Fairey Gannet scheme detail review

Welcome to this latest edition of our Workbench blog and all the news, updates and modelling exclusives from the fascinating world of Airfix.

As one of the most interesting new model tooling projects to be announced over recent years, Workbench readers will probably have been waiting patiently for a Fairey Gannet update for some time now, wondering how everything is advancing with the new model. We apologise for keeping you waiting so long, but are delighted to now be in a position to rectify this situation in some style, bringing you a major project update and confirmation that the Gannet is well on the way to initial release.

Following our traditional project review format, in this second update, we will be taking a closer look at the three scheme options to be included with the initial release of the kit, but by way of an added bonus due to the length of time between updates, the kit's designer Paramjit Sembhi has kindly supplied us with some exclusive extras. We will be including a first look at Gannet tooling layout images and sight of the actual test tool produced from them. This is a major scoop for us and you most definitely will not want to miss out on seeing these fascinating images.

If you like your aircraft modelling subjects that little bit different, with a definite naval leaning, then you’re in for a real Workbench treat this weekend.

Submarine sniffing Gannet

Such an unusual looking aircraft, the Fairey Gannet was the first British designed aircraft in Fleet Air Arm history to combine both search and strike roles. It was also usually the first aircraft to take off and the last to land during any day of operational flying.

A post WWII aviation type which from an aesthetic perspective at least, has to be described as something of an acquired taste, the Fairey Gannet may not have qualified as the most attractive aircraft to have ever operated from the deck of a British aircraft carrier, but it was extremely effective in the role to which it was assigned and with it, was undeniably one of the most distinctive. 

The Fairey Gannet has the distinction of being the first British designed aircraft in Fleet Air Arm history to combine both search and strike roles when it came to protecting the fleet from enemy submarine activities, developed in response to a 1945 Royal Navy requirement for an advanced carrier-based turbo prop powered anti-submarine hunter killer, one which was rugged enough to withstand the rigors of operation at sea. Intended to counter a worrying expansion of Soviet submarine fleet numbers at the start of the Cold War era, the Gannet was equipped with all manner of the latest electronic detection equipment and should it detect an enemy submarine, it could be marked, tracked and if necessary, destroyed, using a combination of bombs, depth charges, rockets and air-launched acoustic torpedoes.

Despite possessing something of a portly appearance, the Gannet was actually quite a manoeuvrable aircraft and when combined with the excellent visibility its pilot was afforded and the considerable power available from its unusual and innovative Armstrong Siddeley Double Mamba powerplant arrangement, it proved to be ideally suited to the harsh aviation environment operating from the deck of an aircraft carrier. Offensively, the Gannet was definitely not to be taken lightly, as its cavernous ordnance bay was able to carry around 30 different combinations of detection and attack stores, so if you were unlucky enough to attract the attention of a Gannet, you were unlikely to escape the encounter unscathed. 

A submarine commander's nightmare, the Fairey Gannet was introduced to defend the Royal Navy from the latest post war Soviet submarine fleet.

In strike configuration, the Gannet could be equipped with up to 36 rockets mounted on stations below each wing, which could be used against any number of potential targets, from ships to coastal defences. In much the same way as the famous Short Sunderland flying boat was regarded during the Second World War, the Fairey Gannet proved to be a particularly prickly aircraft if provoked.

With its position as one of the most unusual, yet effective aircraft of its kind to see Fleet Air Arm service, the Gannet has long been on the radar of the Airfix development team, in addition to always appearing high on the list of new tooling suggestions modellers regularly communicate to us. There has always been something rather enigmatic about aircraft which were operated at sea and as a consequence, model kits featuring Fleet Air Arm subjects have always been popular additions to any Airfix range.

Over recent weeks, we have featured such naval aviation classics as the Supermarine Seafire, Hawker Sea Fury and Westland Sea King within various Workbench updates, all of them in 1/48th scale and all complementing other Fleet Air Arm types in the current range, such as the Buccaneer and Tiger Moth. The future inclusion of the Fairey Gannet to this group takes things to another level altogether, a modelling project of real distinction, with access to build options which really will make this the most distinctive addition to any built model collection.

Clearly, we were aware that thousands of Workbench readers will be looking forward to hearing how the Gannet project is progressing and in circumstances such as these, there is only one way to proceed, by going straight to the kit's designer Paramjit Sembhi. Thanks to him, you'll also be pleased to hear that we have a further selection of exclusive Gannet project imagery to bring you, just by way of an additional update treat.

If you would like to revisit our Fairey Gannet introduction edition, along with our interview with Paramjit, please use THIS LINK to access that particular edition.

A design logbook full of Gannet hours

Having a Fairey Gannet in your model design log book must be a proud boast, one which only a single Airfix designer can claim.

Over the course of publishing eight years of Workbench updates, we have gained a fascinating insight into the unique skills possessed by Airfix product designers and their talent for immortalising some of the world's most famous aircraft, military vehicles, cars and ships as scale model construction kits for us all to enjoy building. Having said that, of all the new tooling subjects we have covered so far, surely none can rival the Fairey Gannet when it comes to either the distinctiveness of its appearance, or indeed the complexity of design, at least in the eyes of most casual observers. The task of taking on this challenge was handed to Workbench regular and Airfix designer extraordinaire Paramjit Sembhi and even though his travails with the Gannet are now behind him, we wanted to drag him back their just one last time prior to reviewing the scheme options to be included with the initial release of this kit. 

For those who recall our original Gannet interview with Paramjit, he described in some detail have their were several extremely challenging aspects to the design of this kit, not least of which was the bi-folding wing design which was such a distinctive feature of the Fairey Gannet. In order to attempt to replicate this feature in his design, Paramjit first had to find the wing pivot points before he could progress his design, as this was absolutely critical. 

Once he had this information, he had to ensure that his design allowed the dual pivot point wing sections to fold back on themselves at exactly the right angle and just as crucially, at the correct orientation to the rest of the wing and fuselage at any given point. He described at the time how this produced more than a couple of real head scratching moments and saw him seeking the opinions of his Airfix colleagues on several occasions.

Not wanting to go over old ground again and conscious of the fact that we didn’t want to give him wing folding mechanism palpitations, we did want to ask Paramjit if he remembers any other aspect of the Gannet's design as being particularly challenging for him, and he immediately replied 'Rivets!' He said this with such conviction that we knew we were on to something interesting, and therefore continued to probe further.

A fascinating series of images sent to us by Paramjit, helping to underline his design travails on the rivet representation stage of the Gannet's design. Images include research images of real Gannet airframes and how Paramjit represented these details in design. 

Paramjit described how from his initial inspection of the research files he inherited at the start of the project and the ability to later visit preserved examples of the Gannet, it immediately became apparent to him that rivet detail was a distinctive feature of the aircraft and something he would need to replicate effectively if he was going to produce an accurate representation of the aircraft.

When he eventually arrived at this stage of his design, he described how this turned out to be quite the challenge and extremely time consuming. In fact, when asking if the process took him quite some time to complete, he laughed, before telling us that this was quite possibly the understatement of the year! He went on to say that the Gannet really is covered in rivets, rivets of all shapes and sizes and in a variety of patterns and groupings. Not only was Paramjit desperate to replicate this feature accurately from a design perspective, he also wanted to make this a real feature for the modeller to enjoy, something which would result in a finished kit possessing real visual interest.

After some deliberation, he decided that the best way for him to proceed was to use a combination of design techniques, and to incorporate both raised and recessed detail to produce the desired effect. When designing in scale, Paramjit described how in his opinion, the replication of rivet detail can actually make or brake a kit in the eyes of the modelling community and how in some cases, adding this detail can actually be detrimental to the aesthetic appeal of the kit.

With the Gannet utilising so many rivets of different head sizes and in so many different pattern groupings, he was so conscious that he didn't want to stray into uncomfortable territory with his rivet representation, as it can be easy to overdo it. Working in this scale, rivet detail should hardly be visible to the naked eye and even less so when covered with a layer of paint, however, as any modeller will tell you, a kit without surface detail is equally unappealing, meaning we are once again in the territory of making strategic compromises during the design phase.

Paramjit's idea was to include a combination of raised and recessed rivet detail across his design and was really pleased with how this turned out. It has resulted in creating the desired visual effect on the finished model, giving the Gannet real character and visual interest, but at some personal cost - it took him absolutely ages to do!

Now for some new Airfix Fairey Gannet image treats. We begin with a fascinating fuselage CAD design section image, before moving on to an image of Paramjit's tooling layout and an actual image of the prototype looking.

He went on to tell us that although it looks great on the finished model and how he's so glad that he designed the feature this way, he said he was equally glad that all that Gannet rivet work is now just a distant memory now and how just sending these couple of screen shot images actually sent a bit of a rivet shiver down his spine.

Even though we dragged Paramjit back into this rivet designing territory unexpectedly, he is actually looking forward to the next stage of our blog involvement with the new Fairey Gannet tooling, when we will be able to share test frame images and the first pictures of a test built kit with readers. At that stage, people will be able to see the impact of Paramjit's design work more clearly and will hopefully enjoy how he managed to replicate all that fantastic detail. Until then, he hopes the sight of this latest selection of project image exclusives will help keep people thinking about the new Fairey Gannet kit.

Fairey Gannet scheme option review

Now on to the actual subject of this second Gannet project update, and a look at the three appealing scheme options which will accompany the initial release of this fabulous newly tooled kit, all three of which feature the Anti-Submarine Warfare variant of the aircraft, with all three possessing that irresistible Fleet Air Arm appeal.

Let's take a closer look now.

Scheme A - Fairey Gannet AS.4 XA460, No.849 Naval Air Squadron, HQ Training Flight, Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose, circa 1959.

A really impressive naval aircraft type which possessed a number of distinctive features, perhaps the most significant was its use of the innovative Armstrong Siddeley Double Mamba powerplant. This arrangement utilised two gas turbine engines mounted side by side in the nose of the Gannet, sharing a common gearbox, but both operating independently, with each engine driving its own coaxially mounted, contra-rotating propeller. 

In addition to this, the engines could run on kerosene and even diesel fuels, which were safer to handle and less refined than traditional aviation fuels. This arrangement provided Gannet crews with more than enough power for effective carrier operations, whilst also providing the reassurance of two engines when engaged in undertaking long ocean patrols in the protection of the fleet. Once in flight, the pilot could shut down one of the engines to conserve fuel and whilst this would reduce the Gannet's maximum speed, it would extend its loiter capabilities considerably. 

Usually, a pilot would alternate engine use during a long patrol, running each engine for around an hour before swopping over and feathering the prop, minimising the potential for engine damage and keeping engine usage roughly equal. Providing all the benefits of twin engined operation, the fact that both propellors lay on the centreline of the Gannet, there were no control drawbacks from shutting down one engine in flight. The engine mounted on the port side of the Gannet drove the forward propeller.

Fairey Gannet XA460 was constructed as an AS.4 variant in 1956 and delivered to the Aircraft Receipt and Dispatch Unit at Anthorn on 3rd October the same year, allocated its serial and immediately place into storage. She would later be transferred between the Aircraft Handling Units at Abbotsinch and Culdrose, before finally being allocated to No.849 Headquarters Training Flight at Culdrose in early 1959.

Full scheme details of an aircraft which is now under the care of the Ulster Aviation Society.

It appears that during quite an active service career, this particular Gannet was blighted by more than its fair share of unfortunate incidents and technical malfunctions, however in general, the Gannet was regarded as an extremely reliable aircraft and even though XA460 was to suffer a seized engine whilst in flight, the second Armstrong Siddeley Mamba brought her and her crew safely back.
     
Later selected for conversion to ECM.6 standard, she was allocated to No.831 Squadron at Watton, before arriving at RNAS Lee-on-Solent for reverse conversion back to AS.4. Before being withdrawn from service, the aircraft would once again be allocated to No.849 Headquarters Training Flight, this time at Brawdy, where she wore the code 768/BY.

Following the end of her service career, XA460 was transferred to the Flintshire College of Technology at Hawarden, where she was to serve as a training airframe for their aeronautical engineering department. Later serving as a college gate guardian, she quickly began to show significant signs of deterioration and a decision was therefore made to donate her to an ATC Squadron in Yorkshire. From there, she soon ended up in the care of Doncaster's AeroVenture Museum, where she would remain for the next eight years, before being donated to the Ulster Aviation Society.

Moving to her new home at Maze Long Kesh in late 2011, Gannet XA460 has since been the subject of a deep restoration project and whilst progress has been slow but steady over the years, she is now looking in much better condition. With the group having a number of exceptional high-profile restoration projects already to their name, it's hoped that she will soon be returned to her former glory, a stunning example of this most interesting aircraft type.

Scheme B - Fairey Gannet AS.4 XA418, No.815 Naval Air Squadron, HMS Ark Royal, 1958.

Another unique feature of the Gannet's design was its intricate bi-folding wing system, an innovation which was designed to allow this relatively large aircraft to operate safely from and to be stored aboard one of the Royal Navy's diminutive aircraft carriers. When a pilot engaged the wing unfold, this ingenious system not only prepared the wings for flight configuration, but also automatically engaged all flight control systems, hydraulic connections and fuel ducting to the main system, without any ground crew intervention in the majority of cases.

In operation, the Gannet endeared itself to both air and ground crews by virtue of its rugged effectiveness and how in one incredible incident, an aircraft managed to safely return to base after losing both outer sections of its wings, after a particularly violent manoeuvre caused them to both be wrenched from the wing. By all accounts, if you were going to serve operating aircraft at sea, you had a better chance of surviving the experience if your mount was a Fairey Gannet.

During the summer of 1950, a Fairey Gannet would become the first turboprop powered aircraft in the world to land on the deck of an aircraft carrier and production deliveries of the most heavily produced AS.1 variant of the aircraft would begin in 1954. No.826 NAS would take the honour of being the first operational Fairey Gannet Squadron in the Royal Navy and around 348 Gannets would eventually be produced.

Ark Royal protector, the endurance of the Fairey Gannet usually meant that the aircraft was the first to take off and the last to land on any operational flying day.

Fairey Gannet XA418 was produced as an AS.4 variant during the early summer of 1956 and delivered to the Fleet Air Arm in July of the same year. It's interesting to note that production of the Gannet was split between two final assembly lines at Northolt and Ringway (Manchester Airport), with both sites receiving components produced in sub assembly plants at Hayes, Hamble and Stockport. Aircraft assembled at Ringway would undergo all their testing and certification flying at the airfield, however, those produced at Northolt made their first flight from Northolt to White Waltham, where their main test and certification flying would take place.

In the livery presented by this scheme, Gannet XA418 served aboard HMS Ark Royal, where she was the subject of a beautifully clear colour photograph, showing the aircraft being prepared for flight operations. In this configuration, the aircraft performed the role for which it was originally intended, defending the fleet against enemy submarine attack, a specialist role in which crews trained constantly. Able to detect submarines using the latest highly effective technologies, once detected, the Gannet could attack submarines either on the surface or whilst still submerged with ruthless effectiveness, using any combination of bombs, depth charges, rockets and air-launched acoustic torpedoes.

Following the end of her service career, Gannet XA418 was flown to Shorts of Belfast for storage, only to be sold to a local scrap merchant around 22 months later.

Scheme C - Fairey Gannet AS.1 XA335, No.847 Naval Air Squadron, RAF Nicosia, Cyprus, 1957.

During the mid 1950s, British forces based on the Island of Cyprus were embroiled in the conflict between Greek and Cypriot paramilitary groups trying to force an end to British rule on the Island. With the violence worsening, a decision was taken to prevent further arms and explosives reaching the island by boat, with regular patrols by both sea and air hoping to put an end to these disruptive supply runs. Despite having a strong naval presence in the region and access to the RAF Shackletons from Malta, further action needed to be taken - it was felt that having access to aircraft actually based on the Island would make these patrols much more effective.

In support of this decision, No.812 Naval Air Squadron at Eglinton was split to create No.847 NAS and was allocated three Fairey Gannet AS.1 aircraft. Taking up residence at Royal Air Force Station Nicosia on 6th April 1956, these aircraft immediately began flying observation patrols around the island, looking for signs of suspicious activities, or vessels which may be being used for terrorist purposes. Operating in conjunction with Royal Navy fast patrol craft, any signs of activity were reported back and a Navy boat immediately dispatched.

These patrols must have proved effective, because a general reduction in violent incidents saw 847 heading back to their home base at Eglinton at the end of November 1959, only to be disbanded on their arrival. During a hectic period of flying activity whilst operating from its base on the Island of Cyprus, No.847 NAS amassed an impressive 1,700 operational sorties, in a glorious, yet relatively unsung chapter in the history of the Fairey Gannet.

Gannet XA335 was constructed as an AS.1 variant at the beginning of 1955 and delivered to the Fleet Air Arm at the end of June the same year. She would be one of the aircraft sent to fly anti-arms patrols from RAF Nicosia during the second half of the 1950s, where she was also the subject of a rare and unusual colour photograph, showing her as a particularly colourful example of this distinctive aircraft. Resplendent in her wing and fuselage identification markings and sporting a red spinner, she really was a beauty and presumably served as a highly visible deterrent to arms smuggling activities.

Despite being a real Fleet Air Arm looker of an aircraft, XA335 was unceremoniously scrapped at Abbotsinch at the end of February 1962.

This colourful Gannet worked tirelessly in patrolling the coast of Cyprus during the islands troubled period during the 1950s, in an attempt to deter the smuggling of arms and explosives by paramilitary groups fighting on the Island.

In the main, pilots who served flying the Gannet were extremely complimentary about the aircraft and whist probably initially describing it as a large and ungainly beast, would usually end by extolling its many admirable qualities, safety and reliability being amongst the most important. With some even describing it as being so ugly it was actually beautiful, they would go on to describe all the things that made this a special aeroplane and the men who operated it a special breed of airmen.

With the cockpit being set so high from the deck of the carrier, pilots describe how climbing up there was not for the faint-hearted, but once there, how you felt like the king of the ship. This exceptional view made deck landing approach in a Gannet quite a pleasurable experience and with the abundance of available power from the Double Mamba engine arrangement, if the pilot should be waved off for whatever reason, the Gannet simply climbed away and joined the pattern again, with a minimum of fuss.

With the exceptional range afforded by the single engine cruising capability of the aircraft, a carrier's Gannets were typically the first aircraft to take off at the start of any flight operations and the last to recover and if flying late and in dusk conditions, there would be light for the main strike aircraft landing on, but this will have all but disappeared for the poor Gannet pilot.

Pilots who operated the Gannet at Airshows around the UK described how they always knew how to make an entrance. The noise projected by a Double Mamba arrangement  at full power ensured that everyone in the vicinity of the aircraft would immediately look to see where all that racket was coming from. Wherever possible and at the end of a Gannet display, the pilot would activate the wing fold system whilst the aircraft was heading back to its parking spot, but whilst racing the crowd. As the hydraulic system was not sequenced, one wing would normally raise before the other and with the distinctive double fold, it looked for all the world as if the aircraft was saluting the crowd.

The Fairey Gannet really was an aircraft full of character.

Hopefully, this second Fairey Gannet project update will serve to keep our excitement levels simmering until we can follow it up with a first look at test frame and build samples, followed soon after by build sample models completed in all three of the above scheme options. Our next update will also include final confirmation of the expected release date of this highly anticipated new kit, so please keep a look out for this.

We are afraid that's all we have for you in this latest edition, but we will be back next Friday with more project development updates and the very latest Airfix kit exclusives. In the meantime, we are always keen to hear your views on all things Airfix and in particular, any thoughts and opinions you may have regarding our Workbench blog. If you would like to drop us a quick line, could we please ask that you use our workbench@airfix.com email for all correspondence. 

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