General Aircraft Fleet Shadower

infobox Aircraft
name = G.A.L.38 Fleet Shadower
type = Carrier-based fleet shadower
manufacturer = General Aircraft Ltd



caption =
designer =
first flight = 13 May 1940
introduced =
retired = 1941
status =
primary user =
more users =
produced =
number built = 1
unit cost =
developed from =
variants with their own articles = The General Aircraft G.A.L.38 Fleet Shadower was a British long-range patrol aircraft design of the immediate pre-Second World War period. Although the Fleet Shadower was a highly specialized aircraft that would have fit a tactical need, its concept produced an ungainly and ultimately unsuccessful type.

Design and development

The G.A.L.38 Fleet Shadower and the Airspeed A.S.39 Fleet Shadower were produced to meet Specification S.23/37, which came from the Royal Navy's "Operational Requirement OR.52" for an aircraft that could shadow enemy fleets at night. Three other companies were also involved initially: Percival, Short Brothers and Fairey Aviation. Following evaluation of the designs General Aircraft and Airspeed were contracted to built two prototypes each, General Aircraft contract dated 15 November 1938.

The specified performance of a successful design was a speed of 38 knots at 1,500 feet for not less than six hours. The design would also have to be able to operate from an aircraft carrier flight deck and use a folding wing configuration for easier deck storage.

The G.A.L.38 and the A.S.39 designs were similar – both high-wing aircraft with fixed landing gear using four small Pobjoy Niagara V engines spread across the wings to generate lift at low speed. There was an observer's position in a glazed compartment in the nose and a radio operator's station in the fuselage behind the pilot's cockpit.

The aicraft was fitted with various devices to increase lift; slotted flaps and slotted ailerons and, on the low wing sponsons, split flaps. The wings folded back, pivoted close to the fuselage, on hydraulic power.

Due to development problems at Pobjoy with the Niagara V, it was decided to use the lower-powered civil version the Niagara III. The first G.A.L.38 Fleet Shadower (also known as the "Night Shadower") flew on 13 May 1940 with the Niagara III engines. An innovative use of the "propwash" generated by propellers directed over the full-span flaps led to an impressive minimum speed of 39 mph (63 km/h) which would have allowed the Fleet Shadower to cruise effortlessly above an enemy fleet. [ Winchester 2005, p. 119.] During test the aircraft suffered from aerodynamic stability problems, but not as bad as the Airspeed design which was cancelled in February 1941. The aircraft had major modification before flying again in June 1941 with the Niagara V engines. The three tail fins having been replaced by a single large fin. The incomplete second G.A.L.38 being used as a spares source test flying continued until September 1941. In October 1941 the company was instructed to scrap the second aircraft, and in March 1942 instructions were issued to scrap the prototype as well.

The concept of a fleet patrol aircraft was superseded by the wartime development of effective Air to Surface (ASV) radar that could be fitted in long-range patrol aircraft such as the Liberator I. In February 1941, the Royal Navy cancelled the project.

pecifications

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop

ref= [ [http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Village/4082/brit/gal38.htm GAL 38 ] ]
crew=Three (pilot, observer, radio operator)
capacity=
payload main=
payload alt=
length main= 36 ft 1 in
length alt= 11 m
span main=55 ft 10 in
span alt=17.02 m
height main=12 ft 8 in
height alt=3.86 m
area main= 472 ft²
area alt= 43.85 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 6,153 lb
empty weight alt= 2,791 kg
loaded weight main=8,591 lb
loaded weight alt= 3,897 kg
useful load main= 3,305 lb
useful load alt= 1,500 kg
max takeoff weight main= 9,458 lb
max takeoff weight alt= 4,290 kg
more general=

engine (prop)=Pobjoy Niagara III
type of prop=air-cooled radial engine
number of props=4
power main=130 hp
power alt=99 kW
power original=

max speed main= 115 mph
max speed alt= 185 km/h
cruise speed main=94 mph
cruise speed alt= 152 km/h
stall speed main= 39 mph
stall speed alt= 63 km/h
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main= 990 m
range alt=1,593 km
ceiling main= 6,000 ft
ceiling alt= 1,830 m
climb rate main= 390 ft/min
climb rate alt= 119 m/min
loading main=20.0 lb/ft²
loading alt=97.8 kg/m²
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=
*Endurance: 11 hours
armament=None
avionics=

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Bridgman, Leonard, ed. "Jane’s All The World’s Aircraft 1945-1946". London: Samson Low, Marston & Company, Ltd 1946.
* Butler, Phil. "The Night Shawdowers." "Air-Britain Aeromilitaria" Vol. 32, Issue 125, Spring 2006, p. 19-22. ISSB 0262-8791.
* Swanborough, Gordon. "British Aircraft at War, 1939-1945". East Sussex, UK: HPC Publishing, 1997. ISBN 0-9531421-0-8.
* Winchester, Jim, ed. "General Aircraft Fleet Shadower (1940)". "The World's Worst Aircraft: From Pioneering Failures to Multimillion Dollar Disasters". London: Amber Books Ltd., 2005. ISBN 1-904687-34-2.

External links

* [http://www.aeroplanemonthly.com/aeroarchive/Profile__Flying_Slow_news_70088.html Profile - Flying Slow - Fleet Shadower concept]
* [http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net/Aircraft/GAL38.html Fleet Air Arm archive]

ee also

aircontent
related=

similar aircraft=
* Airspeed Fleet Shadower

lists=
* List of aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm