DIR Return Create A Forum - Home
---------------------------------------------------------
IL2 Air Combat!
HTML https://il2freemodding.createaforum.com
---------------------------------------------------------
*****************************************************
DIR Return to: Plane of the Week Articles
*****************************************************
#Post#: 14975--------------------------------------------------
Plane of the Week: Blohm and Voss BV 141
By: vonofterdingen Date: December 28, 2020, 2:08 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[img width=1024
height=584]
HTML https://i.postimg.cc/Vk9rcsPV/Screen-Hunter-605.png[/img]
This week’s Plane of the Week is an anomaly in just about
every sense of the word. For one thing, it is just about the
strangest plane I have ever seen. Due to my understanding of the
fundamental nature and laws of flight, I expect aircraft to be
symmetrical. But this is not the case for the Blohm and Voss BV
141. I look at this thing and the first thought I have is “does
that fly?” It does. And though it was little used in WW2, its
asymmetrical design gives it an important place in aircraft
history.
From Wikipedia
The Blohm & Voss BV 141 was a World War II German tactical
reconnaissance aircraft, notable for its uncommon structural
asymmetry. Although the Blohm & Voss BV 141 performed well, it
was never ordered into full-scale production, for reasons that
included the unavailability of the preferred engine and
competition from another tactical reconnaissance aircraft, the
Focke-Wulf Fw 189.
In 1937, the German Air Ministry – the
Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) – issued a specification for a
single-engine reconnaissance aircraft with optimal visual
characteristics. The preferred contractor was Arado with the Ar
198, but the prototype proved unsuccessful. The eventual winner
was the Focke-Wulf Fw 189 Uhu; even though its twin-boom design
using two smaller engines did not match the requirement of a
single engined aircraft. Blohm & Voss (Hamburger Flugzeugbau)
although not invited to participate, pursued as a private
venture something far more radical. The proposal of chief
designer Dr. Richard Vogt was the uniquely asymmetric BV 141.
The Plexiglas-glazed crew gondola on the starboard side
strongly resembled that found on the Fw 189, and housed the
pilot, observer and rear gunner, while the fuselage on the port
side led smoothly from the BMW 132N radial engine to a tail
unit.
At first glance, the placement of weight would have induced
tendency to roll, but the weight was evenly supported by lift
from the wings.
In terms of thrust vs drag asymmetry, the countering of
induced yaw was a more complicated matter. At low airspeed, it
was calculated to be mostly alleviated because of a phenomenon
known as P-factor, while at normal airspeed it proved to be
easily controlled with trimming.
The tailplane was symmetrical at first, but in the 141B it
became asymmetrical – starboard tailplane virtually removed – to
improve the rear gunner's fields of view and fire.
[img width=635
height=768]
HTML https://i.postimg.cc/fRQtFtpd/Screen-Hunter-603.png[/img]
Three prototypes and an evaluation batch of five BV 141As
were produced, backed personally by Ernst Udet, but the RLM
decided on 4 April 1940 that they were underpowered, although it
was also noted they otherwise exceeded the requirements. By the
time a batch of 12 BV 141Bs were built with the more powerful
BMW 801 engines, they were too late to make an impression, as
the RLM had already decided to put the Fw 189 into production.
Indeed, an urgent need for BMW 801 engines for use in the Fw 190
fighter aircraft reduced the chance of the BV 141B being
produced in quantity.
Vogt came up with several other asymmetric designs, including
the piston-jet P.194.01, but none of those were actually built.
Several wrecked BV 141s were found by advancing Allied
forces. One was captured by British forces and sent to England
for examination. No examples survive today.
[img width=1024
height=631]
HTML https://i.postimg.cc/PqtLfGtr/Screen-Hunter-606.png[/img]
In game…
Well, let’s face it, we rarely like to fly reconnaissance
planes in the game. It is generally more fun by far to get into
a dogfight or drop bombs on things. But our game has some very
interesting recce aircraft and we are missing out if we do not
at least try them out once in a while. When I get a new map, the
first thing I like to do is hop into the cockpit of a long range
aircraft with good visibility so that I can see what the map has
to offer. The Blohm and Voss is my favorite for this purpose.
Its cockpit forward view is all plexiglass; it is as close to
the “Wonder Woman” view that you will ever get in IL-2 while
using the real cockpit view. And of course there is no resisting
the urge to switch to external view, look at yourself, and
think, “can this thing fly?”
#Post#: 14976--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Blohm and Voss BV 141
By: JG51_Ruski Date: December 28, 2020, 2:49 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
WOW Von !! That is one crazy looking plane..I'd like to fly it
just to look around,,Thank you for another good article.. Looked
in all my installs and found a couple Blohm and Voss planes but
not one that looked like this.It was in the latest BAT setup..
#Post#: 14978--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Blohm and Voss BV 141
By: cafs Date: December 28, 2020, 4:07 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Do we have a section for Star Wars spacecraft?
Between X-wing fighters and Y-wing light bombers, this could be
the H-wing recon ship. 😳🤯🤪🤪
This was a very awkward looking plane, and her best defense was
that awkward design, any attacking fighter pilot will pause to
take a good look at her, thinking "wath the hack is that thing"
😳🤪
Thanks for another forgotten WW2 plane, Von.
👏🤙
#Post#: 14983--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Blohm and Voss BV 141
By: DHumphrey Date: December 28, 2020, 5:08 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Thanks Von for another interesting article ... this is an
obscure plane that is rarely used in the game, however I've seen
it fly at least twice in a couple of campaigns that I've
participated in. :)
#Post#: 14989--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Blohm and Voss BV 141
By: Beowolff Date: December 29, 2020, 4:27 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Many years ago now (whew! too many!) I came across a picture of
this plane in an old 'aircraft' book I'd bought at a library
sale... (this was way before the FLOOD of aircraft/WW2 books
that one sees on the market 'these' days) And I couldn't
believe it...you know, __that it could even fly. But upon
reading the book's article/information about that particular
plane I saw that it actually DID fly and flew very well.
Yeah, it LOOKS whacky. But it works.
Just another near unbelievable notation of the super-imaginative
German engineers/designers of that particular time in history.
Can one imagine how far we, as a human race, could have gone
(during that period) IF the Nazis hadn't gotten control of and
squandered Germany and her engineers/scientists/manufacturing
experts and other powerful resources?
???
Heck, working hand in hand with other such resources and our own
experts... (in such a brave new world) we might have already
colonized Mars by now! :o
Instead we fought a bloody World Wide War, killed millions of
wonderful people (no doubt many potential Einstein's), destroyed
unimaginable precious resources and wasted valuable years having
to stop the evil of a handful of vicious, mad-dog would-be kings
and dictators.
What a waste... Sadly something mankind seems to be 'so' good
at. :'(
Anyway, wonderful article, Von (as usual!) :D
S!
Beo
*****************************************************