The update is now live!
---== UPDATE FL2072: THE BIPLANE THAT COULD ==---
By: Robert, Grumpy & Bollok
All made possible by: Bcamel (creator of the program used to model the airplanes), and Idunno (who has shared a vast amount of aerodynamical knowledge).
--= Fairey Swordfish Mk.II =--
Full rehaul for the Fairey Swordfish Naval torpedo bomber, which is now modeled as the improved Mk.II version. See below for details.
--= New skins =--
Beautiful new skins available, made by IArt7.
* Bf 109E-4Aa: Trop "Schwarze 3" and "Schwarze 8", 2./JG 27, Libya '42.
* Bf 109K-4: Bf 19G-4 "Rote 7".
* Hawk 75: RAF "T", Dinjan, India '42.
* Me 262: Updated default skin and new "Red 7" and "White 17" skins.
* MiG-15: Updated default skin and four new Russian/North Korean/Chinese skins.
--= Single engine bombers hitpoints =--
All the naval single engine bombers have had their hitpoints recalculated based on their structure, materials, armor, and size of their respective hitmaps.
--= New terrain flash pictures =--
Several new flash pictures have been created by IArt for the "Free Flight" terrain selection menu.
---== THE FAIREY SWORDFISH MK.II FULL REHAUL ==---
The Swordfish, nicknamed "Stringbag", was a biplane torpedo bomber designed for British naval operations. It was thought to be of an outdated design with a top speed far below that of contemporary monoplanes, but still this biplane saw great success in the war and sunk more tonnage of Axis shipping than any other Allied aircraft in WW2. This was the torpedo bomber that stopped the famous Bismarck in it's tracks, and was kept in service until the end of the war.
The Swordfish Mk.II has a top speed of only 152 mph, clean config at WEP, due to it's high drag profile, and it's Pegasus XXX engine has a max output of 815 hp. The operational ceiling is also quite low at ~13 000 ft. This could be quite discouraging facts but there are several reasons why the Swordfish was so successful in the war. For one the stall speed is very low, and it's easy to both land and take off. This also means that a skilled Swordfish pilot can really dodge enemy fighters, using the low stall speed and great turning ability to survive until escort fighters can fend off the attackers. It's an easy plane to fly, and was even considered to easy to fly to be a trainer for British cadets. Secondly the Swordfish was able to withstand quite a beating and keep flying, bringing it's crew home safely. Not a single Swordfish was lost when attacking the Bismarck, despite heavy flak fire that hit several of the planes, one of them returning home with 175 holes.
What makes the Swordfish Mk.II a good naval bomber though is it's ability to carry quite a diverse set of payloads. It can carry up to 1500 lb of bombs in various combinations, like 1x 500 lbs with 8x 100 lbs, or 6x 250 lbs. It can also carry a torpedo, 8x rockets, a sea mine or a drop tank. If the pilot doesn't mind it's low top speed then this is a great plane for hunting different kind of ships and conducting naval strikes against land bases with.
<S>
/Robert
