FAIREY GANNET

The British 'Fairey Gannet' is a carrier-borne anti-submarine warfare and airborne Early Warning aircraft of the immediate post Second World War-era developed for the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. It has a conventional monoplane mid-wing and tricycle undercarriage. The pilot sits over the gas turbine engine atop the fuselage and behind the double, co-axial, contra-rotating propellors; the one (or two) crew sit in additional cockpit stations behind the pilot. The second crew member sat in a separate fuselage "bubble" facing the tail.

Design and development

Fairey Gannet AS6 at the Imperial War Museum Duxford

The Gannet was built in response to the 1945 Admiralty requirement GR.17/45, for which prototypes by Fairey ("Type Q")or "Fairey 17" after the requirement, and Blackburn B-54 / B-88 ("YB 1") were built.
After considering and discounting the Rolls-Royce Merlin (actually, twin Merlins) due to size, Fairey decided to install an engine plant based on the Armstrong Siddeley Mamba. A Double Mamba (also commonly called the "Twin Mamba") was selected, driving two countra-rotating propellors through a common gearbox. The ASMD.1 engines (2,950hp) were used in the AS.1, ASMD.3 engines (3,145hp) in the AS 4, and ASMD.4 (3,875hp) in the AEW 3 variant.
The Double Mamba engine could be cruised with one of the engines stopped to conserve fuel and extend endurance. It has been said by pilots that, while this was possible, it was inadvisable at low altitude -- in case the operating engine stopped for some reason. This happened frequently enough to be a "known fault," and created considerable ''dis''quiet for the crew while that engine or the other engine was restarted. The engines could run on kersoene, "wide-cut" turbine fuel or Naval diesel fuel which allowed the Admiralty to eliminate petrol from carrier operation. ^[1]
A secondary advantage of the contra-rotating propellers was that when using only one engine for long-range cruise, no asymmetric problems were encountered. ^[1]
The Gannet's wings fold in two places to form a distinctive "Z"- shape on each side. The first fold is at about 1/3 of the wing length where the inboard anhedral (down-sweep) changes to the outboard dihedral (up-sweep) of the wing. The second wing fold is at about 2/3 of the wing length. The length of the nose wheel oleo strut causes the Gannet to have a distinctive nose-high attitude, a common characteristic of carrier aircraft.

Operational service

The prototype first flew on 19 September 1949 and made the first deck landing by a turboprop aircraft, on HMS ''Illustrious'' on 19 June 1950, by pilot Lieutenant Commander G. Callingham. After a further change in operational requirements, with the addition of a radar and extra crew member, the type entered production in 1953 and initial deliveries were made of the 'AS 1' variant at RNAS Ford in April 1954. A trainer variant ('T 2') first flew in August 1954. The RN's first operational Gannet squadron (826) was embarked on HMS ''Eagle''. The initial order was for 100 AS.1 aircraft. A total of 348 Gannets was built, of which 44 were AEW.3s (later series). Production was shared between Fairey's factories at Hayes (Middlesex) and Stockport/Ringway (near Manchester).
An Airborne Early Warning variant ('AEW 3') used the AN/APS 20 radar in a bulbous radome suspended beneath the body. This variant first flew in August 1958, with trials carried out with HMS ''Centaur'' in November. For stability, it required a redesigned fin and rudder together with the small vertical fins on the tailplane fitted to the other versions.
By the mid-1960s, the AS 1s and AS 4s were replaced by the Westland Whirlwind HAS7 with some Gannets continuing as an Electronic countermeasures 'ECM 6' variant. These were extended in service until finally scrapped, with the radars re-used in the Royal Air Force Avro Shackletons. Some AS 4s were also converted as 'COD 4's for Carrier onboard delivery..
The Royal Australian Navy purchased the Gannet (AS 1 - 36 aircraft). It operated from the aircraft carrier HMAS ''Melbourne'' and the shore base HMAS ''Albatross'' near Nowra, New South Wales. The German Navy bought the AS 4 and T 5 variants. Indonesia bought a number of AS 4 and T 5 variants (re-modelled from RN AS 1s and T 2s) in 1959. Some Gannets were later acquired by various other countries.
The Gannet has been called "the ugliest aircraft in the world" by "far too many people in the world to mention by name." ^[3] Others find its appearance to be endearing, particularly those who were involved with the Gannet's operation. ^[4]

Airframe and Handling Issues

At least one Gannet accident was attributed to the vibration from the engine causing fatigue cracking of the tail, to the extent that the tail separated inflight.
There is no known case of the tailplane separating in flight in RN service. Fatigue cracking of the tailplane attachment frame occurred on a number of AS Mk 1 and T2 aircraft due to buffetting in the flaps-up stall. In the worst case, one tailplane attachment fitting broke away allowing the tailplane to move in roll several degrees; the aircraft landed safely. The attachment frames of all aircraft were extensively reinforced after this incident.

Markings

(See photos) In FAA service, the Gannet generally wore the standard camouflage scheme of a Sky (duck-egg blue) underside and fuselage sides, with Extra Dark Sea Grey upper surfaces, the fuselage demarcation line running from the nose behind the propeller boss in a straight line to then curve and join the line of the fin. Code numbers are typically painted on the side of the fuselage ahead of the wing; roundel and serial markings were behind the wing.

Variants

Production numbers in brackets
;Gannet AS.1
:Three-seat anti-submarine version (180 aircraft were built).
;Gannet T.2:
Training version of the Gannet AS 1. The Gannet T 2 trainer entering service in 1955 (35 aircraft were built).
;Gannet AEW.3
:Airborne early warning aircraft for the Royal Navy. The Gannet AEW.3 entering service in 1958/1959 (44 aircraft were built).
;Gannet AS.4
:Three-seat anti-submarine version, with improved performance from a more powerful engine (82 aircraft were built).
;Gannet T.5
:Training version of the Gannet AS.4 trainer (eight aircraft were built).
;Gannet COD.4
:AS.4 Gannets modified to operate as cargo/passenger transport aircraft.
;Gannet AS.6
:Small number of Gannet AS.4s fitted with new radar and electronics.
;Gannet ECM.6
:Electronic countermeasures version, operating from shore stations.

Operators

Specifications (Gannet AEW 3)

References

1. Taylor 1969, p.361.
2. Taylor 1969, p.361.
3. [1]
4. [2]

★ Sturtivant, Ray and Ballance, Theo.''The Squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm''. London: Air-Britain, 1994. ISBN 0-85130-223-8.

★ Taylor, H.A.''Fairey Aircraft Since 1915''. London: Putnam, 1974. ISBN 0-370-00065-X.

★ Taylor, John W.R. ''Fairey Gannet''. "Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the present." New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. ISBN 0-425-03633-2.

★ Thetford, Owen.''British Naval Aircraft Since 1912''. London: Putnam, 1977. ISBN 0-370-30021-1.

External links

★ Gannet details

★ Fairey Gannet Owners Club (UK)

★ Fleet Air Arm Association of Australia - Gannet

★ Warbird Alley - Gannet

★ Double Mamba photo (112kB)

★ British Jet Engines

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FAIREY GANNET

Design and development

Operational service

Airframe and Handling Issues

Markings

Variants

Operators

Specifications (Gannet AEW 3)

References

External links

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