AMPHIBIANS

[pmccarthy]

My dad was at Rathmines, a navigator air gunner but he drove airsea rescue boats.

Edited January 5, 2022 by pmccarthy

[KRviator]

15 hours ago, puggo1 said:

Hi does anyone remember or have details on the amphibian designed by two Sydney university lecturers in the 1980's?  It was a two seater with a full fuselage (Teal style) and a unique engine layout.

Yep, Google tells me it morphed into this one...More photos available if you google VH-XWS or "Smith FSRW"

From the aeropedia website:

Quote

Theoretically it had a take-off run on land of 37 m (120 ft), and a stalling speed of 43 km/h (27 mph).  When first built power was provided by a Rolls Royce/Continental O-240A engine driving two wooden Hawker de Havilland-built propellers by VEE-belt drive, the propellers being mounted on two pylons above the wing.

 

The prototype, known as the FSRW-1, and later registered VH-XWS, was constructed on a property at West Pennant Hills, NSW.  The aircraft made its first flight at Schofields, NSW, on 16 March 1983 and was demonstrated to the public shortly thereafter at the Schofields Airshow with well-known Sydney Victa and GAF test pilot, the late Victor Walton, at the controls.  On 2 December that year, after a considerable amount of development, it made its first water flight from Pittwater near Palm Beach, NSW.

 

Further development took place to improve performance, stability, control, and water operation.  Two major changes were made to the design.  One of these involved the replacement of the all-moving tailplane with a conventional fixed tailplane with elevators mounted high on the fin to give greater water clearance.  The second involved replacement of the engine in the fuselage driving the two propellers on pylons and installation of the engine in a single pylon above the fuselage in a configuration similar to the Lake Buccaneer as there was considered to beto  much power loss to the propellers under the original arrangement.

Image courtesy of Aeropedia.

Edited January 5, 2022 by KRviator