1:72 VMT "Salama I", "SL-545", HävLLv 11, Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force), Rovanieni/Finland, 1951 (Whif) - Beauty pic by
dizzyfugu, on Flickr
Virtuelle Exoten, nächster Fall.
Finnische Flugzeuge bzw. die eigentümliche Tarnung fand ich schon immer faszinierend, und als Whif-Thema bietet sich so etwas auf einem "anderen" Flugzeug an. Wenn man etwas in der Historie stöbert, findet man einerseits, dass Finnland eine der ältesten Luftwaffen überhaupt hat, und auch eine recht reiche Flugzeug-Industrie. Was liegt also näher, als etwas zu entwickeln, das nach WWII die Lücke nach den Bf 109G hätte schließen können? So etwas gab es sogar in echt, die "
Pjörremyrsky" (hieß wirklich so!), und meine "Salama" (Blitz) ist/wäre da ein weiterer, analoger Schritt gewesen...
Das Modell ist allerdings kein großer Umbau, sondern eine 1:72 Me 209 V5 von HUMA, die fast OOB gebaut wurde. Es gab einen neuen Spinner (länger/spitzer) mit eingebauter Kanone (Spritzenkanüle), die MGs auf dem Motor sind verschwunden, Landeklappen sind runter, ein Pilot kam ins Cockpit, das Heckfahrwerk ist einziehbar geworden und es gab ein paar neue Antennen. Markierungen sind aus der Grabbelkiste zusammengestellt, orientieren sich aber an realen Vorbildern, wie auch der Anstrich und die Farbwahl in Helloliv (FS 34096), Schwarz (ein Mix aus Humbrol 33 und 66) und RLM 65 (von Testors), alles mit Pinsel und Trockenbemalungs-Effekten. Das Ding ist - von der Kiste bis zu den Bildern - in nur einer Woche entstanden.
Some backgroundWith the ending of World War II in 1945, the Valtion Lentokonetehdas and other state owned factories were merged into the company Valtion Metallitehtaat Lentokonetehdas (State Metal Factories, often abbreviated to V.M.T. or VMT). This company did not only focus on aircraft but on anything from general house-hold machinery to engines.
1:72 VMT "Salama I", "SL-545", HävLLv 11, Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force), Rovanieni/Finland, 1951 (Whif) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 VMT "Salama I", "SL-545", HävLLv 11, Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force), Rovanieni/Finland, 1951 (Whif) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
At that time the Ilmavoimat, the Finnish air Force, was left with Messerschmitt 109 Gs and some other obsolete types. The Finnish aircraft design declined during a number of years and it was not until 1947 when a new design was flown – the VMT Salama.
The aircraft was not completely new. It was based on the VL Pyörremyrsky (Hurricane) from 1944, a local evolution of the Me 109 G. The use of wood in the construction of the aircraft was maximised due to the sparseness of metals. The goal was to create a fighter with similar flight qualities to the German Messerschmitt Bf 109G. The engine and the propeller were directly taken from the Bf 109G. The landing gear was significantly widened in order to address one of the German fighter's most noteworthy shortcomings, the handling on ground.
1:72 VMT "Salama I", "SL-545", HävLLv 11, Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force), Rovanieni/Finland, 1951 (Whif) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 VMT "Salama I", "SL-545", HävLLv 11, Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force), Rovanieni/Finland, 1951 (Whif) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
Like its stillborn progenitor, the VL Pyörremyrsky, the new Salama (‘Lightning’) would share most of its airframe with a proven model, and in fact the Salam's structure was by more than 60% based on the Bf 109G airframe. Unfortunately for the design team around Torsti Verkkola, the Salama's proposed DB 603A engine was not available anymore due to the Paris peace talks of 1947. These forbade the use of German technology and put other limitations on the FAF, so the Finnish designers and engineers had to look for an alternative and chose the French SNECMA 12H00 engine, ultimately a derivative of the German Jumo 213A engine from WWII.
This different inverted V-12 engine required some reconstruction of the engine cowling. The supercharger intake was relocated to the starboard side of the cowling, and cooling system had to be adapted, too. Furthermore, the new aircraft featured an enlarged wing area, a taller tail, an Erla Haube-style canopy of later Bf 109G variants, a broad-track landing gear which improved ground handling considerably, and an annular radiator for the inline engine which gave the aircraft a superficial resemblance to a radial engine and to the very similar installation on the German WWII Focke-Wulf Fw 190D.
1:72 VMT "Salama I", "SL-545", HävLLv 11, Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force), Rovanieni/Finland, 1951 (Whif) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 VMT "Salama I", "SL-545", HävLLv 11, Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force), Rovanieni/Finland, 1951 (Whif) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
As the project progressed, the Salama I evolved from a simple, enhanced version of the Bf 109 to a progressively more capable fighter - a measure to keep up with the fast jet fighter development after WWII. The Salama I lacked the high turn rate and higher rate of roll of the Bf 109, but it was faster, however, with a maximum speed of more than 700km/h (434 mph) at 6,600 meters (21,650 ft), and it handled well.
Serial production started in December 1949. The Salama featured armament of one engine-mounted 30 mm (1.18 in) ADEN 30 cannon with 65 RPG, plus two 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannons in the wing roots with 250 RPG. The machines also featured three weapon hardpoints: one under the fuselage, for a drop tank or bombs up to 500kg, one under each wing, for lighter bombs, unguided rockets or podded 20mm guns with 135 RPG each.
1:72 VMT "Salama I", "SL-545", HävLLv 11, Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force), Rovanieni/Finland, 1951 (Whif) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
1:72 VMT "Salama I", "SL-545", HävLLv 11, Ilmavoimat (Finnish Air Force), Rovanieni/Finland, 1951 (Whif) - Cockpit detail by dizzyfugu, on Flickr
Only 55 Salamas I were built, and none survived the type's short career: after only 5 years it was clear that the piston-engined fighter was outdated. Together with the remaining Finnish Me 109 G the Salama continued in service until spring 1954 when the FAF entered the Jet Age. The last flight was on 21 March 1954.
General characteristicsCrew: One pilot
Length: 9.74 m (31 ft 11 in)
Wingspan: 10.95 m (35 ft 11 in)
Height: 4.00 m (13 ft 1 in)
Wing area: 17.2 m² (185 ft²)
Empty weight: 3,200 kg (7,050 lb)
Loaded weight: 4,085 kg (8,987 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × SNECMA 12H00 inverted V-12 piston engine with 1,750 PS (1,726 hp, 1,287 kW); the engine could produce 2,100 PS (2,071 hp, 1,545 kW) of emergency power with MW 50 injection
PerformanceMaximum speed: 724 km/h (450 mph)
Service ceiling: 11,600 m (38,030 ft)
Wing loading: 238 kg/m² (49 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.36 kW/kg (0.22 hp/lb)
Armament1 × 30 mm (1.18 in) ADEN 30 cannon, 65 RPG
2 × 20 mm (.78 in) Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon, 250 RPG
Up to 900kg (2.000 lbs) extrenal ordnance on three hardpoints under the wings and fuselage
Thema: What if? VMT "Salama I", HävLLv 11, Ilmavoimat (Finnische Luftwaffe), Rovanieni (Whif) (Gelesen 2737 mal)
