| Supermarine Type 508 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Supermarine type 508 in bare aluminium default Livery | |
| Aircraft | Type 508 |
| Manufacturer | Vickers Supermarine |
| Power | Jet |
| Primary Use | Prototype |
| Developer | Daniel_g |
| X-Plane Version | 8.64 |
| Development Status | Published |
| Publisher | X-Plane.org |
| Licence | Freeware |
Aircraft Background[]
After WWII, the admiralty investigated the idea of undercarriage-less aircraft. They produced a landing deck made of layers of rubber at Farnborough and also refitted HMS Warrior with a ‘flexible deck’. The aim was to cut down on landing accidents with higher speed jet powered aircraft. and also take advantage of the potential 7% weight saving by removing the undercarriage.
The admiralty ordered three aircraft (Specification N.9/47) from Supermarine to investigate the flexible deck. Supermarine developed the Type 505 - a duel engine evolution of the Attacker creating a flat bottom to land on. De Havilland were also asked to develop three Sea Vixen F.21 aircraft and the concept was successfully tested with the Sea Vixen before the Type 505 could partake in the trials. Supermarine therefore added an undercarriage to the aircraft and the designation changed to the Type 508. Despite success, the admiralty did not take the concept forward.
The first of the three development aircraft flew on 31 August 1951. The 508 was powered by two Rolls-Royce AJ65 (Avon) engines. It’s unusual feature was a ‘butterfly’ tail that was designed to keep the jet exhaust away from the control surfaces. This tail format gave the ability to provide pitch and yaw control with less drag than a fin and tail. The Attacker’s laminar flow wings were maintained, but the 508 was significantly larger in order to carry the weight of two engines.
Despite being built for the trials of undercarriage-less landing, the aircraft developed during this programme were used to develop concepts for naval fighters. The second and third aircraft in the run (525 and 544) were significantly modified from the 508.
X-Plane Development[]
There are no additional liveries with this aircraft