Australians O let us rejoice in our Beauforts

[mclaring]

Comrades!

An Aussie icon in WW2. Not saying we won the war with them, but this is one of the first built in Oz (naturellement, Australia was one of the industrial power-houses of WW2). Anyone say "more interesting than Luftwaffe"? Why, that was not me !

Mclaring

[Jarink]

Nice work, but it looks like you dropped a fish!

You might want to change the shading under the rear of the wing. It's a straight line and not following the curved shape of the trailing edge.

[Supah]

Hmmm that nose gun looks a awfull lot like a M240/GPMG/MAG

[JMSmith]

oh dear,

where do i start, perhaps the following images will help, then throw away the profile and start again.

i don't do this out of spite or because i enjoy it (except in GM's case) but a good profile is one that looks right, i don't mean micrometer perfect just LOOKS right.

if you want more images i have the full manual which is from the OZ version and loads of photos and books.

[mclaring]

John

thanks ! I think T9540 was British-built, however I have been after Aussie profile stuff and will modify accordingly !

Michael C

[JMSmith]

hi michael,

no matter who built them, the bottom edge profile is still the same, it should be a gentle curve not flat like your profile shows, but don't get downhearted, nearly all the 3 view drawings i have are wrong, don't know why this is unless they all copied from the same first drawing, if you study photos and look at the images from the manual you can't go far wrong.

[mclaring]

hi john,

yes, the amount of conflicting data is substantial. From what I can gather the RAAF types had no less than three different rear turrets, two exhaust systems, 3 different props/ spinners, and 3 different noses/ aerials. Attached is one which appeared at Laverton sometime in 1943, but I have yet to decode which Marks refer to what etc. tx for your observations to date,

Michael

[Mossie]

John, do you have the other drawings of the interior of the Beaufort, Figure 2 is just staggering. I have some photos from the cockpit in Morrabban, Victoria, from Australian National Aviation Museum - Moorabbin Air Museum A great museum.

My plan is to do a 3D model soon, and just collecting data at this stage.
Thanks

[JMSmith]

hi mossie,

should have, will post them later

[mark_pilkington]

Michael,

your latest profile above carries some features not present in Australian built Beauforts.

1. Apparant Taurus engines/cowls/exhausts
(All Australian Beauforts, inlcuding the pattern aircraft, flew with P&W 1830 Engines)

2. Prop Spinner, no Australian Beauforts were fitted with spinners

3. Rear Turret which appears to be a mark IE or mark V is sitting too high above the fuselage top, only the VE does that, and has a totally different profile (similar to a Hudson turret)

It is difficult to identify which model you are drawing, the centre fuselage/turret cutout looks like the later model, ie the Mark VIII, but this would require a modified fin etc.

Australia built "early" and "late" (Mark VIII) models which differ primarily in the centre fuselage/turret cutout configuration (in a similar way to the british built Mark I and Mark II) , the early models have a number of sub-models due to equipment changes.

John's manual is for a early Mark VI, or VII airframe although the 3-D profile again sits the turret top too high above the fuselage.

Details of certain equipment changes occur on model changes others occured within a model and photo analysis is the only way to try and define airframe numbers for those changes, ie introduction of nose gun gimbles.


DAP BEAUFORT CONFIGURATIONS AND MODELS
From Photo Analysis
1* Early Turret (& Centre Fuselage) fitted to A9-164,
2* Later Turret (& Centre Fuselage) fitted to A9-182
3* Nose gun ‘Gimbals” not fitted to A9-102,
4* > Nose gun “Gimbals” fitted to A9-141
5* > Under nose gun cupola fitted to A9-342
50 Mark V A9-1 to A9-50
(Fitted with Australian built CAC R1830-S3C4G Engines and DHA Curtiss Electric fully feathering propellors, fitted with Bristol B4 Mark IE dorsal turret with 2x 0.303” Vickers ‘K’ guns, and aft firing gun cupola with 1x o.303” browning, fitted with original small fin)
1* > Early Turret (& Centre Fuselage) fitted to A9-164
3* > Nose gun ‘Gimbals” not fitted to A9-102
5* > Under nose gun cupola fitted to A9-342
40 Mark VI A9-51 to A9-90
(Same as Mark V but Fitted with Imported US built P&W R1830-S1C3G Engines of lower altitude performance - due to local production shortage, and locally built DHA Curtiss Electric fully feathering propellors, fitted with Bristol B4 Mark IE dorsal turret with 2x 0.303” Vickers ‘K’ guns, and aft firing gun cupola with 1x o.303” browning, fitted with original small fin)
1* > Early Turret (& Centre Fuselage) fitted to A9-164
3* > Nose gun ‘Gimbals” not fitted to A9-102
5* > Under nose gun cupola fitted to A9-342
60 Mark VII A9-91 to A9-150
(Same as Mark V but Fitted with Imported US built P&W R1830-S1C3G Engines of lower altitude performance and Imported Hamilton Standard bracket type performance - due to local production shortage , fitted with Bristol B4 Mark IE dorsal turret with 2x 0.303” Vickers ‘K’ guns, nose fitted with 2x forward firing 0.303” Vickers ‘K’ guns on “Gimbals” on later aircraft, and aft firing gun cupola with 1x 0.303” browning, fitted with new design fin of 15% increased size)
1* > Early Turret (& Centre Fuselage) fitted to A9-164
3* > Nose gun ‘Gimbals” not fitted to A9-102
4* > Nose gun “Gimbals” fitted to A9-141
5* > Under nose gun cupola fitted to A9-342
30 Mark VA A9-151 to A9-180
(Same as Mark V but Fitted with new design fin of 15% increased size, Fitted with Australian built CAC R1830-S3C4G Engines and DHA Curtiss Electric fully feathering propellors, fitted with Bristol B4 Mark IE dorsal turret with 2x 0.303” Vickers ‘K’ guns, nose fitted with 2x forward firing 0.303” Vickers ‘K’ guns on “Gimbals”, and aft firing gun cupola with 1x 0.303” browning)
1* > Early Turret (& Centre Fuselage) fitted to A9-164
2* > Later Turret (& Centre Fuselage) fitted to A9-182
4* > Nose gun “Gimbals” fitted to A9-141
5* > Under nose gun cupola fitted to A9-342
520 Mark VIII A9-181 to A9-700
(Fitted with Australian built CAC R1830-S3C4G Engines and DHA Curtiss Electric fully feathering propellors, redesigned centre fuselage with higher turret mounting and fitted with Bristol B1 Mark V dorsal turret with 2x 0.303” Brownings in first 380 aircraft and B1 Mark VE dorsal turret with 2x 0.5” Brownings in the last 140 aircraft, nose fitted with 2x forward firing 0.303” Vickers ‘K’ guns on “Gimbals”, and aft firing gun cupola with 1x 0.303” browning fitted to early production examples but discontinued at some point in production due to lack of use and removal in service, fitted with new design fin of 15% increased size)
46 Mark IX A9-701 to A9-746
( Not new manufacture but modification of existing Mark VIII bombers into unarmed communications and freight transports by removal of armour plating and turret and fitting of new rear fuselage decking from turret position to leading edge of fin, fitting of 6 passenger interior and capability of carrying 1814kg of freight)

IE summary of changes
Mark V, Mark VI same airframe other than use of imported engines/propellors
Mark VII introduced nose “gimbals” on later aircraft (141 onwards?)
Mark VA introduced increased fin area
Mark VIII introduced new centre fuselage design to accommodate later dorsal turrets

Regards

Mark Pilkington