Airspeed Horsa variations - info required

[MarkoZG]

Hi,

some time ago there was a thread here about built series of Italeri's Airspeed Horsa where someone emphasised that differences between Mk.I and Mk.II where much more that Italeri did and that Italeri's solution is a strange mix.

Unfortunately I didn't manage to find any other data confirming this so please if someone could help pointing out exact details which should be dealt with when building Italeri's kit as Mk.I or Mk.II.

Thanks in advance!

[Work In Progress]

In a nutshell, you can modify it fairly easily to be an acceptable Mark I, but making a Mark II requires substanbtial surgery and scratch-building.

 

Check out the second paragraph here 

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=QMmnCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA22&lpg=PA22#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Also read this thread

and this thread:

 

 

Edited May 23, 2019 by Work In Progress

[gingerbob]

1 hour ago, MarkoZG said:

Hi,

some time ago there was a thread here about built series of Italeri's Airspeed Horsa where someone emphasised that differences between Mk.I and Mk.II where much more that Italeri did and that Italeri's solution is a strange mix.

Probably this thread?

 

 

[MarkoZG]

Yes, that was the thread.

Thank you for placing all the information in one place, but I still have trouble understanding the scope of exact canopy modifications fro Mk.II (also described in one of these threads as not easy).

And my PC doesn't want to open the pages with possible Horsa plans  

[Work In Progress]

The only good Horsa scale drawings I know of are available for purchase from here:

https://www.tandymedia.com/product/airspeed-as-51-horsa-aircraft-plan/

 

[Aeronut]

The Mk II nose is slimmer caused by the simple fact that the main fuselage has flats chamfered into it from two frames back from the transport joint. In elevation the nose is similar in shape but in planform the MkIi is more pointed. Under the nose there’s is a transversal mounted tubular strake to drop the tow rope damaging the wooden structure. The nose leg is different not just twin wheels replacing the single one on the MkI, but it is also shorter and doesn’t project above the cabin floor as on the MkI. Another significant chance to the fuselage is the shock absorber for the landing skid. On the Mk I this was a stack of rubber blocks, on the Mk II it was two oleo in tandem. The rest of the airframe was unchanged, indeed film of Operation Varsity shows MkII with faded (washed out) invasion stripes, these were aircraft made up from a new MkII nose and fuselage mated to wings and rear fuselage of Horsa Mk I recovered from Normandy.

I’m away from home and my archive at the moment so I can’t back all this up with diagrams but if anyone is interested...........

BTW all but one of the surviving original Horsa noses are Mk II, the only original MkI is on display at Middle Wallop where it can be compared to restored and unrestored MkII noses and forward fuselages.

[MarkoZG]

Thanks!

Aeronut, if you could please help with diagrams you mentioned when you come back home, please?