8/2/2019 1945 - 0903

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MAY IOTH , 1945 49 9

(Above) Air intakes and exhaust stack arrangement for the portpair of engines. Blade cuffs, cooling gills and undercarriagewell fairing doors can also be seen. (Right) The massive andelaborate undercarriage structure showing the levered form ofwheel mounting.jointly power a single electric c.s. airscrew, hydraulicclutches being interposed to enable either engine to beuncoupled if necessa ry. Airscrews are 14ft. g\m. diatn.,and are handed, the port being left-hand and the starboardright-hand tractor.

Radial InfluenceAs the mid-wing is a single-spar type the engines can behoused well back along the chord, the nacelles, as such,being cylindrical in the radial engine man ner. The nose

of the nacelle, however, is occupied by circular radiatorsand the airscrew blades carry root cuffs to enhance coolingairflow. An impression of a radial engine installation isemphasised by the employment of gills to control thecooling airflow.The undercarriage is another example of misplacedingenuity, although one can evolve all sorts of reasons forhaving such a design . Bene ath each nacelle are two wheelsmounted on massive forged legs which employ a form oflevered suspension for the wheel, using grease as the

damping medium. Retraction and extension of the legsis hydraulic, the inner legs swinging upward and inward,and the outer members upward and outward.Wing structure is of the conventional stressed-skin typebuilt up on a single spar. Fowler-type flaps are employed,and the ailerons, which, in common with the rudder andelevators are metal, are aerodynam ically and mass balancedas well as being fitted w ith trim and balance tabs . De-icing to wing and tailplane leading edges is by hot airsupplied, via ducts, from fuel-burning heaters.Accommodation in the fuselage is segregated, four ofthe crew being housed in the main nose cabin, one in thecentre fuselagethe rear-dorsal gunner, and one at thetail gun . No physical comm unication is possible betweenthe compartments. The tail gunner is protected from b e-hind and below by armour plate and bullet-proof glass,but not from the side and above ; additionally, his gimbal-mounted hand-operated 20 mm. gun has a very restrictedfield of fire.Fuselage structure is in four panelsroof, floor and the

'atform and swing seat for rear dorsal gunner. The spericalbottles are for oxygen supply. Fuselage tail interior showing trailing aerial winch, etc.,(bottom right) and de-icing hot-air ducts and blower in roof.