Heyford Mk IA
Wingspan 75 ft 2 inches
Length 58 ft 1 inch
Height 17ft 5 inches
Max speed 142 mph
Ceiling 21,000 feet
Range 920 miles
Now most of the planes I have covered in these articles on Weird Airplanes were produced in small numbers at best. Not so the Heyford, of which 124 were built. The Heyford served in RAF heavy bomber units from 1933 to 1939. First flown in prototype form in mid-1930, the Heyford was the last of the RAF's long-range biplane night bombers. It was powered in Mk I form by two 391.2kW Rolls-Royce Kestrel III engines and in the Mk II and Mk III by 428.5kW Kestrel VI. The Heyford had one Lewis gun in the nose position, one in the dorsal position, and one in a retractable "dustbin" turret underneath (I bet it was a wild ride for the guy in that gun position). The Heyford was an equal-span biplane with staggered wings: the upper wing centre-section rested on top of the fuselage, while the lower was positioned well below the fuselage, connected to the under-fuselage by N-type struts. The inner interplane struts supported the engine mountings. An interesting feature of the design was that bombs of various sizes were carried inside the thickened centre-section of the lower wing, each bomb being carried in a separate cell closed by spring doors. The fixed landing gear comprised two large wheels faired into the lower wing. This design was chosen so the plane could be loaded with bombs while the engines ran, but it left the pilot some 17 ft off the ground. It was well thought of by it's crews, but I imagine they wouldn't have they had to fly it in combat.
Heyford Mk IA Wingspan 75 ft 2 inches Length 58 ft 1 inch Height 17ft 5 inches Max speed 142 mph Ceiling 21,000 feet Range 920 miles
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Mysterious BillI've been gaming since the 1970's and even wrote some RPG adventures in the 80's for the Judges Guild. It seems that I can only get in miniatures is gaming at cons, but I do regularly play boardgames and RPGs. Archives
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