Towed wing concepts to increase load with bombs or fuel

[hesham]

Hi,

there is three drawings to Miles Magister,Supermarine Spitfire MK.VIII
and Bristol Blenheim MK.IV,but I don't know they were a really projects
or fake,who can help ?.

 

[Jemiba]

Looks similar to german experiments for carrying long range tanks :

 

[lark]

Hesham ,

The projects shown by you are not fakes. It concerns
the severals proposed towed wing concepts to increase
the load of an aircraft with bombs or fuel.

Initial test with a Magister and an auxiliary wing were made in the Summer
of 1941 but trouble was experienced with the directional stability of the combination.

 

[hesham]

Thank you my dears.

 

[fightingirish]

Another picture from the site www.miles-aircraft.com
Link: http://web.archive.org/web/20041108164047/www.miles-aircraft.com/Projects_magister_towed_wing.html

 

[Tophe]

I confirm I saw these pictures (Auxiliary Wing) in Historical sources:
- Vojenska letadla
- British Bomber since 1914

 

[VictorXL188]

I would guess that the B-17E fuel trailer proposal from NACA would also fit into this category. I believe it is covered elsewhere on here, but can't find the reference at the mo.

 

[riggerrob]

Also consider the Cornelius XFG-1 towed fuel glider.

There were also a few fuel gliders proposed to bypass the US Navy blockade of the Japanese Home Islands.

 

[publiusr]

I’d like to see that on more modern..perhaps angular designs.

It allows landing gear rather like that of a car.

I would think that might have advantages…and yet…if airflow or the tires are uneven…might that induce a “walk” at the corners or shimmy—depending on how it’s loaded?

On a separate note—

Releasing something from the top or bottom of an aircraft is tricky—but this is nearly a second airframe.

If it had dive breaks top and bottom—-might that slide straight back and have no danger of re-striking the parent craft?

No need to tow anything…but with fine tuned distributed lift a ladder could come apart…crab up like a B-52.

 

[Justo Miranda]

Hi