It’s Hustler Day on Hush-Kit!
The Convair XB-58. The B-58 Hustler was one of the most charismatic aircraft of the Cold War; it was fast, sexy and arguably rather daft.
Cold War jets and cars
Four different Century-series fighters in formation
How to draw a Spitfire
One of the hardest aeroplanes to draw well is the Spitfire. We turned to WestlandWyvernophile and aeroplane drawerer par excellence Ted Ward to show us the way.
“Don’t bother, they’re impossibly difficult, that’s my advice.
Actually, although everyone always goes on about the wings, beautiful though they are, they are not an overly complicated shape to render convincingly. The main stumbling block in my opinion is the fin and rudder on the early models. It’s a really odd shape. Griffon marks are easier to draw.
The other thing I think that people should take into account is that the Spitfire has a quite pronounced dihedral angle on the wing and there is a tendency amongst some to flatten them. You see it a lot on built model kits. And in the less well-drawn Commando picture libraries. Here’s a good example:
To be fair virtually everything is wrong with that image but dihedral is one of those things.
However one of the Fleetway artists (no idea of name – they never get credited) drew some of the most consistently pleasing Spitfire drawings I have ever seen.
Perhaps the most useful resource I have for you though is Frank Wootton’s splendid little 1941 volume How to Draw ‘Planes. Scans depict how to draw a Spitfire.
And ‘Spitfires against Alto-Cirrus’ which is a painting. No idea where this painting might actually be though. Furthermore I contend that it is a lot more difficult to draw alto-cirrus than any aircraft from the 1939-45 period.
It’s funny, since writing that about the Fleetway artist doing consistently good Spitfires, I have noticed that on the one on the left he (I’m guessing it’s a man, but I’m not sure) has put the tailwheel in completely the wrong place. Huh. He still shits all over the competition though. Apparently he just wanted to fuck and burn!”
Check out Ted’s fabulous art here
Brief guide to RAF slang from World War II : Part 2
Arse-End Charlie: the rear gunner, also known more politely as Tail-End Charlie
Crump Dump, The: the Ruhr.
Chatterbox: machine-gun.
Flaming onions: anti-aircraft tracer rounds.
Humdinger: a fast aircraft
Hurry: A Hawker Hurricane
Kipper kits: aircraft tasked with protecting convoys in the North Sea.
Midwaaf: a bossy NCO of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (from midwife).
Mouldy: a torpedo.
Screaming downhill: making a power dive.
Shagbat: a Supermarine Walrus.
Snargasher: a training aircraft (such as the North American Harvard), from tarmac-smasher.
Part 1 can be found here.
Flying into obscurity: the Portsmouth Aerocar
Only one Aerocar was built, which took its maiden flight in June 1947. This rather cute twin-boomer was powered by two 155 hp Blackburn Cirrus Majors. The pod-like fuselage could squeeze in one pilot and five passengers. It was a good design, but the world did’t want it, so the project was stopped in 1950.
James Brown with a plane; can you identify the type?
Homemade African plane: scrapyard air ace!
Rare colour footage of the Ryan XV-5A Vertifan VTOL test flights
The Mystery of the P-996 Lazer Fighter Jet from Grand Theft Auto 5
Fans of the nihilist hell of Grand Theft Auto 5 have the option of stealing a fighter aircraft. The aircraft is the ‘P-996 Lazer Fighter Jet’, clearly a derivative of the F-16. The most visible change to the F-16 is the replacement of the single vertical fin with twin canted-out tails. This is not an unheard of modification; Iran’s HESA Saeqeh is essentially an F-5 with twin canted tails. So what is the reason for the P-996’s F-35-style tails surfaces? Could it be for frontal radar cross section reduction, or improvements to the F-16’s already impressive High Alpha performance?
The theory that the twin tails are a RCS-reduction feature is questionable though, as the aircraft has no provisions for internal carriage of munitions and does not even carry CFTs, instead relying on external tanks in its portrayed configuration of six missiles (similar to the AIM-120) and two tanks. The fins also feature two pods in the front base (probably containing defensive electronics of some kind) which do not appear to be shaped for minimal radar return. Interestingly, in the real world Lockheed Martin has offered a twin-tailed, straight LERXed F-16 derivative to South Korea, which in many ways resembles the P-996.
The new bifurcated intake is also a mystery; though some aircraft, like the Mirage F1, Hunter and F-20 do feed one engine from two intakes, a split dorsal intake is a unique feature, the purpose of which is unknown. It would seem that the obvious intake configuration to go for if RCS reduction was the key would be a divertless intake similar to that of the J-10B. In fact, a F-35 Diverterless Supersonic Inlet was tested on the F-16 in the 1990s and this would seem a good place to start in producing a new stealthier intake.
Perhaps the bifurcation is used to mask the compressor face or facilitate faster top speeds? This second possibility is backed up by the new lower-drag canopy. The heavily riveted finish seems incompatible with stealth, maybe they it is made from a new lightweight steel alloy suitable for prolonged high-speed flight? Or could it be armour-plating?
The designation is also puzzling, is this harking back to Northrop’s nomenclature which included the P.530 Cobra or a Hawker project from the 1950s? Was Northrop Grumman involved in the development of this aircraft? Is it an alternative to the F-35, or a lower cost supplement? Could the ‘P’ herald a return to the days of Pursuit fighters?
The twin cannon armament is also unusual (I can’t think of a fighter since the abortive F-20 to feature this), and suggests it was developed with the Close Support role in mind, which would fit the theory that the highly riveted skin is heavily armoured.
The ‘Lazer’ of the name appears to be a product name rather than being indicative of a laser weapon.
The P-996 is a mysterious aircraft that begs many questions. The conventional take-off P-996 replaces a VTOL variant from the Beta version of the game which had a Harrier-like appearance.
