Any Ideas 3

[MReyn24050]

Can anyone provide the story behind this modification? What aircraft, when and why?
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/sabamel/Quizphotograph.jpg
Mel

[RETDPI]

Not sure , but wasn't this possibly something like the Wellington weighted up to investigate the surface load conditions (grass?) required for the planned operation of the four engined heavies such as the Halifax and Lancaster?

[stevef]

My guess is an experiment in powered-wheel taxi-ing. Late thirties - early forties? No idea what.

[MReyn24050]

RETDPI is on the right lines, except that this aircraft was not a Wellington.
Mel

[S'land]

Is it a Blackburn Botha?

[RETDPI]

You're right Mel, how about a Whitley? :)

[MReyn24050]

It is indeed a Whitley, in fact the prototype K4586.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/sabamel/WhitleyK4586.jpg
The following information appeared in an article entitled 'Heavyweight Whitley' by John A. Bagley published in the Feb 1976 copy of Aeroplane Monthly:-
In 1937, the RAF's aerodromes were entirely grass-surfaced, except for hardstandings in front of the hangars. At that time the heaviest aircraft in service was the Whitley, with a take-off weight of 22,000 lbs. However heavier bombers were being planned so the Royal Aircraft Establishment were instructed to investigate the problem. The RAE considered the answer to the problem was by a direct demonstration. As a vehicle for the trial the prototype Whitley K4586 was made available, a massive steel beam was fitted to the standard Whitley undercarriage and a pair of specially-constructed wheels with 26 x 26 Dunlop wheels were attached to the ends, outside the undercarriage legs, giving the wheel track of 24 ft. In this condition, the aircraft weight was 24,000lb, and additional stell plates could be attached to the girder to bring the total weight up to 40,000 lb.
It should be said the aircraft was not expected to fly with this U/C. The objective was to taxi around the airfield and examine the depth of depressions made by the aircraft whilst taxing or standing. After initial trials at Farnborough the standard undercarriage was refitted and the aircraft flown to Odiham where trials with the modified undecarriage was started on the 4th January 1938. From these trials the official conclusion was that there should be no problem operating bombers up to 40,000lbs from properly-prepared grass aerodromes. However provision was finally made for the construction of hard runways at bomber bases, by September 1939 nine aerodromes had hard runways and by the end of the war there were 444 such aerodromes in the UK.
This subject is being discussed in a seperate thread entitled First paved runway UK? . I am not sure if Odiham was the first aerodrome to have hard runways it certainly was the first to be tested in the above trials.
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=325653
Mel

[RETDPI]

Coo look! "Britain First" on the left.

(there's got to be a joke in there somewhere)

[BEagle]

And, RETDPI, something similar went on at Cranwell whilst thee and I were both there!

An HS Kestrel (yes, NOT a Harrier) did some trials charging around on Cranwell North (with some large lift spoilers attached, I understand) to investigate acceptable California Bearing Ratios etc for the emerging RAFG field deployment of the Harrier GR1.

Lots of noise and mud - I presume the trials were successful?

[RETDPI]

Beags,
I'm thinking that was the same Kestrel that did the demo to RAF Staff College , lifting an underslung tray of eggs into the luft and later gently depositing the same on the ground before the assembled audience-without cracking a shell.
Then, as the Budgie was spooling down, a voice was heard from the back row:

"Yep , and that's about all it can carry as well."

Check thy PM's