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MAIN INDEX > EXPERIMENTAL/PROTOTYPES
AIRSPEED FLEET SHADOWER
Specifications
Type: Special observation aircraft
Origin: Airspeed Ltd
Models: Prototype
Crew: 3
First Flight: October 17, 1940
Retired: 1941
Number Produced: 1
POWERPLANT:
Model: Niagara V
Manufacturer: Pobjoy
Type: 7-cylinder air cooled radials
Number: Four Horsepower: 140 hp each
Dimensions:
Wing span: 55 ft 4 in (16.87 m)
Length: 39 ft 10 in (12.14 m)
Height: 10 ft 5 in (3.18 m)
Wing Surface Area: 469 ft² (43.6 m²)
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Weights:
Empty: 4,592 lb (2087 kg)
Loaded: 6,935 lb (3,152 kg)
Performance:
Maximum speed: 126 mph (203 kph) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m)
Cruise speed: 113 mph (182 kph) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m)
Stall speed: 33 mph (53 kph) at sea level
Service ceiling: 14,700 ft [4] (4,480 m)
Rate of climb: 865 ft/min (4.40 m/s)
Climb to 10,000 ft (3,050 m): 18 min
Endurance: 6 hours
Armament:
None
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The Airspeed A.S.39 Fleet Shadower was a British long-range patrol aircraft design that did not go beyond the prototype stage. While the concept of a fleet shadower had some promise, the resulting prototypes were soon overtaken by wartime developments in airborne radar.
Design
The A.S.39 was a high-wing, semi-cantilever, strut-braced (on the outer panels) monoplane with wooden wings and tail unit and an all-metal monocoque fuselage. It had a fixed, divided type landing gear and tailwheel. The observation aircraft had a crew of three: pilot, observer and radio operator. The A.S.39 had a unique crew configuration with the observer accommodated in the nose with clear-vision windows on three sides and the pilot's compartment raised to allow passage to the radio operator's compartment. Four small 130hp Pobjoy Niagara V seven-cylinder radial air-cooled engines were mounted on the wings. Each wing and an engine could be folded for storage when used on an aircraft carrier.
Operational history
Of two prototypes started, only one was completed, flying on 17 October 1940, the first flight was delayed due to problems with the Niagara V engines which had a vibration problem. The prototype had stability problems and poor stall handling not helped by the under-powered engines. Airspeed were asked to respond to a proposal to re-engine the aircraft with two Armstrong Whitworth Cheetah XI radial engines and add rear-facing machine guns. Only a preliminary proposal had been made and the second aircraft was not complete when on 17 February 1941 the Navy cancelled the fleet shadower program along with the AS.39, the company were requested to scrap both aircraft. The competing G.A.L.38 flew for a few months before it was cancelled and scrapped in March 1942. The requirement for such aircraft had been made obsolete due to the introduction of radar on long-range patrol aircraft such as the Liberator I.
Sources:
Wikipedia
MAIN INDEX > EXPERIMENTAL/PROTOTYPES
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