Chubby but sexy.. Gannet AEW.3

[JensOle]

Robert Richardson takes on some of the more forgotten aircraft types and has build up a rather impressive lineup of FS models, many which are firm favorites of me in FSX.

The Fairey Gannet AEW 3, for many a rather ugly looking creature, I kind of like it. Certainly a very purpose build aircraft, serving as an airborne early warning aircraft from the late 50s to the retirement of the HMS Ark Royal in 1979.
As with the original anti submarine Gannet, it has the double mambo engine pack consisting of two turboprop engines connected together driving two counter rotating propellers. A rather compact twin engine arrangement perfect for the smaller British carriers.

Robs representation of the AEW looks spot on and flies great. Far from overpowered, but it is a very stable and forgiving carrier plane. It has excellent forward visibility from the cockpit, which is a big bonus for a carrier aircraft.

I have completely remade all the textures, including new panel lines, details and bump textures. I have chosen a livery from the early 1970s with full color “D” roundels.

Fairey Gannet AEW.3 “041” from B flight 849 Naval Air Squadron

The scenery is the freeware “flying stations” HMS Ark Royal and an escort of HMS Devonshire and HMS Plymouth.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JensOle/British/Gannet-1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JensOle/British/Gannet-2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JensOle/British/Gannet-3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JensOle/British/Gannet-5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JensOle/British/Gannet-6.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JensOle/British/Gannet-7.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JensOle/British/Gannet-8.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JensOle/British/Gannet-9.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JensOle/British/Gannet-11.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JensOle/British/Gannet-12.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JensOle/British/Gannet-13.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v216/JensOle/British/Gannet-14.jpg

[Sundog]

I enjoy flying that plane! Let me know when the new textures are uploaded. It looks great. :)

[peter12213]

I'm very grateful for this Jens, fantastic work and great shots as always!

[spatialpro]

Brilliant!

Any chance of a layered paint kit?

Andy

[strikehawk]

Where can I get this one, I have the other Marks including the COD but not this one. I agree that it is a very forgiving bird to land on the boat. I wonder what a "what if" USN scheme would be along the lines of the AEW version of the Skyraider would look like.

[hschuit]

Where can I get this one, I have the other Marks including the COD but not this one. I agree that it is a very forgiving bird to land on the boat. I wonder what a "what if" USN scheme would be along the lines of the AEW version of the Skyraider would look like.

http://www.robertjamesrichardson.co.uk/page4.html

[strikehawk]

Thanks, getting it now.:salute:

[lazarus]

Nice work, Jens. I'm batty for Robs models- FAA, how could you not be? And his Gannets are just the nicest deck landers. I'm not a chubby chaser, but the Gannets are hefty girls that rev my motor. I was always interested in the crash program to get a few AEW3's to sea during the Falklands; to whit, how were they going to get 'em back aboard Hermes? I don't recall if she had any arresting gear left by that time, I think probably not. I guess there was room to free takeoff on the angle deck, as I'm betting the prop would not enjoy the skijump, but landing...I'll wager the brakes aren't that effective to stop one befor going into the briney.

[JensOle]

All,

Thank you for the kind comments! It certainly is an interesting design.
It should be possible to have put together a paintkit if there are interest.

[roger-wilco-66]

Nice model. Only the british could design something like that (that was a compliment). Looks weird, like the Scammel trucks.
I once cheecked a Luftwaffe Gannet on Nordholz airbase and was amazed by the size of it.

Cheers,
Mark

[JensOle]

Another interesting fact about the AEW Gannet was its radar system, the old US radar used on the Skyraider was reused for the Gannet. Maybe even stranger was that the RAF took them off the Gannet's when they were retired and put them on the AEW Shackleton's... Really up for question what a radar designed in the 1940's could accomplish in the 1980's..

[SkippyBing]

Really up for question what a radar designed in the 1940's could accomplish in the 1980's.

Presumably at least what it could achieve in the '40s unless the laws of physics changed in the interim. In all seriousness, although the radar head itself was unchanged it's reasonable to assume the electronics behind it were upgraded, in the same way Searchwater 2000 is much more useful than the original Searchwater, despite having the same transmitter/receiver.

[JensOle]

Presumably at least what it could achieve in the '40s unless the laws of physics changed in the interim. In all seriousness, although the radar head itself was unchanged it's reasonable to assume the electronics behind it were upgraded, in the same way Searchwater 2000 is much more useful than the original Searchwater, despite having the same transmitter/receiver.

I'm no radar expert, but I believe it was not much the British engineres could improve on the already antique AN/APS-20 (the system had to many limitations compared to newer sets designed post war), the technology gap was just to large for a radar system designed in the mid 1940's. But it was probably better than nothing..

[SkippyBing]

I'm no radar expert, but I believe it was not much the British engineres could improve on the already antique AN/APS-20 (the system had to many limitations compared to newer sets designed post war), the technology gap was just to large for a radar system designed in the mid 1940's. But it was probably better than nothing..

To some extent you can improve everything behind the actual antenna, e.g. improve the magnetron to give a more powerful and cleaner pulse, add circuitry to improve clutter rejection etc. in which case the only limitation is the beam pattern formed by the antenna itself and even that can be modified to an extent. Granted I don't know how much of this they did, but it's certainly been done on other radars, would it be as good as a radar designed from the ground up in the '70s, no, but it could be significantly improved over the original specification. After all the RN were experimenting with a data link on the Gannet in the '60s to allow the carrier to view its radar picture.

[peter12213]

I agree with Skippy the radar must hve been upgraded if it wasn't then clearly it was an astonishingly good radar for its day, I've seen interviews and read accounts of aew crews and they never mention there being limitations in power or range, I think what it lacked was as already stated was a true data link to all aircraft and ships in the area and limitations on how many contacts could be classified and tracked from within the aircraft.

[hairyspin]

This is one of my favourites in FSX naval aircraft - nostalgia for old aircraft not being what it used to be - so please let us know when you have the skin uploaded. :salute: I had a look at the real thing last year at the Dumfries and Galloway Aviation Museum: the shame is the Navy doesn't have anything able to do the same job nowadays, outdated radar or otherwise.

[seawing]

Nice model. Only the british could design something like that (that was a compliment). Looks weird, like the Scammel trucks.
I once cheecked a Luftwaffe Gannet on Nordholz airbase and was amazed by the size of it.

Cheers,
Mark

May I just correct this, it is a German Navy Gannet - actually a model AS.4 UA+113 and the former Gate Guard of Nordholz Naval Air Station. In the good old days the people knew, why they didn't want to have the Air Force and Navy fly the same types of airplanes ... sadly they have long forgotten all about this ;-)

Seawing

[SkippyBing]

the shame is the Navy doesn't have anything able to do the same job nowadays, outdated radar or otherwise.

I think the boys and girls on 849, 854 and 857 Naval Air Squadrons may disagree with you...

[sketchy]

the shame is the Navy doesn't have anything able to do the same job nowadays, outdated radar or otherwise.

The same job, and much more performed by the Sqn's Skippy mentioned above.

[lazarus]

AEW Seathings. Seakings do it all. Presumably also intercepting the bogies after identing 'em, then splashing the offender with the aircrews sidearms, poor buggers. If only members of parliment were as effective at thinning out the bad guys ranks in time of war as they are at thinning the home team ranks in peacetime. Leaves a good healthy ballance to keep the moats clear though. I'll tell you, thoses Seakings are amazing-do all machines. We've been trying to replace ours for 30 years and nothing else (apparently) measures up...:isadizzy:

[hairyspin]

I stand corrected! Must remove my Falklands-era shades, no disrespect to the Sea King guys.

[Daube]

Many thanks to Rob Richardson for this little gem. For some reason, I didn't like the first Gannet that he made. But this one looks better, I like it.
Small test on the French carrier Clemenceau. Notice the launch cable appearing when activating the launch assistance from FSX Acceleration :applause:
Unfortunately, the default Acceleration catapult is too strong so the plane gets too much speed. Easier, but not so realistic. I'll have to check if it can use the launch gauge from the Etendard (so that the guys on the deck give me the "go" signal, too).

http://sapdaube.free.fr/fsx/daube_image2031.jpg

http://sapdaube.free.fr/fsx/daube_image2032.jpg

http://sapdaube.free.fr/fsx/daube_image2033.jpg

http://sapdaube.free.fr/fsx/daube_image2034.jpg

http://sapdaube.free.fr/fsx/daube_image2035.jpg

[Flyboy208]

Fantastic screenshots Daube ! Love this aircraft Jens, looking forward to your repaint! Mike :jump:

[JensOle]

Great shots! They really show of the shape of the Gannet. The original textures looks good from a little distance (almost photoreal), but to me they are a bit to blurry up close.

[dvj]

Chubby but sexy? Heidi Klum this is not. :icon_lol:

[hae5904]

I'll have to check if it can use the launch gauge from the Etendard (so that the guys on the deck give me the "go" signal, too).

The RFN gauge works with every naval plane, sure makes naval flying on and off an aircraft carrier more realistic. :salute: (And will also give you the number wire you caught when trapping.)

Cheers,
Hank

[Daube]

But.... I got the wire number displayed when I made my landing on the carrier.... does that mean that the Gannet is already using the correct gauge ? :icon_eek:

[jetstreamsky]

no, I had to add the gauge manually, works great, need to find some better sounds though.

[lazarus]

Great looking paint:applause:

Digressing to the AN/APS-20 for a moment. There was a data link early on in the radars life, albiet a bit cumbersome. A video camera was positioned to look at the scopes, and the image was transmitted back to a specialist recieving station on the parent ship. Given the state of the art of the day, the apparatus weighed a few thousand pounds, and had a MTBF measured in minutes at times, but was workable. The Radar itself was resonably reliable by the standards of the day, ameniable to upgrades to the TX/RX drivers, and had a tremendous power output, even by 1970's standards, and was able to burn through jamming in the hands of a skilled operator. I worked with a few Argus scope wizards back in the 70's, and was suprised at what some of the old hands could do with the box-when the electrons were warm and well fed- while newer, 'modern' solid state sets were a blizzard of strobes and snow. Some intresting reading:

http://blog.usni.org/tag/project-cadillac

Some good sounds for the chunky girl would be welcome. The exsisting ones seen to be missing some...grunt. But most of the 'Heavy' turboprop sounds don't really seem 'heavy' enough. I've been using a pack for the CV580 in the Gannets and Wyvern, which has some 'bottom' in it- modified so that the ships band strikes up 'Heart of Oak' on shutdown!

[jetstreamsky]

Well this video at 4 mins onwards gives an idea of the sound for a single engine run


http://youtu.be/jBz_qX7S6GA?t=4m

[dhasdell]

Only the British could design something like that

An earlier Fairey aircraft, the Barracuda, apparently inspired an American naval aviator to comment that the "The Limeys will be building airplanes next."

[JensOle]

The Chubby lady has been released, enjoy!