PlaneSpottingWorld welcomes all new members! Please gives your ideas at the Terminal.
Focke-Achgelis FA 330
The Focke Achgelis FA 330 Bachstelze ("Wagtail") was a type of rotary-wing kite, known as a Gyroglider or Rotor Kite. They were towed behind German U-boats during World War II to allow a lookout to see farther, giving the submarines a better chance of escape in a war that was becoming increasingly dangerous to them.
Development
Because of their low profile in the water, the submarines could not see more than a few miles over the ocean. Extremely vulnerable on the surface, the U-Boats often could not escape from destroyers because of the limited warning they had. To solve this, the German admiralty considered a number of different options, including a folding seaplane (Arado Ar 231). In the end, they chose the FA 330, a simple, single-seater autogyro kite with a three-bladed rotor.
The FA 330 could be deployed to the deck of the submarine by two people and was tethered to the U-boat via a 150m cable. The airflow on the rotors as the boat motored along on the surface would spin them up. The kite would then be deployed behind the U-boat with its observer/pilot aboard, raising him approximately 120 metres above the surface where he could see much farther; Template:Convert compared to the Template:Convert visible from the conning tower of the U-boat. In the case of an aircraft attack, the pilot and craft were considered expendable, as the U-boat captain would be forced to abandon them on the surface; the tether would be released and the FA 330 would descend slowly to the surface.
When not in use, the FA 330 was stowed in two watertight compartments aft of the conning tower. Recovering, dismantling, and stowing the FA 330 took approximately 20 minutes and was a difficult operation.
Operational history
As Allied air cover in other theatres of the war was considered too much of a threat, only U-boats operating in the far southern parts of the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean used the FA 330. Despite its advantages, the use of the FA 330 only resulted in a single sinking when U-177 used one to spot, intercept and sink the Greek steamer Eithalia Mari on 6 August 1943. [citation needed]
The Allies came into possession of an FA 330 in May 1944 when they captured U-852 intact.[1] After the war, the British government did successful experiments towing FA 330s behind ships and Jeeps, but the development of the helicopter quickly occupied the attention of the military.
U-boats that deployed FA 330 kites included at least U-177, U-181, and U-852.
Survivors
A number of FA 330s are on public display including:
- National Museum of the United States Air Force, United States.
- RAF Museum Cosford, England
- Imperial War Museum Duxford, England
- Deutsches Technikmuseum, Germany
- RAF Millom Museum, England
See also
- Autogyro
- Kite mooring
- Kite types
- Kite
- Man-lifting kite
- Kite applications
- Gyroglider
- Rotary-wing hang glider
References
External links
Template:RLM aircraft designations
Lists relating to aviation | |
|---|---|
| General | Timeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines |
| Military | Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft |
| Notable incidents and accidents | Military aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths |
| Records | Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft |
cs:Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 de:Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 fr:Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 Bachstelze ja:Fa 330 (航空機) pl:Focke-Achgelis Fa 330
| This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Focke-Achgelis FA 330". |
