I have just recieved an emailed picture of what appears to be a prewar scene , showing a Blenheim with a Hurricane mounted above in Mistel style . The picture is monochrome as you would expect for the time , it is creased verticaly as if it had been folded in half and the two lower corners appear to have been burnt off , making it very distinctive . There is the large white serial on the dark coloured underside of the starboard wing of the Blenheim which reads K-7033 , no underwing roundel . The fuselage roundel has a yellow outer ring . The Blenheim is a Mk1 but the Hurricane is a later mark I think . The Hurricane has a 3 blade prop and may have squadron codes on its fuselage in the normal position . I cannot make up my mind if it is fake or not as it is pretty convincing . I cannot recall ever reading of this combination or seen any other photos . Does anyone know anything about this . For some reason I cannot figure out , the jpg is captioned Daisycutter .
By: BSG-75 - 9th April 2010 at 18:22
“tip tow”
The USAF also tried it of course with the “Goblin” and the later F-84, RF-84/B-36 parasite fighter and the wing tip connected project “Tip Tow”.
Klunks ideas were better though :diablo:
By: DazDaMan - 9th April 2010 at 18:01
PMSL! 😀
By: BSG-75 - 9th April 2010 at 17:58
the Vakhmistrov’s ‘Zveno’ project looks like something that Klunk invented on “catch the pigeon”.
“we zatoing ooooooooo fliiiiiber bam bam pigeon boss” 😀
By: Flanker_man - 9th April 2010 at 17:48
Then you get into things like parasite fighters….
Vakhmistrov’s ‘Zveno’ projects were the pinnacle of ‘escort’ fighters – the ‘Aviamatka‘ consisting of a TB-3 bomber with no less than FIVE fighters attached……
The more modest Zveno-SPB (TB-3 with two I-16/SPB fighter-bombers underwing) was used successfully on a couple of occasions.
Ken
By: DazDaMan - 9th April 2010 at 16:06
Then you get into things like parasite fighters….
By: BSG-75 - 9th April 2010 at 16:01
tried and tested IIRC, engines iced up and all sorts of problems, they looked at it for ferry flights to Malta as well.
I think they also had something planned so they could re-connect with the tow plane having been released to fight off an attack or whatever.
By: DazDaMan - 9th April 2010 at 15:28
Think of the further concepts – joining a Spitfire and a Lancaster would give you a fighter capable of getting to Berlin that was not a Mustang and you could get up and go for a pee.
I might be talking complete **** about this, but I have a funny feeling something was tried where a Spitfire was TOWED behind another aircraft. It was mentioned in The Spitfire Story, I’m sure.
So you’re not talking complete mince if it was true! 😉
By: DazDaMan - 9th April 2010 at 15:26
That’s how little Ansons are made…. 😉
By: Rlangham - 9th April 2010 at 15:11
How about an Anson-Anson mistel?
By: DocStirling - 9th April 2010 at 14:39
Hmmm, multiple possiblities come to mind if this had worked – it would be a Hurribomber with a slightly increased bomb load, or a Blen-Hurr fighter-bomber.
Think of the further concepts – joining a Spitfire and a Lancaster would give you a fighter capable of getting to Berlin that was not a Mustang and you could get up and go for a pee.
How about an Anson on top of a Meteor? Maybe not.
Or a Wellington on top of a Defiant? At least it could shoot forwards.
Just call me Choy Radwick.
(Slow afternoon – I’ll get my coat).
DS
By: inkworm - 9th April 2010 at 11:14
the ‘damage’ to the photo is not very well photoshopped, the crease down the middle isn’t convincing, as for the burning at the bottom corners of the photo, far too neat and the angle of the wings of the Hurricane to the Blenheim are wrong unless it’s tipping over
By: WebPilot - 9th April 2010 at 10:13
It was an existing concept, of course, as Don Bennett’s Short Maia-Mercury combination dated from the late 30s.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYtazEBQ1K8&NR=1
But the Hurricane / Blenheim is still a jest. Just noticed this in that aircraft resource centre webpage
“the ever inventive aircraft designer Wally Barnis”
Ha.
By: BSG-75 - 9th April 2010 at 10:10
not that far fetched
as an idea its not that far fetched, but a Blenheim is !, oddly enough, I dug out the old Ian Allen “Hurricane Special” last night for my son, there is a drawing in there of a Liberator/Hurricane proposal to use the set up to provide long range fighter escort or to ferry fighters.
By: spitfireman - 9th April 2010 at 10:05
Also the Hurricane is not casting a shadow.
By: WebPilot - 9th April 2010 at 09:54
You did notice the title? “Silly Week 2008”.
By: sam - 9th April 2010 at 09:39
Have a look here:
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Gal8/7001-7100/gal7058-Blenheim-Hurricane-Hoel/00.shtm
Seems to be a plausible explanation.
Duly noted and humbled! After just finishing the wonderful ‘Wheezers and Dodgers’, this scheme looked to be perfectly reasonable.
By: WebPilot - 9th April 2010 at 09:37
K7033 was the prototype Bleheim.
This is the shot.
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/Gal8/7001-7100/gal7058-Blenheim-Hurricane-Hoel/02.jpg
It’s clearly a photoshop – check the relative angles of the two machines – the Hurricane is not wings level and the nose points to the RHS of the Blenheim, Also the crude “cut out” pf the Hurricane photo around the tail wheel and radiator of the Hurricane. If it’s a prewar photo, then the Hurricane is a time traveller as it’s a Mk II! I am pretty sure that is a shot of a gate guard Hurricane, maybe a Biggin Hill resident.
By: DazDaMan - 9th April 2010 at 07:10
Pic?
Sign In
April 9, 2010 at 6:19 am