Gotha P60 scratch built project
04-19-2015, 06:24 AM
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Gotha P60 scratch built project
I have now made enough progress with my latest project to post some information.
In 1945, just before the end of the war the Gotha factory were tasked with making the Horten Ho229 into a military project. Before the end of the War they had produced several planes of various variants but only one was close to completion. This plane went to the USA under Operation Paperclip. The Gotha factory felt they could make a more effective aircraft and put forward their own design. It was truly advanced.
The Gotha P60 as it was designated was a a flying wing but with more wing sweep than the Horten design. The wing section was thinner so faster and then pilots would have to have flown prone. (This was common in the Horten gliders and found to be comfortable. This did away with the need for a bulbous canopy.To aid turning the aircraft it was fitted with 2 wing tip drag rudders of novel design. They were like fins or blades that were turned into the airflow at an angle of 18 degrees. This helps the wing turn especially at high speed.
To aid landing at slower speed and also to aid takeoff the leading edge was to be fitted with Krueger leading edge flaps. They had only just been invented in Gottingen and this was the first proposed use of them in any aircraft. (After the war they were used on the Boeing 707 and 747. Air braking was by lowering split flaps at the underside rear of the tail.
Power was 2 turbines one above and one below the wing. The exact make of engine did not matter as they were easily removable in the nacelles. The front nose leg was offset partly to avoid FOD in the lower engine and partly to aid the pilots view from the cockpit.
The plane was never made and until recently no models have been made. As a complete coincidence there are 2 projects underway at the moment to make turbine powered models of the plane.
Mine is a joint project with Raimund Sonst and Heiner Skroblin in Germany who provided a set of ribs and they made a smaller edf version to test its flying characteristics. It flew extremely well and encouraged me to go ahead with the larger turbine model.
This is what I started with and current progress.
The plane is 2.44 M wingspan and 1:5 scale. The engine nacelles are from CJM where the He162 uses the same engine to the same scale and saved me a lot of time. The retracts are much modified Behotec C50 converted to hydraulic. The retracts have a considerable forward rake and the mains has twist and turn. The engine will be a Merlin M140 and I will not be fitting an engine in the lower nacelle. I will post more info as I make more progress with it.
John
In 1945, just before the end of the war the Gotha factory were tasked with making the Horten Ho229 into a military project. Before the end of the War they had produced several planes of various variants but only one was close to completion. This plane went to the USA under Operation Paperclip. The Gotha factory felt they could make a more effective aircraft and put forward their own design. It was truly advanced.
The Gotha P60 as it was designated was a a flying wing but with more wing sweep than the Horten design. The wing section was thinner so faster and then pilots would have to have flown prone. (This was common in the Horten gliders and found to be comfortable. This did away with the need for a bulbous canopy.To aid turning the aircraft it was fitted with 2 wing tip drag rudders of novel design. They were like fins or blades that were turned into the airflow at an angle of 18 degrees. This helps the wing turn especially at high speed.
To aid landing at slower speed and also to aid takeoff the leading edge was to be fitted with Krueger leading edge flaps. They had only just been invented in Gottingen and this was the first proposed use of them in any aircraft. (After the war they were used on the Boeing 707 and 747. Air braking was by lowering split flaps at the underside rear of the tail.
Power was 2 turbines one above and one below the wing. The exact make of engine did not matter as they were easily removable in the nacelles. The front nose leg was offset partly to avoid FOD in the lower engine and partly to aid the pilots view from the cockpit.
The plane was never made and until recently no models have been made. As a complete coincidence there are 2 projects underway at the moment to make turbine powered models of the plane.
Mine is a joint project with Raimund Sonst and Heiner Skroblin in Germany who provided a set of ribs and they made a smaller edf version to test its flying characteristics. It flew extremely well and encouraged me to go ahead with the larger turbine model.
This is what I started with and current progress.
The plane is 2.44 M wingspan and 1:5 scale. The engine nacelles are from CJM where the He162 uses the same engine to the same scale and saved me a lot of time. The retracts are much modified Behotec C50 converted to hydraulic. The retracts have a considerable forward rake and the mains has twist and turn. The engine will be a Merlin M140 and I will not be fitting an engine in the lower nacelle. I will post more info as I make more progress with it.
John
Last edited by Jgwright; 04-19-2015 at 06:51 AM.
04-19-2015, 07:54 AM
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04-19-2015, 11:37 PM
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I shall post updates as I proceed. I will shortly be checking adhesives before I try covering the airframe with the thin epoxy sheet. Time scale is difficult to anticipate but so far airframe construction has taken me 5 weeks.
John
John
04-20-2015, 09:24 AM
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I too like the various versions of the plane. It was amazingly advanced for the era. I love flying wings.
This is the hydraulic retracts made from the modified Behotec C50 units.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CSChvsn6us John
This is the hydraulic retracts made from the modified Behotec C50 units.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CSChvsn6us John
05-10-2015, 12:12 AM
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Some progress photos for you. I have completed covering the upper surfaces with Proskin. This was not straightforward with the compound curve wing and the stiff flat nature of Proskin. I had to cover in 3 pieces, the elevons will be cut off later anyway, the leading edge and the main surfaces were covered in 2 pieces joined on the spar.
05-10-2015, 12:17 AM
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Oh I forgot to add that I used Joiners Mate 5 Min PU glue on the recommendation of a friend who had just completed covering his MR Hunter. This is a much better glue than Wudgrab PU glue normally used. The Joiners Mate is a low foaming thixotropic glue that does not drip. It has a slightly longer working time than the Wudgrab and is made by Geocell. Covering wings with Proskin is not for the faint hearted and it is easy to make a mess of it. It is vital to load the skin down firmly against the structure and to pin it in a few places to stop it sliding about.
John
John
05-10-2015, 02:49 AM
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Yes it was very helpful tip with the glue. Also Roger came over and looked at the wing before I started and gave me some helpful advice. He made a smashing job of covering his Hunter wing.
As for the maiden well cannot say at the moment. There is plenty of work to do, and it will have to be painted. I guess the Autumn is realistic, but it depends how fired up I get. I must admit to really enjoying some scratch building. I hope to have another project to do later this year and before you ask yes it will be a flying wing!
John
John
As for the maiden well cannot say at the moment. There is plenty of work to do, and it will have to be painted. I guess the Autumn is realistic, but it depends how fired up I get. I must admit to really enjoying some scratch building. I hope to have another project to do later this year and before you ask yes it will be a flying wing!
John
John
