Warbird Information Exchange

The Spearfish was held up production-wise by problems with the Centaurus engine. The end of the war doomed the plane, with only 5 being built. It was similar in size to the Grumman AF-2S Guardian, which appeared a little later, about 1948. The 5 Spearfish aircraft served in various test roles until about 1950, then were scrapped.

As for the Spearfish being underpowered, I can't document that claim. It's engine was a 2600 hp Centaurus, with the heavier Guardian only having 2400 hp out of its R-2800. Max speeds were comparable, at approximately 300-315 mph. The payload of the Spearfish was less than the Guardian, at 2000 vs 4000 lbs.

Walt

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If God had intended airplane engines to have horizontally-opposed cylinders, Pratt & Whitney would have built them that way.

The only way that something as heavy as that is going to survive in a sky full of ME 109s is if the enemy pilot felt sorrow for it, sort of like a mongrel dog, and so took mercy and didn't shoot it down.
You've got a nice Spitfire Merlin engine, 1600 hp, but instead of a 7000 lb fighter, you have another 6000 lbs of slab sided metal to haul around.
I'll bet they didn't have many pilots volunteering to fly these things in combat.
Alex Henshaw has a story of testing a plane that he had to bail out when it would not come out of a spin; I think it was a Battle, but may have been a Baracuda?

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

My copy of "Sigh for a Merlin" has gone AWOL, but I don't recall Alex mentioning flying much besides Spitfires. In "A Test Pilots Story" Jeffrey Quill had to jump from a Vickers Wellesley that went into a flat spin during an acceptance flight.
Good luck to the guys doing the Barracuda, not everybody got to fly Spitfires or SBD Dauntlesses, many soldiered on in Buffaloes, P-35s and Douglas Devastators.

Henshaw jumped from an Arrow Active, and I believe also bailed out of a Spitfire he was airtesting during the war.

Great news that a Barracuda might be reincarnated. An excellent tribute to a significant type (with some 2,600 built) and the brave men who went to war in less than adequate equipment.

I was mistaken on the details, just reread my books. I treasure my autographed copy by Alex, thanks to Peter Arnold.
Alex bailed out of a Spitfire in Oct. 1943 after a major engine failure above cloud.

I have never heard of an Arrow Active, and it is not is that book,might be in another.

Jeffrey bailed out of a Wellesley July 5, 1937 when it would not recover from a spin, after a stall. He tried to make this problem known to the higher ups, but they didn't or couldn't take care and a year later an RAF test pilot spun in during stall tests. Jeffrey writes of his regret of this death. So Mike you are right,and hi to you two.

Thanks

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Bill Greenwood
Spitfire N308WK

I know of someone that has an N.O.S. prop and hub for the Barracuda. the only thing is he sanded the black protective coating down to reveal the wooden blades and they are now varnished. THey are in perfect condition , AFAIK.

[quote="Mike"]Henshaw jumped from an Arrow Active, and I believe also bailed out of a Spitfire he was airtesting during the war.

Beware Thread Creep....!

Mike,
What a coincidence you should mention Alex Henshaw's Arrow Active today.

On December 30, 1935 young Alex was flying his Active, G-ABIX along the east coast of Lincolnshire. G-ABIX had been registered in his name for exactly 7 months to the day and his father, who sponsored all his early flying adventures had insisted Alex wore a parachute. I suspect few private pilots had one.

December 1935 had been very wet and as he flew over the flooded fields of the Louth marsh he suddenly found his aircraft on fire. His father's insistence on the parachute saved the day as Alex and G-ABIX parted company. He thought for a time he might drift out to sea but finally landed on one of the few unflooded fields in the area. I have never discovered exactly where the Active crashed as I only ever found one local person who could recall the incident. From the reports in the local papers I have the impression it may have come down very close to the present site of the Covenham Reservoir, just a couple of miles from where I am writing this - 75 years on.

Had it not been for Mr Henshaw senior's wisdom, his son might well have perished that day and become just another young pre-war pilot who died before his time. Alex Henshaw's contribution to Britain's pre-war air racing scene, to long distance record flights and of course to Spitfire testing and development and his writing has become legendary.

The Arrow, G-ABIX judging by the press photos was nothing more than tangled and burnt out wreck. However, by that time the Arrow Aircraft Ltd., of Leeds had built a second improved Arrow 2, registered G-ABVE. The Arrow II was owned and flown by a number of distinguished racing and aerobatic pilots and still flies today. For those who do not know of G-ABVE, try searching on the Internet, There should be photographs of it's appearance at recent British Air displays. In my view it is one of the most attractive, exciting and potent looking sports biplane of the 1930's. Certainly rather better looking than the Barracuda!

Tony Broadhurst, Marshchapel, Lincolnshire.

Back on topic, I wouldn't attribute Fairey only with input to the layout of the Barracuda.
Look up the Supermarine Type 322 Dumbo, a competing type for the same contract.
If the Dumbo had been developed and made production it might have ended up an even stranger looking plane than the Barracuda.
Similar in general layout but with a variable incidence wing and fixed undercarriage.
I suspect the contract specification may have pushed both designers in a similar direction and beauty was not a criteria.

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Chris Mellor

Ladies and gentlemen...






From the company that brought you the Spitfire, Seafire, & Spiteful...






It gives me great pride to present...








The Type 322 Dumbo!!






(sound of crickets chirping)



I, Dan K., being of sound mind and hairy body, do hereby recant every unkind comment I have ever uttered toward and about the Fairey Barracuda.

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

Thanks Dan! The 'DUMBO' reminds me of one of the staffers credited on 'Car Talk' on NPR, Bud Tugglie. The Air Ministry issued specifications that some times appeared to make no sense (designed by a committee of politicians) and that could be why prototypes from different manufacturers all looked pretty similar. A good example of 'designed to Gov't spec' is the SHORT STIRLING bomber the spec for which flatly stated the wingspan could not exceed 99 feet so the airplane could fit into existing hanger doors. I always thought the STIRLING looked like a really tall penguin.

I just did some further research on the "DUMBO' it had a variable incidence wing that could be adjusted in flight, and it was supposed to be shipboard and was made of plywood!?! 'OY, 'oo just threw the lumber scraps off the bow?'

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

Just GOOGLED ARROW 'ACTIVE' and found it in the virtual aircraft museum site too and found G-ABVE pictures that appear to be fairly recent. It's kind of a 1931 vintage STAMPE/JUNGMAN lookalike with a 4 cylinder GYPSY of some kind under the hood

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

The Inspector,
That is not a bad description, but I think the Active will predate both types.
More photos here:http://www.abpic.co.uk/results.php?q=Arrow Active&fields=type&sort=latest&page=0&limit=20
Tony

-but a lot smaller, I tried to sit in it at Breighton once and couldn't fit, same time that my profile photo was taken.

On topic, neat to see a Barracuda coming back-




-

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http://www.biplanerides1.com/

There are some photos of the Barracuda wreckage at the end of this thread: http://forum.planetalk.net/viewtopic.php?t=9818

The nose section has been restored, it resides in the Fleet Air Arm Museum's WW2 Hall.

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My Flickr Photo Album

PlaneTalk Forum

Spotted this on the "FlyPast" forum .. a new article appeared yesterday (Oct 21, 2011) in the Daily Mail.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2051947/The-jigsaw-bomber-Aircraft-enthusiasts-rebuilding-extinct-WWII-plane-decades-worth-scrap-metal.html