Manufacturer: Airspeed

Model: A.S.39T

Name: Twin Shadower

Type:

Date: 1940

Status: Experimental

Country: United Kingdom

Service: Royal Navy

Designation: none

Synopsis: The Airspeed A.S.39T Twin Shadower was a British long-range patrol aircraft design developed from the initial A.S.39 Fleet Shadower prototype. It also never went beyond the prototype stage. The idea behind the Twin Shadower was that two fuselages would double the observation posts and allow for more detection material to be embarked. Not a bad idea, but the design was quickly outclassed by the larger patrol aircraft which could do the same and even better with a more sturdy airframe and fewer engines.
Elaboration:

I simply took a Fleet Shadower, doubled it up (making sure the rear one was slightly smaller than the front one) and had quite a tough time getting the shadows on the ground look reasonably realistic...


Viewers' comments:
  • "Great Zwilling (I mean: "twin") plane! And this photograph is obviously true: even the shadow on the ground does match. Thanks, dear spy, revealing wonderful such hidden secret planes..." (Tophe)

Thanks to you,Tophe for your unfading support!


My comments:

Before wondering about the believability of the Twin Shadower, a simple look at the original Fleet Shadower (right) makes one wonder about the believability of the real design in the first place! However, I made one mistake here in using only five engines. If one aircraft made use of four engines, a double aircraft should have used seven or eight, not five!!!