The Fairey Gannet is a carrier-borne Anti-submarine warfare and Airborne Early Warning aircraft of the immediate post World War II-era developed for the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm. It has a conventional monoplane mid-wing and tricycle undercarriage. The pilot sits over the gas turbine engine atop the fuselage and behind the double, co-axial, contra-rotating propellors; the one (or two) crew sit in additional cockpit stations behind the pilot. An aircraft carrier is a warship whose main role is to deploy and recover aircraft—in effect acting as a sea-going airbase. ... Anti-submarine warfare is a term referring to warfare directed against submarines. ... An Airborne Early Warning (AEW) system is a radar system carried by an aircraft which is designed to detect other aircraft. ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ... The Fleet Air Arm is the operational group of the Royal Navy responsible for the operation of the aircraft on board their ships. ... Aviators are people who fly aircraft either for pleasure or for a job. ... In an aircraft, the fuselage is the main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. ... A propeller can be seen as a rotating fin in water or a wing in air. ...

The Gannet's wings fold in two places to form a distinctive Z shape on each side. The first fold is at about 1/3 of the wing length where the inboard anhedral (down-sweep) changes to the outboard dihedral (up-sweep) of the wing . The second wing fold is at about 2/3 of the wing length. In geometry, the dihedral is the angle between two planes. ... In geometry, the dihedral is the angle between two planes. ...

The length of the nose wheel oleo strut causes the Gannet to have a distinctive nose-high attitude, a common characteristic of carrier aircraft.

The Gannet has been called "the ugliest aircraft in the world".

Fairey Gannet AS.1
Royal Australian Navy 882

Fairey Gannet AEW.3 wings folded

Fairey Gannet AS.1 aircraft 882 Royal Australian Navy in flight This is an ´official´ photograph and as such this is, I believe, fair dealing in the image. ... Fairey Gannet AS.1 aircraft 882 Royal Australian Navy in flight This is an ´official´ photograph and as such this is, I believe, fair dealing in the image. ... Fairey Gannet AEW.3 aircraft - wings folded The provenance of this image is unverifiable. ... Fairey Gannet AEW.3 aircraft - wings folded The provenance of this image is unverifiable. ...

History

Development. The Gannet was built in response to the 1945 Admiralty requirement GR.17/45, for which prototypes by Fairey ("Type Q") and Blackburn ("YB.1") were built. The prototype first flew on 19 September, 1949 and made the first deck landing by a turboprop aircraft, on HMS Illustrious on 19 June 1950, by pilot Lieutenant Commander G. Callingham. After a further change in operational requirements, with the addition of a radar and extra crew member, the type entered production in 1953 and initial deliveries were made of the AS.1 variant at RNAS Ford in April 1954. A trainer variant (T.2) first flew in August 1954. The RN's first operational Gannet squadron (826) was embarked on HMS Eagle. The initial order was for 100 aircraft. The total built is reported to be 441. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1945: // Events January January 1 - the Luftwaffe begins targeting Allied airfields in Europe as Operation Bodenplatte February February 13-15 - Allied bombers attack Dresden with incendiary weapons, destroying most of the city and killing some 50,000 people. ... Old Admiralty House, Whitehall, London, Thomas Ripley, architect, 1723-26, was not admired by his contemporaries and earned him some scathing couplets from Alexander Pope The Admiralty was historically the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. ... Fairey Aviation Company logo The Fairey Aviation Company, Ltd was a British aircraft manufacturer of the first half of the 20th century, notable for a number of important planes, including the Fairey III family and the Fairey Swordfish. ... Blackburn Beverley photographed in 1964. ... September 19 is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years). ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1949: Events Aerolíneas Argentinas established. ... A diagram showing how a turboprop works. ... The fourth HMS Illustrious (R87) of the Royal Navy was an aircraft carrier, arguably the one with the most distinguished and vital career of this proud lineage. ... June 19 is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 195 days remaining. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1950: Events Arrow Air is founded March March 20 - Royal Air Force Avro Lincoln bombers are sent to Singapore to be used against the Communist guerillas of Malaya in the Malayan Emergency. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1953: Events The first year in which the worlds airlines carried more than 50 million people (ICAO statement, 29 December) January January 26 - The first meeting of the Experimental Aircraft Association takes place at Milwaukee, Wisconsins Curtis-Wright Field. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1954: Events January January 10 - a BOAC de Havilland Comet crashes into the Mediterranean Sea near Elba with the loss of all 35 people aboard. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1954: Events January January 10 - a BOAC de Havilland Comet crashes into the Mediterranean Sea near Elba with the loss of all 35 people aboard. ... HMS Eagle was one of the two largest-ever British aircraft carriers. ...

Operational history. An Airborne Early Warning variant (AEW.3) used the AN/APS 20 radar in a bulbous radome suspended beneath the body. This variant first flew in August 1958, with trials carried out with HMS Centaur in November. For stability, it required a redesigned fin and rudder together with the small vertical fins on the tailplane fitted to the other versions. An Airborne Early Warning (AEW) system is a radar system carried by an aircraft which is designed to detect other aircraft. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1958: Events Gulfstream Aerospace founded in Savannah, Georgia, USA. London Gatwick Airport opens after two years of extensive reconstruction. ... HMS Centaur (R06) was a Centaur-class light fleet carrier of the Royal Navy. ...

By mid-1960, the AS.1s and AS.4s were replaced by the Westland Whirlwind HAS7 with some Gannets continuing as an Electronic countermeasures ECM.6 variant. Some AS.4s were also converted as COD.4s for Carrier onboard delivery. These were extended in service until finally scrapped, with the radars re-used in the Royal Air Force Avro Shackletons. The Westland Whirlwind helicopter was a British-built version of the U.S. Sikorsky S-55/H-19 Chickasaw. ... Inspecting an F-16 electronic countermeasures pod Electronic countermeasures (ECM) are any sort of electrical or electronic device designed to spoof radar, sonar, or other detection systems. ... A Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) is a military term used to describe type of aircraft which are able to ferry crew, cargo, and mail on and off a naval ship (mainly an aircraft carrier). ... The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Shackleton was a piston-engined military aircraft built by Avro and named after the polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. ...

The Gannet was sold into service with the Royal Australian Navy (AS.1 - 36 aircraft) flying from the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne and the shore base HMAS Albatross near Nowra, New South Wales. The German Navy bought the AS.4 and T.5 variants. Indonesia bought some AS.4 and T.5 variants (re-modelled from RN AS.1s and T.2s), in 1959. Some Gannets were later acquired by various other countries including Czechoslovakia and Chile. The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. ... An aircraft carrier is a warship whose main role is to deploy and recover aircraft—in effect acting as a sea-going airbase. ... Three ships of the Royal Australian Navy have been named HMAS Melbourne after Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria and second largest city in Australia. ... Historical HMAS Albatross was a seaplane tender laid down by the Cockatoo Docks and Engineering Company at Sydney in New South Wales in April 1926, launched on 23 February 1928 by Lady Stonehaven, wife of the Governor General of Australia, completed on 21 December 1928 and commissioned into the Royal... Nowra is the town area and main administrative centre within the City of Shoalhaven in New South Wales, Australia. ... Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Nickname: First State, Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Governor Premier Const. ... // History German frigate Karlsruhe rescuing shipwrecked people off the coast of Somalia while participating in the international anti-terror operation ENDURING FREEDOM, April 2005 The German Navy (German: Deutsche Marine   listen?) is the navy of Germany. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1959: // Events Unknown The Canadian Golden Hawks aerobatic team is formed. ...

Markings. (See photos) The Gannet is mostly seen in the distinctive pastel green fuselage colour, with highlights of darker (olive) green on the top and sides of the fuselage running from the nose behind the propellor boss in a straight line to then curve and join the line of the vertical stabiliser (tail). The wings are also piainted in the darker green. Side numbers are typically painted on the side of the fuselage ahead of the wing; roundel and service markings are behind the wing. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Fairey Gannet AS6 at the Imperial War Museum Duxford

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 327 KB)Fairey Gannnet at Duxford Imperial War Museum Photgraphed by me Martin Richards Feb 2005 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 327 KB)Fairey Gannnet at Duxford Imperial War Museum Photgraphed by me Martin Richards Feb 2005 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Duxford houses the Imperial War Museums aircraft collection. ...

Engine

After considering and discounting the Rolls-Royce Merlin (actually, twin Merlins) due to size, the Fairey decided to install an engine plant based on the Armstrong-Siddeley Mamba. A Double Mamba (also commonly called the "Twin Mamba") was selected, driving two counter-rotating propellors through a common gearbox. The Merlin was a 12 cylinder, 60° V, 27 litre, liquid cooled piston aircraft engine built during World War II by Rolls-Royce. ... The Double Mamba was an Armstrong-Siddeley gas turbine turboprop engine design of around 3,000–4,000 hp (2,500–3,000 kW). ... A propeller can be seen as a rotating fin in water or a wing in air. ... A gearbox is an assembly of gears allowing the rotational speed of an input shaft to be changed to a different speed. ...

The ASMD.1 engines (2,950hp) were used in the AS.1, ASMD.3 engines (3,145hp) inn the AS.4, and ASMD.4 (3,875hp) in the AEW.3 variant.

The Double Mamba engine could be cruised with one of the engines stopped, to conserve fuel and extend endurance. It has been said by pilots that, while this was possible, it was inadvisable at low altitude -- in case the operating engine stopped for some reason. This happened frequently enough to be a 'known fault', and created considerable disquiet for the crew while that or the other engine was restarted.

Airframe and Handling Issues

At least one Gannet accident was attributed to the vibration from the engine causing fatigue cracking of the tail, to the extent that the tail separated inflight.

There is no known case of the tailplane separating in flight in RN service . Fatigue cracking of the tailplane attachment frame occurred on a number of AS Mk 1 and T2 aircraft due to buffet in the flaps up stall. In the worst case one tailplane attachment fitting broke away allowing the tailplane to move in roll several degrees. The aircraft landed safely. The attachment frames of all aircraft were extensively reinforced after this incident.

Specifications (Gannet AEW.3)

General Characteristics

• Crew: two
• Length: 43 ft (13.11 m)
• Wingspan: 54 ft 4 in (16.57 m)
• Height: 13 ft 9 in (4.18 m)
• Wing area: 490 ft² (45.5 m²)
• Empty: 14,069 lb (6,395 kg)
• Loaded: 23,446 lb (10,657 kg)
• Maximum takeoff: lb (kg)
• Powerplant: 1x Armstrong Siddeley Double Mamba ASMD.3, 3,145 hp (2,346 kW)

The Double Mamba was an Armstrong-Siddeley gas turbine turboprop engine design of around 3,000–4,000 hp (2,500–3,000 kW). ...

Performance

• Maximum speed: 299 mph (478 km/h)
• Range: 622 miles (995 km)
• Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (6,700 m)
• Rate of climb: 310 ft/min (11.2 m/min)
• Wing loading: 47.8 lb/ft² (234 kg/m²)
• Power/Mass: 0.13 hp/lb (0.22 kW/kg)

Armament

• up to 2,850 lb (1,300 kg) of stores, including
• bombs
• depth charges
• 2x torpedoes, carried internally
• 16x 60 lb (26 kg) rockets

See also

Comparable aircraft

• Breguet Alizé
• Grumman S-2 Tracker
• Short Seamew

The Breguet Br. ... The Grumman S-2 (formerly S2F) Tracker was the first US Navy anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft designed specifically for the purpose. ... The Short SB.6 Seamew was a rather curious looking aircraft ostensibly to the same specification as the Fairey Gannet. ...

Designation sequence

• Albacore
• Barracuda

The Fairey Albacore was a single-engine carrier-borne biplane torpedo bomber built by Fairey Aviation between 1939 and 1943 for the Fleet Air Arm. ... The Fairey Barracuda was a British carrier-borne torpedo- and dive-bomber used during World War II, the first of its type to be fabricated entirely from metal. ...

Gannet

• Spearfish
• Gyrodyne

External links

• Gannet details
• Fairey Gannet Owners Club (UK)
• Fleet Air Arm Association of Australia - Gannet
• Warbird Alley - Gannet
• Double Mamba photo (112kB)
• British Jet Engines