Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

How about the Heinkel He 112? Germany never used it, but both Spain and Romania did. Thanks; Ernie P.

The Heinkel He 112 is a German fighter aircraft designed by Walter and Siegfried Günter. It was one of four aircraft designed to compete for the Luftwaffe's 1933 fighter contract, in which it eventually came second behind the Messerschmitt Bf 109. Small numbers were used for a short time by the Luftwaffe, and small runs were completed for several other countries, but only around 100 were completed in total.

The Spanish government purchased 12 He 112Bs. This increased to 19. The He 112s were to operate as top cover for Fiat fighters in the opening stages of the Civil War, the Fiat having considerably worse altitude performance. In the event, only a single kill was made with the He 112 as a fighter and it was moved onto ground-attack work. During World War II, when Allied forces landed in North Africa, Spanish forces in Morocco intercepted stray aircraft of both Allied and German forces. None of these incidents resulted in losses. In 1943, one He 112 of Grupo nº27 attacked the tail-end aircraft of 11 Lockheed P-38s forcing it down in Algeria after they re-entered French territory having crossed into Spanish Morocco. By 1944, the aircraft were largely grounded due to a lack of fuel and maintenance.

When Germany prepared to invade the USSR in 1941, Romania joined it in an effort to regain the territories lost the year before. The FARR was made part of Luftflotte 4, and in preparation for the invasion, Grupul 5 v nãtoare was sent to Moldavia. At the time, 24 of the He 112s were flyable. Three were left at their home base at Pipera to complete repairs, two others had been lost to accidents, and the fate of the others is unknown. On 15 June, the aircraft were moved again, to Foscani-North in northern Moldavia.

With the opening of the war on 22 June, the He 112s were in the air at 1050 supporting an attack by Potez 63s of Grupul 2 bombardment on the Soviet airfields at Bolgrad and Bulgãrica. Although some flak was encountered on the way to and over Bolgrad, the attack was successful and a number of Soviet aircraft were bombed on the ground. By the time they reached Bulgãrica, fighters were in the air waiting for them, and as a result the 12 He 112s were met by about 30 I-16s. The results of this combat were mixed; Sublocotenent Teodor Moscu shot down one of a pair of I-16s still taking off. When he was pulling out, he hit another in a head-on pass and it crashed into the Danube. He was set upon by several I-16s and received several hits, his fuel tanks were punctured but did not seal. Losing fuel rapidly, he formed up with his wingman and managed to put down at the Romanian airfield at B rlad. His aircraft was later repaired and returned to duty. Of the bombers, three of the 13 dispatched were shot down.

Over the next few days, the He 112s would be used primarily as ground-attack aircraft, where their heavy armament was considered to be more important than their ability to fight in the air. Typical missions would start before dawn and would have the Heinkels strafe Soviet airbases. Later in the day, they would be sent on search and destroy missions, looking primarily for artillery and trains.Losses were heavy, most not due to combat, but simply because the aircraft were flying an average of three missions a day and were not receiving adequate maintenance. This problem affected all of the FARR, which did not have the field maintenance logistics worked out at the time. On 29 July, a report on the readiness of the air forces listed only 14 He 112s in flyable condition, and another eight repairable. As a result, the aircraft of the 52nd were folded into the 51st to form a single full strength squadron on 13 August. The men of the 52nd were merged with the 42nd who flew IAR.80s, and were soon sent home to receive IAR.80s of their own.

A report from August on the He 112 rated it very poorly, once again noting its lack of power and poor speed.For a time, the 51st continued in a front-line role, although it saw little combat. When Odessa fell on 16 October, the Romanian war effort ostensibly ended, and the aircraft were considered to be no longer needed at the front. 15 were kept at Odessa and the rest were released to Romania for training duty (although they seem to have seen no use). On 1 November, the 51st moved to Tatarka and then returned to Odessa on the 25th, performing coastal patrol duties all the while. On 1 July 1942, the 51st returned to Pipera and stood down after a year in action.

On 19 July one of the He 112s took to the air to intercept Soviet bombers in what was the first night mission by a Romanian aircraft. As the Soviets were clearly gearing up for a night offensive on Bucharest, the 51st was then re-equipped with Bf 110night fighters and became the only Romanian night fighter squadron.By 1943, the IAR.80 was no longer competitive, and the FARR started an overdue move to a newer fighter. The fighter in this case was the barely competitive Bf 109G. The He 112s found themselves actively being used in the training role at last.

The inline engine and general layout of the German designs was considered similar enough to make it useful in this role, and as a result the He 112s came under the control of the Corpul 3 Aerian (3rd Air Corps). Several more of the He 112s were destroyed in accidents during this time. It soldiered on in this role into late 1944, even after Romania had changed sides and joined the Allies.

Hydro Junkie

Nope, not the HE-112. Time for another clue:
Looking for an aircraft in this quick quiz:
1) This plane was used in combat by a country OTHER than the one that built it
2) This plane never saw combat for it's own country
3) It was smaller, lighter and faster than it's three operational predecessors
4) It was powered by the same engine as the two planes previously produced by it's manufacturer as well as two other successful designs by other companies
5) Well over 1,000 examples were manufactured, many by a second company under license
Good Luck

Hydro Junkie

No guesses? I guess it's time for another clue, or two
Looking for an aircraft in this quick quiz:
1) This plane was used in combat by a country OTHER than the one that built it
2) This plane never saw combat for it's own country
3) It was smaller, lighter and faster than it's three operational predecessors
4) It was powered by the same engine as the two planes previously produced by it's manufacturer as well as two other successful designs by other companies
5) Well over 1,000 examples were manufactured, many by a second company under license
6) The prototype was armed with the same weapon type and number as the initial "service version" of an earlier "relative", one that did see combat while in use with it's country of origins military
7) This plane's profile was markedly different from it's predecessors since one of the major design features of the earlier aircraft wasn't included on this aircraft
Good Luck

Hydro Junkie

And still no guesses? Time for another clue:
Looking for an aircraft in this quick quiz:
1) This plane was used in combat by a country OTHER than the one that built it
2) This plane never saw combat for it's own country
3) It was smaller, lighter and faster than it's three operational predecessors
4) It was powered by the same engine as the two planes previously produced by it's manufacturer as well as two other successful designs by other companies
5) Well over 1,000 examples were manufactured, many by a second company under license
6) The prototype was armed with the same weapon type and number as the initial "service version" of an earlier "relative", one that did see combat while in use with it's country of origins military
7) This plane's profile was markedly different from it's predecessors since one of the major design features of the earlier aircraft wasn't included on this aircraft
8) Of all the aircraft of this type produced, only 10 are still in flying condition today
9) This plane could carry almost as much ordinance as a slightly larger, slightly older and slightly faster plane, built by a competitor referred to in clue 4
Good Luck

Hydro Junkie

And it looks like it's clue time again:
Looking for an aircraft in this quick quiz:
1) This plane was used in combat by a country OTHER than the one that built it
2) This plane never saw combat for it's own country
3) It was smaller, lighter and faster than it's three operational predecessors
4) It was powered by the same engine as the two planes previously produced by it's manufacturer as well as two other successful designs by other companies
5) Well over 1,000 examples were manufactured, many by a second company under license
6) The prototype was armed with the same weapon type and number as the initial "service version" of an earlier "relative", one that did see combat while in use with it's country of origins military
7) This plane's profile was markedly different from it's predecessors since one of the major design features of the earlier aircraft wasn't included on this aircraft
8) Of all the aircraft of this type produced, only 10 are still in flying condition today
9) This plane could carry almost as much ordinance as a slightly larger, slightly older and slightly faster plane, built by a competitor referred to in clue 4
10) The reason this plane was designed and built was to combat one specific threat
11) The perceived threat was considered so dire that the weapons carried were "upgraded" for more striking power
12) This plane, while a successful design, were only in service in it's home country's military for seven years
Good Luck

Hydro Junkie

Time for another clue, by the looks of it:
Looking for an aircraft in this quick quiz:
1) This plane was used in combat by a country OTHER than the one that built it
2) This plane never saw combat for it's own country
3) It was smaller, lighter and faster than it's three operational predecessors
4) It was powered by the same engine as the two planes previously produced by it's manufacturer as well as two other successful designs by other companies
5) Well over 1,000 examples were manufactured, many by a second company under license
6) The prototype was armed with the same weapon type and number as the initial "service version" of an earlier "relative", one that did see combat while in use with it's country of origins military
7) This plane's profile was markedly different from it's predecessors since one of the major design features of the earlier aircraft wasn't included on this aircraft
8) Of all the aircraft of this type produced, only 10 are still in flying condition today
9) This plane could carry almost as much ordinance as a slightly larger, slightly older and slightly faster plane, built by a competitor referred to in clue 4
10) The reason this plane was designed and built was to combat one specific threat
11) The perceived threat was considered so dire that the weapons carried were "upgraded" for more striking power
12) This plane, while a successful design, were only in service in it's home country's military for seven years
13) This "single seater" was only sold to three countries but, when "phased out" of service by one, it was given to a fourth country and later found it's way to a fifth
Good Luck

Hydro Junkie

Gee, I figured this quiz would go fairly fast, guess I was wrong. Sounds like it's clue time again:
Looking for an aircraft in this quick quiz:
1) This plane was used in combat by a country OTHER than the one that built it
2) This plane never saw combat for it's own country
3) It was smaller, lighter and faster than it's three operational predecessors
4) It was powered by the same engine as the two planes previously produced by it's manufacturer as well as two other successful designs by other companies
5) Well over 1,000 examples were manufactured, many by a second company under license
6) The prototype was armed with the same weapon type and number as the initial "service version" of an earlier "relative", one that did see combat while in use with it's country of origins military
7) This plane's profile was markedly different from it's predecessors since one of the major design features of the earlier aircraft wasn't included on this aircraft
8) Of all the aircraft of this type produced, only 10 are still in flying condition today
9) This plane could carry almost as much ordinance as a slightly larger, slightly older and slightly faster plane, built by a competitor referred to in clue 4
10) The reason this plane was designed and built was to combat one specific threat
11) The perceived threat was considered so dire that the weapons carried were "upgraded" for more striking power
12) This plane, while a successful design, were only in service in it's home country's military for seven years
13) This "single seater" was only sold to three countries but, when "phased out" of service by one, it was given to a fourth country and later found it's way to a fifth
14) This plane used a 12ft prop
15) Just like it's two immediate predecessors, this plane had versions that were capable of night fighting
Good Luck

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Hydro Junkie; I keep coming up with answers that don't fit all the clues after due reflection. But let's get this one out of the way. How about the F8F Bearcat? Thanks; Ernie P.



Answer: Grumman F8F Bearcat

The Grumman F8F Bearcat is an American single-engine carrier-basedfighter aircraft introduced in late World War II. It went on to serve into the mid-20th century in the United States Navy, the United States Marine Corps, and the air forces of other nations. It would be Grumman Aircraft's final piston engined fighter aircraft. Modified versions have broken speed records for piston-engined aircraft, and are popular among warbird owners. The Bearcat concept began during a meeting between Battle of Midway veteran F4F Wildcat pilots and Grumman Vice President Jake Swirbul at Pearl Harbor on 23 June 1942. At the meeting, Lieutenant Commander Jimmie Thach emphasized one of the most important requirements in a good fighter plane was "climb rate". Climb performance is strongly related to the power-to-weight ratio, and is maximized by wrapping the smallest and lightest possible airframe around the most powerful available engine. Another goal was that the G-58 (Grumman's design designation for the aircraft) should be able to operate from escort carriers, which were then limited to the obsolescent F4F Wildcat as the Grumman F6F Hellcat was too large and heavy. A small, lightweight aircraft would make this possible. After intensively analyzing carrier warfare in the Pacific Theater of Operations for a year and a half, Grumman began development of the G-58 Bearcat in late 1943. There is considerable debate among sources as to whether or not the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 influenced the design of the G-58. It is known that test pilots from Grumman examined and flew a captured Fw 190 in England in early 1943, and the G-58 has a number of design notes in common with the Fw 190 that the Hellcat did not, especially in the cowling and landing gear arrangements. However, no definitive evidence has been presented that these tests had a direct input to the G-58 design.

Hydro Junkie

I was beginning to think this one would go on for a long time. Ernie, the Bearcat is what I am looking for. Now, as for the clues:
1) This plane was used in combat by a country OTHER than the one that built it Only France bought and flew this "Cat" in combat, specifically over south east Asia
2) This plane never saw combat for it's own country While the US did have in excess of 20 squadrons of F8Fs, they were not used in combat since the F9F was deployed into front line squadrons just prior to the start of the Korean War
3) It was smaller, lighter and faster than it's three operational predecessors The three predecessors were the Wildcat, Hellcat and Tigercat. The Bearcat was smaller and lighter than any of them due to several weight reduction measures taken during the design and construction which, in turn, made the Bearcat almost 50mph faster than the Hellcat
4) It was powered by the same engine as the two planes previously produced by it's manufacturer as well as two other successful designs by other companies The Hellcat, Tigercat and Bearcat all used the P&W Double Wasp, as did the F4U Corsair and P-47 Thunderbolt
5) Well over 1,000 examples were manufactured, many by a second company under license Many Bearcats were produced by General Motors, just like the FM-2 Wildcat and TBM Avenger
6) The prototype was armed with the same weapon type and number as the initial "service version" of an earlier "relative", one that did see combat while in use with it's country of origins military The Bearcat was initially armed with four of the proven Browning .50 caliber machine guns, just like the F4F-3 Wildcat
7) This plane's profile was markedly different from it's predecessors since one of the major design features of the earlier aircraft wasn't included on this aircraft Unlike every other Grumman fighter design previously made, the Bearcat had a bubble canopy rather than the "razorback" design
8) Of all the aircraft of this type produced, only 10 are still in flying condition today
9) This plane could carry almost as much ordinance as a slightly larger, slightly older and slightly faster plane, built by a competitor referred to in clue 4 The aircraft referred to was the F4U Corsair. Depending on which variant you look at, I've found the Corsair could carry between 2500 and 4000lbs of ordinance. The Bearcat could handle roughly 2000lbs of bombs and/or rockets
10) The reason this plane was designed and built was to combat one specific threat I've found several references claiming the Bearcat was built to counter the fast climbing Japanese fighters that could get away from the earlier fighters. Others claimed the Bearcat was built to counter the Japanese suicide planes. Both lines of thought would jive with the referenced above's comments from Jimmy Thatch, considering he flew earlier planes that couldn't match the Japanese planes in rate of climb
11) The perceived threat was considered so dire that the weapons carried were "upgraded" for more striking power The -2 was rearmed with four 20mm cannon, just like was used on some Corsairs
12) This plane, while a successful design, were only in service in it's home country's military for seven years The Bearcat was first assigned to front line squadrons in February 1945. It was phased out prior to the end of 1951
13) This "single seater" was only sold to three countries but, when "phased out" of service by one, it was given to a fourth country and later found it's way to a fifth The F8F was sold to the US, France and Thailand. When the French phased it out, the planes were "given" to Viet Nam where, understandably, some ended up in the north while others ended up in the south
14) This plane used a 12ft prop
15) Just like it's two immediate predecessors, this plane had versions that were capable of night fighting Some Bearcats were equipped with a radar in the same way the Hellcat and Corsair were to make them capable of intercepting "bogies" in the dark
I guess this means Ernie's up!!

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Hydro, Junkie; I thought about the Bearcat early on, but one of the clues initially seemed to rule it out. But, it kept coming to mind, so I gave it a try. Thanks. Okay; this will be fast because (1) I am going to get busy toward the end of the week; and (2) There simply isn't all that much to say about the subject. So, I'll drop a few clues to start. Thanks; Ernie P.



What aircraft do I describe?



Clues:

1. It was designed as a fighter. That is significant to the story.

2. It was designed by a governmental department.

3. It was then farmed out to a private company for manufacture.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

And a small handful of morning clues. Thanks; Ernie P.



What aircraft do I describe?



Clues:

1. It was designed as a fighter. That is significant to the story.

2. It was designed by a governmental department.

3. It was then farmed out to a private company for manufacture.

4. But the government built a few as well.

5. And the manufacturer selected added in some wrinkles of its own.

6. By the time it was all done, there were nearly as many variants as aircraft produced.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

And another small handful for the afternoon. Thanks; Ernie P.



What aircraft do I describe?



Clues:

1. It was designed as a fighter. That is significant to the story.

2. It was designed by a governmental department.

3. It was then farmed out to a private company for manufacture.

4. But the government built a few as well.

5. And the manufacturer selected added in some wrinkles of its own.

6. By the time it was all done, there were nearly as many variants as aircraft produced.

7. Even though a single variant accounted for the majority of the small production run.

8. The service which needed the fighter simply didn’t have any fighters of their own.

9. So, they designed their own.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

And a handful of evening clues. Thanks; Ernie P.



What aircraft do I describe?



Clues:

1. It was designed as a fighter. That is significant to the story.

2. It was designed by a governmental department.

3. It was then farmed out to a private company for manufacture.

4. But the government built a few as well.

5. And the manufacturer selected added in some wrinkles of its own.

6. By the time it was all done, there were nearly as many variants as aircraft produced.

7. Even though a single variant accounted for the majority of the small production run.

8. The service which needed the fighter simply didn’t have any fighters of their own.

9. So, they designed their own.

10. They designed an aircraft with a feature not unique, but certainly unusual.

11. The first aircraft delivered had wheels.

12. Which was entirely appropriate for the intended use.

Hydro Junkie

How about a Kingfisher? I've seen pictures with both floats AND LANDING LANDING GEAR

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

Not the Kingfisher, Hydro Junkie; but there's nothing wrong with your thought process. Keep trying. And here's a few more clues to encourage your efforts. Thanks; Ernie P.



What aircraft do I describe?



Clues:

1. It was designed as a fighter. That is significant to the story.

2. It was designed by a governmental department.

3. It was then farmed out to a private company for manufacture.

4. But the government built a few as well.

5. And the manufacturer selected added in some wrinkles of its own.

6. By the time it was all done, there were nearly as many variants as aircraft produced.

7. Even though a single variant accounted for the majority of the small production run.

8. The service which needed the fighter simply didn’t have any fighters of their own.

9. So, they designed their own.

10. They designed an aircraft with a feature not unique, but certainly unusual.

11. The first aircraft delivered had wheels.

12. Which was entirely appropriate for the intended use.

13. So the owning service promptly designed a set of floats for it.

14. Which was also appropriate for its use.

15. The owning service built several planes themselves, to see if they could do so at a competitive cost.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

And some morning clues. Thanks; Ernie P.



What aircraft do I describe?



Clues:

1. It was designed as a fighter. That is significant to the story.

2. It was designed by a governmental department.

3. It was then farmed out to a private company for manufacture.

4. But the government built a few as well.

5. And the manufacturer selected added in some wrinkles of its own.

6. By the time it was all done, there were nearly as many variants as aircraft produced.

7. Even though a single variant accounted for the majority of the small production run.

8. The service which needed the fighter simply didn’t have any fighters of their own.

9. So, they designed their own.

10. They designed an aircraft with a feature not unique, but certainly unusual.

11. The first aircraft delivered had wheels.

12. Which was entirely appropriate for the intended use.

13. So the owning service promptly designed a set of floats for it.

14. Which was also appropriate for its use.

15. The owning service built several planes themselves, to see if they could do so at a competitive cost.

16. And then it build several more to test different engines.

17. The manufacturer then built a couple more, but made them all metal designs.

18. And a couple more were built as racers.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

And some for the afternoon. Thanks; Ernie P.



What aircraft do I describe?



Clues:

1. It was designed as a fighter. That is significant to the story.

2. It was designed by a governmental department.

3. It was then farmed out to a private company for manufacture.

4. But the government built a few as well.

5. And the manufacturer selected added in some wrinkles of its own.

6. By the time it was all done, there were nearly as many variants as aircraft produced.

7. Even though a single variant accounted for the majority of the small production run.

8. The service which needed the fighter simply didn’t have any fighters of their own.

9. So, they designed their own.

10. They designed an aircraft with a feature not unique, but certainly unusual.

11. The first aircraft delivered had wheels.

12. Which was entirely appropriate for the intended use.

13. So the owning service promptly designed a set of floats for it.

14. Which was also appropriate for its use.

15. The owning service built several planes themselves, to see if they could do so at a competitive cost.

16. And then it build several more to test different engines.

17. The manufacturer then built a couple more, but made them all metal designs.

18. And a couple more were built as racers.

19. It was in service for only seven years.

20. But that wasn’t all that unusual for the time.

21. It was not liked by all who flew it. The short wheel struts, and the short distance between the wheels themselves, caused some issues with ground looping.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

And a few more for the (late) evening. Thanks; Ernie P.



What aircraft do I describe?



Clues:

1. It was designed as a fighter. That is significant to the story.

2. It was designed by a governmental department.

3. It was then farmed out to a private company for manufacture.

4. But the government built a few as well.

5. And the manufacturer selected added in some wrinkles of its own.

6. By the time it was all done, there were nearly as many variants as aircraft produced.

7. Even though a single variant accounted for the majority of the small production run.

8. The service which needed the fighter simply didn’t have any fighters of their own.

9. So, they designed their own.

10. They designed an aircraft with a feature not unique, but certainly unusual.

11. The first aircraft delivered had wheels.

12. Which was entirely appropriate for the intended use.

13. So the owning service promptly designed a set of floats for it.

14. Which was also appropriate for its use.

15. The owning service built several planes themselves, to see if they could do so at a competitive cost.

16. And then it build several more to test different engines.

17. The manufacturer then built a couple more, but made them all metal designs.

18. And a couple more were built as racers.

19. It was in service for only seven years.

20. But that wasn’t all that unusual for the time.

21. It was not liked by all who flew it. The short wheel struts, and the short distance between the wheels themselves, caused some issues with ground looping.

22. The position of the lower wing, not being directly connected to the fuselage, made the short wheel struts necessary.

23. It was flown from carriers and, in its floatplane configuration, from other ships.

24. It was a single seater.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

And a few morning clues. Thanks; Ernie P.



What aircraft do I describe?



Clues:

1. It was designed as a fighter. That is significant to the story.

2. It was designed by a governmental department.

3. It was then farmed out to a private company for manufacture.

4. But the government built a few as well.

5. And the manufacturer selected added in some wrinkles of its own.

6. By the time it was all done, there were nearly as many variants as aircraft produced.

7. Even though a single variant accounted for the majority of the small production run.

8. The service which needed the fighter simply didn’t have any fighters of their own.

9. So, they designed their own.

10. They designed an aircraft with a feature not unique, but certainly unusual.

11. The first aircraft delivered had wheels.

12. Which was entirely appropriate for the intended use.

13. So the owning service promptly designed a set of floats for it.

14. Which was also appropriate for its use.

15. The owning service built several planes themselves, to see if they could do so at a competitive cost.

16. And then it build several more to test different engines.

17. The manufacturer then built a couple more, but made them all metal designs.

18. And a couple more were built as racers.

19. It was in service for only seven years.

20. But that wasn’t all that unusual for the time.

21. It was not liked by all who flew it. The short wheel struts, and the short distance between the wheels themselves, caused some issues with ground looping.

22. The position of the lower wing, not being directly connected to the fuselage, made the short wheel struts necessary.

23. It was flown from carriers and, in its floatplane configuration, from other ships.

24. It was a single seater.

25. Armed with a single .30 caliber machine gun.

26. It initially used a radial engine, then other engines were tried.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

What the hey; a couple more for S&G. Thanks; Ernie P.



What aircraft do I describe?



Clues:

1. It was designed as a fighter. That is significant to the story.

2. It was designed by a governmental department.

3. It was then farmed out to a private company for manufacture.

4. But the government built a few as well.

5. And the manufacturer selected added in some wrinkles of its own.

6. By the time it was all done, there were nearly as many variants as aircraft produced.

7. Even though a single variant accounted for the majority of the small production run.

8. The service which needed the fighter simply didn’t have any fighters of their own.

9. So, they designed their own.

10. They designed an aircraft with a feature not unique, but certainly unusual.

11. The first aircraft delivered had wheels.

12. Which was entirely appropriate for the intended use.

13. So the owning service promptly designed a set of floats for it.

14. Which was also appropriate for its use.

15. The owning service built several planes themselves, to see if they could do so at a competitive cost.

16. And then it build several more to test different engines.

17. The manufacturer then built a couple more, but made them all metal designs.

18. And a couple more were built as racers.

19. It was in service for only seven years.

20. But that wasn’t all that unusual for the time.
21. It was not liked by all who flew it. The short wheel struts, and the short distance between the wheels themselves, caused some issues with ground looping.

22. The position of the lower wing, not being directly connected to the fuselage, made the short wheel struts necessary.

23. It was flown from carriers and, in its floatplane configuration, from other ships.

24. It was a single seater.

25. Armed with a single .30 caliber machine gun.

26. It initially used a radial engine, then other engines were tried.

27. Some later variants eliminated the suspended lower wing and carried two machine guns.

28. Did I mention it was a biplane?

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

I think I got the TS-1. Originally designed by the Naval Aircraft Factory and handed over to Curtis.

Ernie P.

My Feedback: (3)

And we have a winner!! Congratulations, FlyerInOKC. Good job. And now you are up. The TS-1 was the very first U.S. Navy aircraft designed as a fighter. With nine separate variants, and a total of 46 aircraft, it must have been confusing. Thanks; Ernie P.



What aircraft do I describe?



Clues:

1. It was designed as a fighter. That is significant to the story.

2. It was designed by a governmental department.

3. It was then farmed out to a private company for manufacture.

4. But the government built a few as well.

5. And the manufacturer selected added in some wrinkles of its own.

6. By the time it was all done, there were nearly as many variants as aircraft produced.



7. Even though a single variant accounted for the majority of the small production run.



8. The service which needed the fighter simply didn’t have any fighters of their own.

9. So, they designed their own.



10. They designed an aircraft with a feature not unique, but certainly unusual.

11. The first aircraft delivered had wheels.



12. Which was entirely appropriate for the intended use.



13. So the owning service promptly designed a set of floats for it.



14. Which was also appropriate for its use.



15. The owning service built several planes themselves, to see if they could do so at a competitive cost.

16. And then it build several more to test different engines.



17. The manufacturer then built a couple more, but made them all metal designs.



18. And a couple more were built as racers.



19. It was in service for only seven years.



20. But that wasn’t all that unusual for the time. 21. It was not liked by all who flew it. The short wheel struts, and the short distance between the wheels themselves, caused some issues with ground looping.

22. The position of the lower wing, not being directly connected to the fuselage, made the short wheel struts necessary. 23. It was flown from carriers and, in its floatplane configuration, from other ships.

24. It was a single seater. 25. Armed with a single .30 caliber machine gun.

26. It initially used a radial engine, then other engines were tried. 27. Some later variants eliminated the suspended lower wing and carried two machine guns.

28. Did I mention it was a biplane?



Answer: The Curtiss TS-1.



The Curtiss TS-1.The Naval Aircraft Factory TS-1 was an early biplanefighter aircraft of the United States Navy, serving from 1922-1929.

Development

While the Vought VE-7s were serving the Navy well in the early 1920s, they were not originally designed as fighters. The Naval Aircraft Factory came up with a simple design driven by a 200 hp (150 kW) Lawrance J-1 air-cooled radial engine. Its boxy fuselage was suspended between the upper and lower wings (essentially having both dorsal and ventral sets of cabane struts), with the center area of the lower wing enlarged to accommodate a fuel tank. The NAF provided Curtiss with the plans to build the aircraft, and the result, designated TS-1, arrived at Anacostia on May 9, 1922. The TS-1 from Curtiss was delivered with wheels, so the NAF also designed wooden floats to enable their use on vessels other than aircraft carriers. Testing went well, and in late 1922 the Navy ordered 34 planes from Curtiss, with the first arriving on board the USS Langley (CV-1) in December. The NAF built another five themselves, as a test of relative costs, as well as four more used to experiment with water-cooled inline engines. Two all-metal versions of the aircraft, F4C-1s, were developed by Curtiss. This aircraft made its first flight on September 4, 1924. The wings had tubular spars and stamped duraluminum ribs, the fuselage was constructed of duraluminum tubing in a Warren truss form. Compared to the TS-1, the lower wing was raised to the base of the fuselage. The F4C-1 was armed with two .30 in (7.62 mm) machine guns and was powered by a 200-hp nine-cylinder Wright J-3 radial.

Operational history

In addition to operating from the carrier deck, the TS-1s served for several years in floatplane configuration aboard destroyers, cruisers, and battleships. The aircraft were slung over the side by crane. Squadron VO-1 operated this way from 1922, and VF-1 flew its float-equipped TS-1s from battleships in 1925 and 1926. The TS-1 was not universally liked by its crews. Positioning of the lower wing below the fuselage resulted in short wheel struts. This, and the wheel's placement close to each other caused considerable problems with ground looping.

Variants

NAF TS-1

five built

[img]file:///C:/Users/Ernie/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image002.jpg[/img]

Curtiss TS-1

Curtiss TS-1

34 built

NAF TS-2

two built, 240 hp (180 kW) Aeromarine engine

NAF TS-3

two built, 180 hp (130 kW) Wright-Hispano E engine

[img]file:///C:/Users/Ernie/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image004.jpg[/img]The first F4C-1 in 1924. [img]file:///C:/Users/Ernie/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image006.jpg[/img]

An F4C-1

NAF TR-2one built, TS-3 modified by changing the airfoil section on the wings for the 1922 Curtiss Marine Trophy raceCurtiss-Hall F4C-1two built all metal versions for comparison to the original wood and wire construction

Operators

[img]file:///C:/Users/Ernie/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image008.jpg[/img] United States

• United States Navy

Survivors

• Curtiss TS-1 SN: A6446 is on display at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida

Specifications (TS-1)

Data from Gordon Swanborough, Peter M. Bowers: United States Navy aircraft since 1911. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis 1990 (ISBN0-87021-792-5), p. 370. General characteristics

• Crew: one
• Length: 22 ft 1 in (6.7 m)
• Wingspan: 25 ft (7.62 m)
• Height: 9 ft 7 in (2.9 m)
• Wing area: 228 ft² (21 m²)
• Empty weight: 1,240 lb (562.5 kg)
• Loaded weight: 2,133 lb (967.5 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Lawrance J-1 radial, 200 hp (149 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 106.8 knots (123 mph, 198 km/h)
• Range: 418.8 nmi (482 mi, 775.7 km)
• Service ceiling: 16,250 ft (4950 m)
• Rate of climb: 909 ft/min (4.61 m/s)

Armament
1 fixed forward-firing 0.3 in Browning machine gun

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

OK here we go, good luck to one and all.
What airplane do I describe.

1. The name is quite well known aviation enthusiasts but is probably not easily recognized by the general public..
2. it is a single seat Warbird.
3. It is a monoplane
4. the airplane was introduced 16 months after its first flight.

Hydro Junkie

Clue 4 means it can't be the F-117, am I right?

FlyerInOKC

My Feedback: (6)

It is NOT the F-117.

Your reward another clue!

What airplane do I describe.

1. The name is quite well known aviation enthusiasts but is probably not easily recognized by the general public..
2. it is a single seat Warbird.
3. It is a monoplane
4. the airplane was introduced 16 months after its first flight.
5. It was used by the country of origin and 5 others.