Shipbucket

Towler Brothers Type G
A symbol of early international air travel in the South Pacific, the Towler Brothers Type G flying boat linked New Holland to destinations as far afield as New Guinea and Tahiti. Oceanic Airways, instrumental in the success of the aircraft, operated seven between 1924 and 1936. Eighteen were built in total, including two for the Royal New Holland Air Force. Unfortunately, the pioneering Type G was soon superseded by more capable models and all examples were either wrecked or scrapped.

Due to the economic crisis, the Dutch shipyard De Schelde decided to work in development on other sources of income then just shipbuilding. To do so, they bought the equipment from the newly bankrupt Dutch aircraft manufacturer Pander, including part of the staff.

With this new potential, it was decided to build an lightweight singleseat aircraft, the Schelde Scheldemusch, an double decker aircraft with an 3-wheeled landing gear and pusher propeller. This aircraft was hoped to be an successful aircraft that made flying affordable for more people. Only 6 were sold however.
De Schelde, from it's origins as an shipbuilder and because there might be a market for aircraft which did not need an airfield, then developed an amphibious version of the Scheldemusch: the Scheldemeeuw. The Scheldemeeuw used the wing, horizontal tail, engine and cockpit layout of the Scheldemusch, but fitted it on an flying boat hull made of plywood to which an new vertical tail was fitted. Auxiliary floats were added to the lower wings. The prototype had an open cockpit which lead to an very wet pilot after the first flights. After this, the cockpit was modified and closed off.

This modification and some other small ones made it to an production type, of which 11 ended up being sold to various private users. It so happened to be that the ability to not need an airfield was something that was unheard of for aircraft this size and cost.
The Vliegende Visch, pictured below, was the 2nd aircraft build, and the only one sold within the actual netherlands.

_________________
Drawings are credited with J.Scholtens
I ask of you to prove me wrong. Not say I am wrong, but prove it, because then I will have learned something new.
Shipbucket Wiki admin

Lady G was a rich and adventurous woman who loved flying. She had tried many kinds of aircraft, but her favorite was the flying boat, which could soar in the sky and glide on the water.

In 1923, she found a British Supermarine Sea Tiger flying boat on a trip. It was a single-engine, single-seater flying boat, with a beautiful and powerful design. She bought it right away and named it "Sea Tiger".

She flew the "Sea Tiger" back to Italy, where she decided to do something amazing: to fly around Italy by herself. She made a careful plan, picked the best places to take off and land, and prepared enough fuel and supplies.

On a sunny morning in 1924, she started her historic journey from the Tiber River in Rome. She flew along the coast of Italy, seeing the wonderful sights and meeting different people. She stopped in cities like Naples, Palermo, Genoa, Venice, and got warm welcome and compliments. She also faced some troubles and dangers, like bad weather, engine problem, enemy planes, but she overcame them and never gave up.

After ten days of flying, she came back to Rome, achieving her goal. She was noticed and reported by the media, and became a legend in the flying world. She wrote a book about her experience, called "Sea Tiger: The Story of Me and My Flying Boat", and published it, getting love from the readers. She did not stop flying, she continued to explore the world with her "Sea Tiger", fulfilling her dreams.

I was planning to show three views :
- Floating
- Takingoff
- Flying ("classic" view)

Would it be prohibited ?
(my design has a mobile element to deploy for take off and I think that view would be necessary for better understanding)

_________________
"You can rape history, if you give her a child"
Alexandre Dumas

JE SUIS CHARLIE

That would probably constitute a rule violation, sorry.

you can always do a post outside of the Challenge with the stuff that would not fit.
Example
It has been done other times before.

_________________
My Worklist
Sources and documentations are the most welcome.

-Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)
-Koko's carrier-based aircrafts of WWII
-Koko Kaiun Yuso Kaisha - KoKaYu Line (Koko AU spinoff)
-Koko - Civil Aviation

Parmentine Pa.136


The Parmentine Pa.136 was a Baklavanian commercial flying boat designed by Parmentine Design Bureau. It was a shoulder-wing cantilever monoplane flying boat, powered by three radial engines strut-mounted above the wing, each driving a three-bladed tractor propeller. The pilot and co-pilot sat side by side in a raised and enclosed control cabin forward of the wing, while the radio operator and navigator sat in the aircraft's nose. The main cabin in the hull had accommodation for 23 passengers.

The prototype first flew on 1937. Baklava Commercial Airline (BACA) purchased 12 production aircraft, and the first one was in service by 1939 with BACA operating in the archipelago area of northeast Baklava.

BACA is a state-owned airline, which is committed to providing affordable aviation services. Different from previous natural metal fuselage, the airline first tried avant-garde paint scheme on Pa.136: A white fuselage with silver belly & blue cheatline, and BACA logo on blue tail. This livery form was used until the 1980s.

General characteristics
Crew: 4
Capacity: 23 passengers
Powerplant: 3 × air-cooled radial piston engines, 1,200 hp each for take-off

Performance
Maximum speed: 320 km/h at 3,000 m
Cruise speed: 240 km/h
Range: 2,300 km (maximum fuel, full payload) at cruise speed
Service ceiling: 6,000 m

Hikawa H.53 Thunderbird

The first flight in 1934, entered service in 1935, the Hikawa H.53 Thunderbird provided a faster choice of crossing the Eineic ocean.
In the front of the aircraft is the crew resting area with two beds where shift pilots can take a rest. Aft the main door is the cabin which is capable of 24 passengers and 2 fly attendents. A small hatch leads to the cargo bay in the back and there's a door on the side that also leads to it. Fuel tanks are under the cabin and in the wings. The captain, the first officer, the navigator, and the radio operator are settled in an elevated block above the cabin.
Four 1800hp engines can bring the aircraft to a speed of 320km/h with a range of 5,500km.

_________________
The hotter the war the sooner the peace.

Kiyonami Type R



The Kiyonami Type R was an Altesian flying boat airliner of the late 820s and early 830s.

Development
The Type R was a development of the smaller Type J, with a lower but larger wing, a twin tail, four engines instead of two, and a longer fuselage. All but five had W18 engines in place of the Type J's V12s. They could carry 27 passengers, 15 in the forward cabin and 12 in the rear.

Variants
Type R2
The Type R2 was the first variant, including the prototype Type R. They had open cockpits and a parasol wing. Powered by four 800hp Horuka V829 V12 engines in two push-pull nacelles, they were the largest aircraft when they were built. They went into service with Alteias Skyline and proved to be successful aircraft. They served until 836.

Type R4
The Type R4 was the military variant of the Type R, labeled the Type 08 in military service. Based on comments from pilots flying the Type R2, they were given more powerful engines and an enclosed cockpit. They served with multiple militaries with distinction as patrol bombers and rescue aircraft. The last was retired in 856 by Kiraida. A total of 136 were built, with 39 lost due to combat or accidents.

Type R6
The Type R6 was the definitive version of the Type R, with a large enclosed cockpit almost resembling a ship's bridge, and massive 1,300hp Kesai W831 W18 engines. A total of 219 aircraft (including those built under license) would serve across the world with airlines belonging to Alteias, Karemi, the Imperium, and Yamatai. They were also used by the Altesian military for VIP transport and cargo duties. Three were lost due to accidents, and one more would be shot down during the 3rd Intercontinental War. The last example would be built in 836. While most were scrapped, many remain in museums or as gate guardians, and several continue to fly today.

Operators:
Alteias:
- Altesian navy
- Alteias Skyline
Kiraida:
- Kiraidan National Airlines
Yamatai:
- Air Jovia
Panavia
- Panavian air force
The Imperium
- Imperial Airways

Specifications (R6)
General characteristics
Type: flying boat bomber
Crew: 4
Passengers: 27
Length: 25.66m
Wingspan: 30m
Height: 5.52m
Empty weight: 10,170kg
Gross weight: 14,820kg
Powerplant: 4 x Kesai W831 V16 engines, 1,300hp each

Performance
Maximum Speed: 125kt
Range: 850nmi
Service ceiling: 3,000m

_________________
I don't know what I'm doing half the time so please cut me some slack.

CURRENT AND PLANNED PROJECTS (in order of first priority)
- Altesian battlecruisers
- Altesian destroyers
- Altesian cruisers
- Altesian ironclads
- History & maps of the Alteias Republic AU

ICAR θ-37b

Because of its insular location, the Cretan Republic was an intensive user of flyingboat in the interwar period, both for local and intercontinental connections. As with the rest of the national aeronautical sector, it initially made extensive use of foreign designs via production licenses.
In the early 30's, Dispite the introduction of θ-55 (licenced built version of S.66), it seemed obvious that the derivative of Savoia-Marchetti S.55 had reached their obsolesence limits. A new desing was required.

I.C.A.R., the national aeronautical producer, issued a call for tenders for a mid-sized flyingboat with accommodation for at least 25 passengers  or 12 berths (night service). Several study offices submitted a project ranging from the most conventional to the most atypical. Against all expectations, it was precisely one of the latter that was selected. It was the first production of the newly founded S.E.M.A. ( Συνεταιριστική Εταιρεία Μηχανικών Αεροναυπηγών, Solidarity cooperative of aeronautical engineers), and not the last.

Completed in August 1936, the first θ-37 was successfully tested. It was a an all-metal high-wing monoplane with fabric covered control surfaces. Smooth sheet metal skin was used except on the forward two-thirds of the wing which had corrugated skin. The hull was of the two-step type and the rear twin tail acted as stabilizer.

The most original layout was the powertrain. power was supplied by two 900 hp H.S.K. (Hispano-Suiza-Krítis) 12Y26 and 12Y27 (opposite rotation to each over)  located in the far rear part of the fuselage. They drived two contratotatives three-blades constant-speed propellers at the back of the tail. Accommodation was for a maximum of 32 passengers in four eight-seat compartments and for night service the normal seating could be replaced by 16 berths. The crew of five consisted of pilot, co-pilot, navigator, mechanic and stewardess. The aircraft was equipped with galleys, two lavatories, and a dorsal cargo hold.

Its extremely streamlined shape gaved it good speed and range for its class, and the plane became quickly a commercial success. The main market was naturally the domestics cretans airlines companies. But, in addition to consular companies, exports were particularly successful to the Caribbean and South America, with more mixed success on the European market.

The main issue with the first production aircraft was the rear section which carried most of the unusual features. Several accidents were caused by tail ruptures during takeoff or landing. This part, which concentrated significant mechanical stresses during these phases, required structural reinforcement. 
The pusher layout implied that water spray fouled propellers very quickly. An articulated propeller shaft was designed. It was maneuvered by the mechanic to maintain a minimum distance between blades and water.
These developments (accompanied by more powerful engines) led to the θ-37b version, a standard to which the majority of first series aircraft were brought.

From the outset, a goods transport version was proposed. The Republican Navy ordered around forty copies for its supply needs, to which were added during the conflict the requisitioned machines. But no militarized versions were designed.
However, this did not prevent the seaplane from being used in combat missions: assault transport, parachuting, dropping of clandestine agents, supplying resistance movements....

The version which remained the latest  in service was the θ-37c. It incorporated a retractable landing gear which made it an amphibious aircraft
The last military θ-37s served until the 1980s. As of 2021, 85 years after its first flight, the aircraft continues to fly as a waterbomber (or airtanker) in aerial firefighting operations in some parts of the world.



To learn more about this aircraft follow the link: viewtopic.php?f=27&t=9839&p=210627#p210627

_________________
"You can rape history, if you give her a child"
Alexandre Dumas

JE SUIS CHARLIE