"Twin Fin" Beaufighter ...

[Mark Allen M]

Caption: “Bristol Beaufighter IF R2268 modified with twin fins to improve single engine flight characteristics.” Source: BAE Systems

Last edited by Mark Allen M on Mon Dec 07, 2020 6:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Randy Wilson]

For what it is worth, from "Bristol Aircraft since 1910" by C H Barnes, page 296:

"The Beaufighter always suffered from low frequency longitudinal instability, particularly on the climb; it was more pronounced on the Beaufighter II which was slightly tail heavy and various remedies were tried, including a wide tail-plane with end-plate fins and rudders on R2268 and a twelve-degree dihedral tail-plane on R2057. The latter was effective, but made the Beaufighter rather too stable for night-fighting, so Fighter Command squadrons generally preferred the flat tail-plane in spite of its discomforts."

Randy

[Mark Allen M]

That Beaufighter twin fin setup looks familiar. Looks like the Lockheed Hudson's twin fins.

[raconnel]

That reminds me of the Gloster F9/37.

Richard

[Mark Allen M]

Lockheed Ventura Mk I of No 21 Squadron RAF 1943.


Lockheed B-34 Lexington (PV-1 Ventura)

[Mark Allen M]

Yes indeed.


Gloster F.9 37 Gloster Reaper


Gloster F.9 37 Gloster Reaper

[LysanderUK]

The passage Randy quoted from the Barnes book is an interesting one, I'd always thought that the Merlin-powered Mk.II was more nose heavy and that the dihedral tailplane was an attempt to add vertical tail area to counter the directional effects of the longer Merlins??

[K5DH]

Weird looking airplane. Looks like something the French or the Soviets might have come up with.

[dhfan]

Don't be unkind, we've never designed anything that weird!

[raconnel]

What, never?
No, never.
What, never?
Hardly ever.

[dhfan]

I admit the Fleet Shadower is seriously ugly and hard to defend, but at least we only built one of them.

Look at some of the absolute eyesores that the French put into production and even service during the 1930s. Most of them are really grim and probably frighten children and horses.

I'm not really sure what horses have got to do with aeroplanes but I think that's the saying anyway.

[Randy Wilson]

While not exactly "ugly" the Westland Pterodactyl Mark V was certainly unique looking for a projected fighter in 1934. Again, only one prototype. From page 239 of "The British Fighter since 1912" by Francis K. Mason, 1992. Randy