I was just reading the article in the new TE/AE newsletter about the book
review on Graham Robson's
book, which raised some of the same questions I did on the List recently. This
only proves that I
know how to read. :)
During a discussion of the firewall/cowl/tranny-cover area, after debunking the
sledge-hammer
theory, it was mentioned that the Tiger-
specific pressings were made by Boulton and Paul. Perhaps those are popular
names in the UK, but
that's _got_ to be the same guys that made one of my favorite airplanes, the
Boulton-Paul Defiant.
Cool! Now I want to see a Tiger w/a 4-gun powered turret in the back. Hey, Jay
and Steve, try and
tell me that _that_ wouldn't be a legitimate shooting brake!!!!!
Larry Wright "I can't get no-- Satis-traction"
MK1, just got new/old rollbar, and waiting for the leather interior to arrive...
(press delete now if you already know what a Defiant was, or don't care)
The B-P Defiant was a late-30's fighter, built to a specification for a 2-place
aircraft with the
primary weapons in a powered turret (the other plane built to the same spec was
the even more
obscure Blackburn Roc). It looked a lot like an overgrown Hawker Hurricane. It
made a good showing
during the evacuation of Dunkirk, picking off Stukas. But by the Battle of
Britain, the Germans had
found its weak spot. Due to the 1000lb weight of the turret, the plane could
not afford any forward-
firing armament; so they were defenceless from head-on attacks. Chewed up in
combat, they were
retired to target-towing duty.
One has to wonder about the results of refining the idea, adding enough HP to
afford some forward
firing guns; might've made a great escort fighter. Another neat idea that was
possibly not given an
adequate chance for development--- sounds something like a sports car we all
love???
(if by any chance there are TWO companies by that name, than this post is Waaay
off-topic!)
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