Strut and wire-braced biplane, modeled after classic Waco cabin air¬craft of ‘30s. Welded 4130 steel airframe, 2.8 oz. Ceconite covered. Three-axis stick and rudder controls. Aluminum ribs and spars. LANDING GEAR: Spring-type, inflated tires, brakes, wheel pants. Available complete, ready to fly. Instruments include altimeter, compass, electric tach and clock, CHT, EGT, Hobbs meter, Terra 4-channel radio, shoulder and seat belts.
Engine: ROTAX 36 hp. Wing area 161 sq.ft. Empty weight, 238 lbs. Vne 80 mph. Takeoff roIl 160ft. Climb rate 550 fpm. Stall speed power off 23 mph. Top speed (controlled by prop) 63 mph.
An airplane designed by Willibald Gold in Lviv. It was built by the Lviv Mechanical Laboratory of Witold Tranda.
The unfinished construction was exhibited at the First Lviv Exposition in Lviv. In the end, the construction of the aircraft was not finished and as a result no attempts were made to take off.
The Gold plane was in the high-wing brace system. Truss hull with wire strainers. Single surface wing covered with canvas.
Wingspan: 6.75 m Length: 8.0 m Wing area: 10.5 sq m Empty weight: 110 kg Gross weight: 190 kg
An improved version of the high-performance Gauntlet, in the Gloster SS.37Gladiator H. P. Folland endeavoured to satisfy the requirement of the Air Ministry’s F.7/30 specification which the Gauntlet had failed to meet. However the Gauntlet’s maximum speed was some 32km/h below the F.7/30 requirement, which also called for an offensive armament of four machine-guns. The Gauntlet represented a close approach to the requirement and Folland decided that aerodynamic improvements of the basic Gauntlet fuselage (together with installation of a more powerful engine) should prove adequate for the Gloster design to be ordered into production. It had been intimated by the Air Ministry that submissions for the F.7/30 requirement which were powered by the new Rolls-Royce Goshawk evaporative-cooled engine would receive favourable consideration. This meant that of the seven other contenders for this contract, five were designed to utilise the Goshawk. When this engine failed, it eliminated most of Gloster’s competitors. Folland pinned his hopes on the Bristol Mercury ME.30 radial which was then promising a power output of some 521.6kW. But it was not available when the prototype SS.37 was nearing completion and the first flight, on 12 September 1934, was made with an 840 hp / 395kW Mercury IV. The prototype Gladiator had an open cockpit, no gyro instruments and only 645 hp; the production airplane had a greenhouse that you closed by winding it forward by means of a bicycle chain and sprocket arrangement.
Features included each of the four planes having small hydraulically depressed drag flaps and cantilever landing gear with Dowty internally sprung wheels. Most early production had the Watts wooden propeller, though performance was better with the three-blade metal Fairey-Reed type.
On 1 July 1935 the Air Ministry ordered 23 aircraft in July 1935, as Gladiators, one going to Greece. These were powered by the 618.5kW Bristol Mercury IX. Other improvements included an enclosed cockpit with a sliding canopy and a redesigned tail unit.
It introduced refinements such as wing flaps and cantilever undercarriage which enabled it to combine a top speed of 253 mph but the maximum speed, between 174 and 217 knots, was slower than those of the newest bombers. The armament was four .303 Browning machine guns (two, engine synchro¬nized, in cutaways in the fuselage sides, and two in blisters under the lower wings) was inadequate. Metal structure, fab¬ric covered, no armor plate, no self-¬seal around the fuel tanks and no proper fire wall behind the engine.
It first entered service with Nos. 3 and 72 Squadrons in January 1937 as a replacement for the Bulldog. The early Gladiator I were followed by an improved Gladiator II in 1938 powered by the Bristol Mercury VIIIA engine. Other improvements comprised the addition of a battery and electric starter and the inclusion of a full blind-flying instrument panel.
Production also included 60 Sea Gladiators for the FAA. Generally similar to the Gladiator II, they differed by being equipped for catapult launch and deck landing – although not intended for operational use from carriers – and carried an inflatable dinghy in a fairing beneath the lower wing centre-section.
When World War II began, in 1939, the RAF still had 13 Gladiator squad¬rons; one home squadron was still fly¬ing them when the Battle of Britain started in 1940. Production of the type finished that year, but two squadrons went to France with the Advanced Air Striking Force in 1939.
In just ten days of hard fighting, following the opening of the German assault on 10 May 1940, all the aircraft had been lost. In a desperate attempt to provide fighter cover for the ‘little ships’ involved in the Dunkirk evacuation a detachment of home based aircraft, known as ‘G’ Flight, was formed at RAF Manston in late May. One squadron (No. 247) served during the Battle of Britain. In Norway during April, May and June the Gladiator, flown by Pilots of No. 263 Squadron from a frozen lake, offered opposition to the Luftwaffe forces supporting the German invasion of that country, fighting on until all its aircraft had been destroyed in the air or on the ground. Only two home based units used the Gladiator operationally during the Battle of Britain; No.247 Squadron at RAF Exeter and RAF Roborough and No.804 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm at stations in Scotland. A flight of four Sea Gladiators, flown by RAF pilots, defended Malta with such success that the Maltese named three of them Faith, Hope and Charity and, after the war, preserved one as a reminder.
The last biplane fighter to serve with the RAF and Royal Navy, of the total 747 Gladiators which were built, almost 30% were exported, serving with the armed forces of Belgium, China, Finland, Greece, Iraq, Irish Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Norway and Sweden. In addition some aircraft transferred from the RAF operated with Egyptian and South African forces.
After the Russian invasion of Finland in 1940, slowly reinforcements began to arrive for the Finnish air force. The first to come were 5 Gloster Gladiators, 12 Hurricanes, 17 Lysanders and 24 Blenheims, all from Britain. After that, 76 Morane-Saulnier and Koolhoven F.K. fighters arrived from France. Italy sent 17 Fiat fighters, Sweden 12 Gloster Gladiators, and the USA 44 Brewster Buffalo, of which however only 5 reached Finland in time. Even the Union of South Africa sent 25 Gloster Gladiators. Pilots and ground personnel from a number of countries also volunteered to assist them.
At the peak of its deployment the Gladiator was flown by 29 home and 11 overseas squadrons and many remained in RAF service until early 1945.
Total production amounted to at least 767, including 480 for the RAF, 60 Sea Gladiators and 216 exported to 12 countries. The last delivered in May 1940.
Latvia model
Users were Belgium, China, Egypt, Finland, Greece, Iraq, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Sweden, and the RAF and RN.
Gladiator I Engine: Bristol Mercury IX or IXS Wingspan: 32 ft 3 in / 9.85 m Length: 27 ft 5 in / 8.38 m Height: 10 ft 4 in / 3.17 m Empty weight: 3450 lb / 1565 kg Loaded weight: 4750 lb / 2155 kg Max speed: 253 mph / 407 kph ROC: 2300 fpm / 700 m/min Service ceiling: 33,999 ft / 10,060 ft Range: 440 mi / 708 km Armament: first 71 aircraft 2 x 0.303in Vickers in fuselage, 2 x 0.303in Lewis lower wings, subsequent 4 x 0.303in Browning in same locations. 600 rounds each in fuselage, 400 in wings
Sea Gladiator Empty weight: 3475 lb Loaded weight: 5420 lb Max speed: 245 mph Range: 425 mi
Gloster SS 37 Gladiator Mk. II Engine: Bristol Mercury IX, 840 hp / 620kW Prop: 10ft 9in dia Watts two blade fixed pitch wooden MAUW: 4,750 lb. Empty weight: 3,450 lb. (1,565 kg). Wingspan: 9.8 m / 32 ft 2 in Length: 8.4 m / 27 ft 7 in Height: 3.2 m / 10 ft 6 in Wing area: 30.0 sq.m / 322.92 sq ft Max speed: 213 kts/253 mph at 15,000 ft. Ceiling: 7500 m / 24600 ft ROC: 2,450 fpm. Endurance: 2hr at 210 mph. Fuel cap: 100 (U.S.) gallons. Range: 400 miles. Crew: 1 Armament: 4x .303 MG (7,7mm)
Specifications F.9/26 and F.20/27 remained unfulfilled; and F.7/30 calling for a 402km/h four-gun fighter seemed initially even more unlikely to be attained. Gloster’s first submission had been an improved version of the all-metal Goldfinch, and with the progression of time this design had been subjected to several permutations of airframe innovations and differing engines. When, in 1933, Gloster’s SS.19B demonstrated a maximum speed of 346km/h during tests at Martlesham Heath, it was ordered into production under the name Gauntlet I. During the period 1935 to 1937 Gauntlets were the fastest fighters in RAF service, partially replaced by Gladiators and Hurricanes in 1938 and finally ousted by Spitfires in 1939. Aircraft produced from 1935, after Hawker Aircraft had taken over the Gloster company, were constructed according to Hawker production methods, bringing changes to wing spar and fuselage structure. These differing aircraft were designated Gauntlet II.
Gloster Gauntlet Mk.II GT-400
Last open-cockpit biplane in RAF service, the Gauntlet equipped 14 squadrons at its peak period of usage. It was during this same period that a very different performance was given under most secret conditions when (in November 1936) three of No 32 Squadron’s Gauntlets intercepted a civil airliner under the guidance of an experimental ground-radar installation at Bawdsey Manor, Suffolk. Thus the Gauntlet has the distinction of carrying out the world’s first radar-controlled interception.
Gloster SS 19 B Gauntlet Engine: Bristol Mercury VI S.2, 631 hp Length: 26.411 ft / 8.05 m Height: 10.236 ft / 3.12 m Wingspan: 32.776 ft / 9.99 m Wing area: 314.955 sq.ft / 29.26 sq.m Max take off weight: 3971.2 lb / 1801.0 kg Weight empty: 2769.5 lb / 1256.0 kg Max. speed: 200 kts / 370 km/h Service ceiling: 33497 ft / 10210 m Wing load: 12.71 lb/sq.ft / 62.0 kg/sq.m Range: 400 nm / 740 km Crew: 1 Armament: 2x cal.303 MG Vickers (7,7mm)
Gauntlet Mk II Engine: 1 x Bristol Mercury VIS2, 477kW Max take-off weight: 1801 kg / 3971 lb Empty weight: 1256 kg / 2769 lb Wingspan: 9.99 m / 32 ft 9 in Length: 8.05 m / 26 ft 5 in Height: 3.12 m / 10 ft 3 in Wing area: 29.26 sq.m / 314.95 sq ft Max. speed: 370 km/h / 230 mph Ceiling: 10210 m / 33500 ft Range: 740 km / 460 miles Armament: 2 x 7.7mm machine-guns
The Gloster Goring was a private venture to replace the Hawker Horsley, then (1927) in service as a light bomber with the RAF. The Air Ministry intimated that the engine they would like to see installed was the Bristol Orion fitted with an exhaust-driven supercharger. One airframe was so equipped, but due to the failure of the Orion and its supercharger, this variant was not proceeded with.
Another Goring, powered with a Bristol Jupiter 8-geared engine, met with much more success.
As a bomber, the Goring carried 700 lb of bombs and in addition the observer had a Vickers machine gun on a rotating mount in the rear cockpit. Provision was made for a second gun firing through the bottom of the fuselage. In this condition the Goring had an endurance of 6 hr 30 min at 15,000 ft.
At a later stage the Goring was converted to a twin-float seaplane, still powered by a Jupiter 8. This decreased the maximum speed by only 4 mph and made similarly small alterations to performance figures of the landplane. The floats were of Gloster design and were made entirely of anodised duralumin.
Although the second aircraft was taken over by the Ministry for research work in connection with engines, the type was not ordered into production.
Goring (landplane) Engine: 1 x 425hp Bristol Jupiter VI Max take-off weight: 2440 kg / 5379 lb Empty weight: 1323 kg / 2917 lb Wingspan: 12.80 m / 41 ft 12 in Length: 9.14 m / 29 ft 12 in Height: 3.51 m / 11 ft 6 in Wing area: 41.81 sq.m / 450.04 sq ft Max. speed: 219 km/h / 136 mph Ceiling: 5029 m / 16500 ft Armament: 2 x 7.7mm machine-guns Crew: 2
Engine: 1 x 420hp Bristol Jupiter V or 425hp Jupiter VIA Max take-off weight: 2272 kg / 5009 lb Empty weight: 1336 kg / 2945 lb Wingspan: 14.20 m / 46 ft 7 in Length: 9.60 m / 31 ft 6 in Height: 3.45 m / 11 ft 4 in Wing area: 45.89 sq.m / 493.96 sq ft Max. speed: 208 km/h / 129 mph Range: 1208 km / 751 miles Crew: 2 Armament: 2 x 7.7mm machine-guns, 2 x 105kg bombs
In 1923 Gloster built a two-seat private-venture research aircraft which became known as the Grouse, to carry out flight evaluation of new and special biplane wings. Simultaneously a single-seat version was built. When demonstrated to Air Ministry officials, its performance was considered to be so impressive that three prototypes were ordered. The first of these became the Grebe prototype which, following evaluation, was ordered into production under the designation Grebe II. This differed from the two-seat version by having a more powerful Jaguar IV engine (instead of a Jaguar III) and several other modifications.
The Grebe entered service in October 1923 with the RAF’s No 111 Squadron, and total production numbered 113 aircraft, including a small number of two-seat dual-control trainers. The Grebe was found to have wing flutter problems, resulting in the addition of outward-sloping Vee struts to brace the overhang of the upper wing. Two Grebes were modified during 1926 with special release attachments on the top surface of the upper wing. This allowed them to be carried into the air beneath the keel of the British rigid airship R-33, and used for launching experiments.
Grebes remained in service until their replacement by Armstrong Whitworth Siskins in mid-1928.
Grebe Mk II Engine: 1 x Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IV, 385-425 hp Max take-off weight: 1189 kg / 2621 lb Empty weight: 780 kg / 1720 lb Wingspan: 8.94 m / 29 ft 4 in Length: 6.17 m / 20 ft 3 in Height: 2.82 m / 9 ft 3 in Wing area: 23.60 sq.m / 254.03 sq ft Max. speed: 243 km/h / 151 mph @ SL Ceiling: 7010 m / 23000 ft Armament: 4 x 7.7mm forward-firing machine-guns Crew: 1
Gloucestershire Aircraft’s first military aircraft of all-metal construction was the third prototype Gorcock single-seat fighter resulting from a May 1924 Air Ministry contract for three prototypes powered by the Napier Lion 12-cylinder water-cooled engine. The first two combined a steel fuselage with wooden wings and the third had an all-steel structure. The first mixed-construction Gorcock was powered by a 450hp geared Lion IV and was flown mid-1925, the second Gorcock having a 525hp direct-drive Lion VIII. Engine difficulties prevented their delivery until 1927, together with the all-metal third Gorcock which had a Lion IV. All three aircraft carried the standard armament of twin synchronised 7.7mm Vickers guns and were used for research and development flying, no production being ordered. Although 72kg heavier than the mixed-construction prototypes, the all-metal prototype was 16km/h faster.
Prototype 3 Max take-off weight: 1514 kg / 3338 lb Empty weight: 1099 kg / 2423 lb Wingspan: 8.69 m / 28 ft 6 in Length: 7.94 m / 26 ft 1 in Height: 3.10 m / 10 ft 2 in Wing area: 23.22 sq.m / 249.94 sq ft Max. speed: 280 km/h / 174 mph
A development of the Gloster Grebe fighter, the Gamecock was initially to Specification 37/23, a re-engined variant of the Grebe using the new 398hp Bristol Jupiter IV radial engine. Of wooden construction with fabric skinning and retaining the then-standard armament of two synchronised 7.7mm Vickers guns. Ordered originally as the Grebe II in August 1924, the prototype Gamecock 1 (as it became titled) was delivered to Martlesham Heath for service tests on 20 February 1925. Trial reports were enthusiastic, resulting in an initial order for 30 production Gamecock Is machines in September 1925 powered by the 425hp Jupiter VI. First to take delivery of the production Gamecocks was 23 Squadron RAF, at Hen¬low, in May 1926; followed by 3, 17, 32 and 43 Squadrons. Although designed for day fighting, the Gamecocks issued to 3 and 17 Squadrons were specially modified for night interception duties. During the next five years, Gamecocks were prominent in the many public displays organized by the RAF, and demonstrated the type’s manoeuvrability in many superb aerobatic exhibitions. A further 60 Gamecock Is were built for the RAF (1925-27), one of these (unofficially known as the Gamecock III) at one time flying with a lengthened fuselage, new and enlarged fin-and-rudder assembly and narrow-chord ailerons.
Gamecock II
The Gamecock recorded a relatively high accident rate in service use; 22 having crashed within 19 months of its introduction to the RAF, and killing eight pilots. A variety of modifications were embodied progressively to eliminate the Gamecocks’ tendencies to spin abruptly and give wing flutter at high speed. Despite such characteristics, service Gamecocks quickly demonstrated their fast performance by tak¬ing the first three places in the 1927 Sassoon Cup Race for RAF fighter squadrons. A developed version, the Gamecock II, with a steel-tube upper wing centre section, narrow-chord ailerons and a larger rudder, appeared in 1928. This was adopted by Finland, two pattern aircraft and a manufacturing licence being acquired. Fifteen Gamecock IIs were built for the Finnish air arm 1929-30 by the State Aircraft Factory (Valtion Lentokonenetehdas), these having the lengthened fuselage tested earlier in the UK by the so-called Gamecock III and being powered initially by the 420hp Gnome-Rhone Jupiter (IV) 9Ab or 9Ak and later by the 480hp Jupiter (IV) 9Ag. By 1929 licensed production of the design (renamed Kukko) began at Helsinki. One unit, Fighter Squad¬ron 24, continued to fly this variant from 1929 until 1935; while one Finnish Gamecock (GA¬46) remained in service until late 1944.
Though development of the basic Gamecock was undertaken, resulting in the Gamecock II and III, the latter saw no service use. In 1928 the Finnish government, having been much impressed by various dis-plays of the Gamecock’s versatility, placed an order for the type.
Last of the all wood construction fighters in RAF use, the Gamecock achieved fame in perpetuity when the reformed 43 Squadron adopted a fighting cock as its chosen official badge motif; the unit being known ever since as ‘The Fighting Cocks’.
The last Gamecock Is were withdrawn from first-line RAF service mid-1931, Gamecock IIs remaining first-line Finnish equipment until 1935. In total 108 were built.
Gamecock Mk I Engine: 1 x Bristol Jupiter VI, 317kW Max take-off weight: 1299 kg / 2864 lb Empty weight: 875 kg / 1929 lb Span: (upper) 9.07 m (29 ft 9.5 in) Spun (lower) 7.89 m (25 ft 11 in) Length: 5.99 m / 19 ft 8 in Height: 3.06 m / 10 ft 0 in Wing area: 34.63 sq.m / 372.75 sq ft Max. speed: 249 km/h / 155 mph Ceiling: 6736 m / 22100 ft Armament: 2 x 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers Mk 1, 1200 rounds. Endurance: 2.5 hr at 4572 m (15000 ft)
The Specification 21/26, issued by the Air Ministry’s Directorate of Technical. Development (DTD) on September 30, 1926, called for a “Single Seater Fighter Ship¬-plane for use from HM ships,” fitted with a land undercarriage which could be replaced by floats, and vice versa, within half an hour. The aircraft, which was to have an all metal structure but could be fabric covered, was to be suitable for launch from a catapult and for taking off from and alighting on the deck of an aircraft carrier. It was to have a good degree of positive stability about all axes in both configurations, and tail incidence had to be adjustable in flight to enable the aircraft to fly horizontally at all speeds without attention from the pilot. It was to be “highly controllable” at all speeds, and especially close to stalling speed, with no tendency to ‘hunt’ in a steep dive. Control had to be adequate to stop an incipient spin when the machine was stalled. A high degree of manoeuvrability in the air and on the ground or water was desired, and it had to respond quickly to the controls while not being tiring to fly. The ailerons were to have the minimum of yawing effect. As a seaplane, the machine was to have good static stability in the water, and when under tow or running under its own power it was to be stable about all axes at all speeds. Engines specified were the air cooled Bristol Mercury radial giving 550hp at 2,000rpm or the water cooled Rolls Royce Falcon X giving 480hp at 2,300rpm. The installation had to allow for rapid and easy removal of the engine. The cowling, which also had to be easily removable, had to be finished “to prevent the reflection of light which might betray the presence of the aircraft to the enemy or dazzle the pilot”. A metal propeller was specified. There was to be tankage for 74 gallons of fuel, plus an easily removed 20 gallon auxiliary tank and a gravity tank of sufficient capacity to allow half an hour’s flight at full power at ground level. An 11 gallon oil tank was to be provided if the Mercury engine was used, or an 81/2 gallon oil tank and a 21/2 gallon reserve water tank for the Falcon. Alternative exhaust systems for day or night flying were required, and were to be easily changed. The night flying system had to provide adequate silencing and flame damping, while the daytime system was to be “of minimum weight”. Additional equipment to be carried during the acceptance flights weighed 5581b and included a Vickers 0.5in gun and 300 rounds, a Vickers 0.303in gun and 600 rounds, a rocket launching (R/L) tube and six bombs, and flotation gear. A second 0.303in gun with 600 rounds was to be provided for if the 0.5in gun was not available in time. Minimum performance requirements with this load, using the Mercury, called for a horizontal speed of 132kt (152mph) at 10,000ft and a service ceiling of 23,000ft. With the Falcon X the figures were 127kt (146mph) at 10,000ft and 22,000ft. The length of run to take¬off was not to exceed 47ft in a relative wind of 28kt (32mph), and the aircraft was to become airborne at a speed of 55mph when catapulted in still air. The suitability for launching from a catapult or alighting on the deck of an aircraft carrier was “of first importance”, and the aircraft had to be capable of taking off from a turret or cruiser platform. For fighting, the pilot was to have the best possible view in all directions, and a good view forward and downwards was required for carrier landings. A clear, unobstructed view forward over the machine’s centreline was needed to enable him to sight the fixed guns, the installation of which was to dispense with blast tubes. There was also to be provision for the fitting of a G.3 aerial camera as near to the sights as practicable, and standard clips were to be fitted to allow the new “light carrier” to be installed to carry four 20 lb bombs, sufficient clearance being provided to enable the bombs to be released in a very steep dive. Despite the emphasis placed on the machine’s naval use, it was stressed that: “The aircraft is to be designed primarily as a landplane fighter and qualities required for this work are not to be sacrificed in order to improve its characteristics when equipped with the float alighting gear”. A padded head support was to be provided to prevent injury to the pilot during catapult launch acceleration. A limit of 35ft was put on the wing span, the overall length was restricted to 23ft, the height was not to exceed 14ft 9in. Quick and easy removal and erection of the wings was specified, with the ability to remove the wing structure completely in ten minutes and replace it in fifteen minutes. The contractor was required to provide a full size mock up of his proposed aircraft before constructional work was begun, to enable the Director of Technical Development to examine and approve the layout. This mock up had to include “all parts and components which are likely to interfere with the all round view of the pilot”, and was to show the internal arrangement of the cockpit. Scale model floats for official water tank tests were also to be provided, along with specimens of ribs, a section of wing, and a length of spar. Tendering for this demanding specification were Armstrong Whitworth, which offered the AW XVI; Fairey, with the Flycatcher II; Gloster, which tendered the Gnatsnapper; Hawker, which offered the Hoopoe; Vickers, with a modified version of its Type 141 Scout; and George Pamall & Co. Designed by Henry Folland, the first of two Gnatsnapper prototypes, temporarily powered by a Jupiter VII engine, flew in February 1928. The Mercury IIA was subsequently installed, but as this did not measure up to anticipated performance or reliability, the Jupiter VII was reinstated for official trials. The second prototype was not completed until March 1930, initially with a Mercury IIA, but the designated power plant was again discarded shortly thereafter. The first prototype was re-engined with a 540hp Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar VIII 14-cylinder radial as the Gnatsnapper II, but suffered damage during official trials. None of the aircraft tendered to Specification 21/26 won a production contract. In 1931, the Gnatsnapper was re-engined once more, with a steam-cooled 525hp Rolls-Royce Kestrel IIS, as the Gnatsnapper III, subsequently serving as a Rolls-Royce test-bed and hack aircraft.
Max take-off weight: 1644 kg / 3624 lb Empty weight: 1347 kg / 2970 lb Wingspan: 10.21 m / 33 ft 6 in Length: 7.48 m / 24 ft 6 in Height: 3.32 m / 10 ft 11 in Wing area: 33.44 sq.m / 359.94 sq ft Max. speed: 265 km/h / 165 mph
All Aero 