fv1609 Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 There's no turret, the big round thing is the aircraft engine. The armament was a Bren gun with the gunner stood on his seat leaning out of a hatch. Loaded weight 7,050 lb Crew 2 Radios C13/B47 24v 40A alternator Road engine Porsche 1,582 cc petrol Max road speed 45 mph Max CC speed 25 mph Max air speed 60 knots Max 40 hops of 1,00ft Not built although there was a scale model for wind tunnel evaluation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon_M Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 There's no turret, the big round thing is the aircraft engine. The armament was a Bren gun with the gunner stood on his seat leaning out of a hatch. Why do I get the image of Corporal Jones hanging out the window and shouting Don't panic, Captain Mainwaring ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted March 18, 2013 Author Share Posted March 18, 2013 Yes particularly as ejector seats were not provided. To do so increases the payload by 220 lb in the cockpit area, which would unbalance the vehicle & would require a redesign. If there was engine failure the vehicle "will quickly result in the generation of a downward velocity". A normal ejector seat would not work & would require rocket assistance & they would have to be 150 ft AGL as the vehicle would fall at the rate of 100 ft/sec. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon_M Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 & they would have to be 150 ft AGL as the vehicle would fall at the rate of 100 ft/sec. ... reminds me of an illustration in one of Fred Crismon's books. It was a big US jeep with a recoilless launcher that was actually capable of launching a small nuke. Range of missile was a a few miles, somewhat less than the blast radius of the device .... Still, deviating from subject here, next item please :cool2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 I'd say the other possible drawback would be the weight of fuel hose needed to connect it to the fleet of tankers. :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gritineye Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 There was a lot of it about those days...... [video=youtube_share;f8W2SI4c93s] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted March 19, 2013 Author Share Posted March 19, 2013 Bernard nice nostalgic clip. I always thought the bedstead frame was just for support ie the landing legs, but seeing "Prodigal" realise that it was also part of the steering & stabilising gear using jets of air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lauren Child Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Thanks Clive, this has been really interesting! Now I want to build one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted March 23, 2013 Author Share Posted March 23, 2013 This is the only one built! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.O.S. Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 A couple of related items in this set from British Pathe (don't you know): http://www.britishpathe.com/gallery/amazing-transport-inventions/0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickmow Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 Bit late in on this one, having read all the informed guesses......first thought was can you imagine the noise !! The crew would have all been deaf ! And the Bren gunner would of had his undercrackers wedgied up into the intake. Brilliantly eccentric concept. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted March 28, 2013 Author Share Posted March 28, 2013 Bit late in on this one, having read all the informed guesses......first thought was can you imagine the noise !! The crew would have all been deaf ! And the Bren gunner would of had his undercrackers wedgied up into the intake. Brilliantly eccentric concept. Good point about the noise, this detailed report doesn't seem to have been considered the tactical aspect of such noise. As far as the gunner goes, all in flight drawings show him within the cab. Even so it would still have been very noisy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rog8811 Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 A couple of related items in this set from British Pathe Picture 3/10 interesting vehicle in the background, I thought at first it was an autocar but it looks like it is a three wheeler of some kind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gritineye Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 Picture 3/10 interesting vehicle in the background, I thought at first it was an autocar but it looks like it is a three wheeler of some kind. Scammell Scarab (Mechanical horse) I believe, with a trailer on the load bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rog8811 Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I didn't think of the possibility that it was British, I assumed the photo was American...turns out, with a bit of googling the drainpipe is French! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gritineye Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I didn't think of the possibility that it was British, I assumed the photo was American...turns out, with a bit of googling the drainpipe is French! Then it is a fair bet the truck is a 'Pony Mécanique'...a French built Mechanical Horse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted September 13, 2013 Author Share Posted September 13, 2013 This article includes the BAC answer to Prodigal amongst other stuff. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2342818/Jumping-military-jeeps-leap-enemies-planes-vertically-previously-unseen-British-inventions-were.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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