


Варианты

   Lysander Mk I: первоначальный серийный вариант со звездообразным двигателем Bristol Mercury XII мощностью 890 л. с.; построено 169
   Lysander Mk II: аналог Lysander Mk I с двигателем Bristol Perseus XII мощностью 905 л.с.; закупались Францией (1 самолет), Ирландией (6) и Турцией (36); около 20 самолетов британских ВВС позже были переданы ВВС Свободной Франции; один был передан компании «National Steel Car Corporation» (затем «Victory Aircraft») из Молтона, провинция Онтарио, как образец для лицензионного производства 75 самолетов с двигателями Perseus XII
   Lysander Mk III: аналог Lysander Mk I со звездообразным двигателем Bristol Mercury XX; компания «Westland» построила 367 самолетов, a 150 были построены по лицензии в Канаде
   Lysander Mk IIIA: аналог Mk III, но с двигателем Mercury 30 и дополнительным пулеметом в задней кабине; 347 самолетов, в том числе для ВВС Свободной Франции (1 самолет), Португалии (8) и ВВС Армии США (2)
   Lysander Mk III (SCW): самолеты Mk III и Mk IIIA, переделанные для проведения секретных операций - доставки агентов и диверсантов на вражескую территорию; имел дополнительный запас топлива и трап в хвостовой части кабины с левой стороны; в «секретном» варианте имел обозначения Mk III (SD) и Mk IIA (SD)
   Lysander TT.Mk I: самолет Mk I после переоборудования в буксировщик мишеней
   Lysander TT.Mk II: самолет Mk II после переоборудования в буксировщик мишеней
   Lysander TT.Mk III: самолеты Mk I/II/III, переоборудованные в буксировщики мишеней
   Lysander TT.Mk IIIA: 100 новых серийных буксировщиков мишеней, оснащенных двигателями Mercury 30


ТАКТИКО-ТЕХНИЧЕСКИЕ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИКИ

   Westland Lysander Mk III

   Тип: самолет непосредственной поддержки сухопутных войск
   Силовая установка: один звездообразный ПД Bristol Mercury XX мощностью 870 л. с. (649 кВт)
   Силовая установка: максимальная скорость на высоте 1525 м - 341 км/ч; практический потолок 6555 м; дальность 966 км
   Масса: пустого 1980 кг; максимальная взлетная 2866 кг
   Размеры: размах крыла 15,24 м; длина 9,30 м; высота 4,42 м; площадь крыла 14,15 м2
   Вооружение: четыре 7,7-мм пулемета Browning (по одному в каждом обтекателе шасси и два на управляемой установке в задней кабине), плюс до 227 кг бомб

Flight, June 1938

FOR ARMY CO-OPERATION
Full Details of the Westland Lysander Mark I : Noteworthy Constructional Features : Remarkable Servicing Facilities

   BOTH aerodynamical and structurally, the West­land Lysander Army Co-operation monoplane, which it is now permissible to describe in detail, is one of the most interesting machines produced in recent years. For army co-operation work it is essential that both the pilot and the observer should have as good a view as possible in a forward and downward direction, and this consideration has led to the adoption of the high-wing arrangement. It can also be said that it was this consideration of view which suggested a strut-braced monoplane as distinct from a cantilever one. Obviously it would be very difficult to support a cantilever wing at the extreme top of the cockpits where the width available is comparatively small.
   An indirect result of the use of a high-wing position is traceable in several directions of the design. For example, a retractable undercarriage would be almost unthinkable in a wing arrangement of this type, and consequently the problem arose how to arrange the undercarriage. The conventional type, consisting of a tripod of which two members were attached to the fuselage and the telescopic leg to the wings, would have been somewhat cumbersome and also heavy. Ultimately a most unorthodox type of undercarriage was evolved by Mr. W. E. W. Petter, who has been largely responsible for the design of the Lysander. This undercarriage member is shaped like an inverted U, and is in the form of an aluminium alloy extrusion of roughly rectangular section with the corners rounded off.
   When these considerations are taken into account, the adoption of this type of undercarriage, which would otherwise be rather puzzling, becomes quite logical.
   From the aerodynamic point of view, the Westland designers deserve the very greatest credit for having produced a fully slotted and flapped wing in which all operation is entirely automatic. The Handley Page leading-edge slots extend over the entire span of the wings, the inner portion being a lift slot, while the outer portion is a normal tip slot. The inner slot is connected by levers and linkages to the trailing-edge flaps. By very careful design the arrangement has been so adjusted that by a suitable choice of take-off attitude the pilot can cause the lift flaps to come down the desired number of degrees. If he lifts the tail more during the take-off, the machine will run along without the slots opening or the flaps coming down, whereas if the tail is kept lower than desired the slots and flaps will open fully, and the drag will be greater than desirable, so that probably the take-off run will be increased. Similarly, on landing: by dropping the tail sufficiently the leading-edge slot automatically brings the flap down to its full extent, which results in the steepest approach and shortest landing run.

No Snag

   It might have been thought that as the leading-edge slot is, so to speak, incidence-operated, it might be possible, in pulling the machine out of a steep dive, for example, to cause the slot and flap to open at high speed. This, however, has not been found to be the case, presumably because in a pull-out from a dive, the machine does not reach an angle of incidence sufficiently great to cause the slot to open.
   Older readers of Flight will doubtless recollect the little Widgeon monoplane built for one of the Lympne light plane competitions and afterwards bought by Dr. Reid. That little machine was also a strut-braced monoplane, and its plan form was very much like that of the modern Lysander monoplane. This is not, of course, any mere coincidence, but is due to the fact that on the one hand it is not desired to have a wide chord at the fuselage, and on the other that the maximum wing strength is desired at the point where the lift struts are attached. Consequently, in plan form the chord is greatest along the line joining the lift strut attachments to the wing, and the wing tapers outward and inward from this line.
   The fuselage of the Lysander has the usual girder type of construction, but the external shape is made rounded by the addition of a light fairing of wood construction clipped to the metal fuselage primary structure. Generally speaking, the fuselage is of good shape from a drag point of view, although the fact that it was desired to place the pilot high above the fuselage in order to give him a good view has somewhat interfered with what would otherwise be a very nearly perfect streamline shape. That the drag cannot be excessive is proved by the fact that the Lysander Mk. I, when fitted with a Mercury XII engine of 890 h.p., has a top speed of about 230 m.p.h. The landing speed is 52 m.p.h., the wide speed range being attained very largely by a combination of high-wing loading and the use of slots and flaps.
   From a structural point of view, also, the Lysander is rather unorthodox. To sum it up quite briefly it might perhaps be said that the outstanding feature in its construction is the very extensive use of extruded sections of light alloy. There has been very close co-operation between the Lysander’s designers and two specialist firms, High Duty Alloys, of Slough, and the Reynolds Tube Co., Ltd.
   Accessibility and ease of maintenance and servicing were the guiding principles in deciding upon the general type of construction. That solved the problem, "girder or monocoque? " There still remained the details. Ultimately it was decided to use in the front portion of the fuselage the type of construction of which the Westland firm had such long and successful experience in the Wapiti and Wallace biplanes: duralumin tubes of square section joined by bolts and flat plates. For the rear portion, however, it was decided to use seamless steel tubes, joined by welding. Not only is this form of construction quick in production, but the steel tube is economical in weight when lightly loaded, so that thin gauges can be used. Also, it is very easy to fasten brackets to it by bolts or clips. Thus, the fuselage is in two separate units, joined together by bolts and flat plates.
   Clever use has been made both in the fuselage and wing of a few standard channel sections, produced by extrusion. Whenever a forked plate is wanted it is cut from a length of these extruded channels, the cut being varied according to the angle of the forked plate desired. The whole thing is delightfully simple and much quicker than making up forks from sheet steel, which has to be bent, nibbled, drilled and very often bushed.
   In the construction of the wing, extensive use has also been made of extruded sections. The main “theme” of the wing is a very substantial front spar, metal-covered leading edge, a light tubular rear spar and fabric covering from front spar to trailing edge.
   The front spar is built up of two T-section flanges joined by a flat sheet web. The flanges start life as extrusions of “bowler-hat” section. They are then machined on a special Kendall and Gent planer-miller to the desired T-section, leaving the original section almost intact at points where bolt attachments are required. The planer-miller machines four flanges in one operation. The percentage of metal cut to waste is rather high, but against that must be set the simplicity with which attachments can be made to the extruded sections, and the waste itself has a considerable value.
   The lift struts are also of extruded light metal. The section is an H, and the struts are tapered towards the ends by cutting away some of the web, bending the flanges towards one another and joining them together by a narrower sheet-metal strip. The whole is then faired.
   The fabric which covers the rear portion of the wing is attached to the front main spar flange by a metal strip and small screws with Simmonds elastic stop nuts. A narrow strip of the fabric is doubled back over the metal strip and covers it.
   Reference has already been made to the unusual undercarriage. The inverted U-tube at first appears an expensive way of carrying the Dowty internally sprung wheels, but, in addition to taking the weight of the entire aircraft, this tube also carries the two machine guns and the lift strut attachments, so that it serves many purposes.
   The Bristol Mercury XII engine is enclosed in a long-chord cowl with controllable gills for adjusting the cooling. The De Bergue riveted fuel tank, of 95 gallons capacity, is carried in the fuselage, just behind the pilot’s seat. The airscrew is a three bladed De Havilland controllable pitch.
   Designed as it is for Army co operation, the Lysander carries very complete equipment, including electrical, wireless, photographic and navigational gear, parachute flares and oxygen. It has, of course, the hook under the fuselage for picking up messages.
   The standard armament consists of three machine guns, two of them in the wheel fairings and a Lewis gun for the observer. As already mentioned, when used as a bomber, the machine carries the bombs on two small stub wings bolted to and easily removable from the under-carriage U-tube.
   One very great advantage of the unusual placing of machine guns and bombs is the remarkable accessibility. "Bombing-up" and machine-gun adjustments and inspection can be carried out conveniently, as the height above the ground is but two or three feet. The Service will appreciate this feature when in the field.
   With an empty weight of 4,065 lb. and a disposable load of 1,855 lb., the Lysander has a gross weight of 5,920 lb. When fully loaded it has the following speeds:
   Sea level 206 m.p.h.
   5,000ft. 220
   10,000ft. 229
   15,000ft. 223
   20,000ft. 212
   The minimum flying speed (engine on) is 55 m.p.h., and the landing speed 52 m.p.h. It will be appreciated that a speed range of 4:1 is very remarkable.
   The sea level rate of climb is 1,650 ft./min., and the different altitudes are reached as follows:
   5,000ft. in 3.1 min. 15,000ft. in 11.4 min.
   10,000ft. in 6.8 ,, 20,000ft in 19.5 ,,
   At 5,000ft. the rate of climb is 1,530 ft./min.; at 10,000ft. 1,180 ft./min.; at 15,000ft. 830ft./min.; and at 20.000ft. 500ft./min. The service ceiling (height at which rate of climb has dropped to 100ft./min.) is 26,000ft. approximately.
   The economical cruising Speed is 150 m.p.h., and the range in still air at that speed is 600 miles. With full load the take-off distance to clear a 50ft. obstacle is 230 yards and the take-off run itself 165 yards. With brakes on the landing run is 200 yards, and the approach distance over a 50ft. obstacle to rest 330 yards.
   Altogether, it can be said that the Westland Lysander is a remarkable machine.

Flight, November 1939

Britain's Military Aircraft
A Survey of Our Service Machines

WESTLAND

   ONE of the most interesting military aircraft produced in recent years is the Westland Lysander as supplied to army co-operation squadrons of the Royal Air Force. It is notable not only because it was designed specifically for army co-operative duties, but because it makes full use of modern high-lift devices.
   The high-wing design has been adopted to give the pilot an almost uninterrupted view downwards. There is a roomy cabin which gives the pilot a direct and immediate range of vision of at least 160 degrees on both port and starboard sides, a slight body movement giving him a full view through all points of the compass.
   The undercarriage is interesting in that it is a cantilever structure shaped like an inverted U. Attachments are provided for stub wings which carry bomb racks, supply containers with parachutes, parachute flares or extra fuel tanks. Two fixed guns are enclosed within the wheel fairings, and there is a free gun in the rear cockpit.
   Handley Page slots and slotted flaps give full control at speeds just above the stalling point, which is in the region of 50 m.p.h.
   Machines of the first batches were powered with the Bristol Mercury XII radial, but the newer series have the Bristol Perseus XII engine.
   The Lysander can attain a height of 50ft. from the start of take-off in 245 yards.

Westland Aircraft, Ltd., Yeovil, Somerset.