Later Good Guy Planes
The Aircraft of Bill Barnes, his Friends
& his Enemies
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Here are the the "Classic era"  planes of the Barnes establishment, the ones that folks remember from Bill Barnes'  final appearances in Air Trails.

3Vus for many of these have been posted  in the [3vus and Models] section. The Eaglet and the BT Transports have their own page.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 



The Lancer
There was only one of these. It was Bills personal airplane. At the time it was lost in a desperate  ramming attack in The Lancer's Last Flight, it was the fastest plane in the world

All metal geodetic wings
50’ span
43’ LOA
 landing flaps
amphibian with retractable floats

 

Twin Barnes Diesels
2 3 bladed controllable pitch props, 
Wing Radiators

Pressurized Cabin with sliding enclosure of shatter proof glass
Cockpit just aft of main spar- 
A full set of blind flying instruments complete with Kreusi short wave direction finder.
Can land on instruments (radio beam?) 
Gyropilot 
Infrared telescope- & position detector that gives coordinates from heat of plane
Rear cockpit contains duplicate controls and navigating instruments

 
Two 50 cal machine guns w/ automatic ammunition counters, Telescopic U.S. Army type sight.

37 mm Cannon variously described as being   in the V of the cylinders

or 
An  Engine Cannon integral w/ motor Firing  explosive, incendiary or armor piercing shells at the rate of three hundred shots a minute: through the prop shaft 

A flexible .30 caliber Browning mounted on a track in the rear of the pit.
 It was much more graceful in the air

 
 

The Snorters
There were usually two of these amphibians in the Squadron. 

These are sort of orphans, journeyman aircraft for the crew   I have yet to find a good description of one. Perhaps someone can help

I think these are  truly handsome planes that, I'm afraid, can not be made into a flying Free Flight rubber model. I love the curve at the rear between the float and the fuselage
2 seater - amphibian
wing tip floats retract into the wing
The wing is notched in wing for visibility
2  fixed 50 cal machine guns firing through the propellers
2  machine guns in the rear of the green house.

Power-- Bill Barnes twin diesel 3000 hp counter rotating 3 bladed auto pitch props LOA 46’
Length of fuselage 41” 3”
Height max 13’ 9”
Span 52’
In Under the Midnight Sun,  Snorters are black red and yellow. But later, in the The Charger goes to Sydney ,  Snorters are black red and orange.  Take your pick. Maybe Bill got a deal on orange paint.

 
 
The Charger
Following  the loss of his beloved Lancer, Bill designed  the Charger in his secret underground office and he and his crew built it in secret in the famous Hanger Number 6.

This beautiful airplane was piloted nonstop to victory by Bill and Sandy in the San Francisco to Sydney Australia race.  On the way, he shot down six of Peter Slade’s fighters including one piloted by Peter Slade himself. The prize money, $100,000 (depression era), saved the squadron

The picture on the right shows Bill and a biplane with a paralyzer ray in its tail. and is from The Swoop of the Hawk in Oct '39 Doc Savage

 
  1 - Instrument board and Gyro-pilot
  2 - Radio directional loop
  3 - Landing light
  4 - 23 mm Madson auto-cannon
  5 - Navigator - Radio operator's seat
  6 - Separate controls and radio set
  7 - Chart desk
  8 - Gunners cockpit with sliding seat
  9 - Sliding cockpit cover
10 - Improved 50 caliber machine guns
11 - Rear deck enclosure rotates into fuselage 
12 - Ammunition drums
13 - Dropdown mattress over main fuel tanks
14 - Hoisting eye 
15 - 1,800 h.p.. "pan-cake" Diesel engine		 16 - Single-bladed propeller with deicing spinner 
17 - Radio tunnel in wing
18 - Supercharger
19 - Oildraulic retracting cylinder
20 - Retractable steerable  suspended nose wheel
21 - Shock absorber
22 - Corrugated steel flange of fuel tank spar
23 - Fabric covered aileron
24 - Aileron trim tab
25 - Outriggers for Fowler flaps
26 - Rubber deicing boot
27 - Elevator trimming tabs
28 - Elevator balance weights
29 - Navigation light
Additional Features

Stainless steel. construction
Fuselage built around a triangular beam
.
The twin fins to allow  the rear gunner a clear shot.
 

Pilot's Cockpit
sealed cabin with a hi degree of visibility
All guns aimed by a single adjustable telescopic sight
Adjustable landing lights.

Engines
The two pancake engines were made in Germany
6 cylinder horizontal compression  of the opposed- piston two stroke type.
1,800 hp at 2,550 rpm at 15,000 ft
another source says 1,500 hp 2,500 rpm 15,000 ft
 

Emergency Equipment
Thompson sub machine gun, Springfield rifle with a telescopic sight, two colt. 45 automatics in holsters, a Very pistol and ammunition for everything
A rubber boat w/ outboard motor, iron rations of food and water, tools and a tent.

Landing Gear
inflatable floats. Cannot be deployed from the air.

Performance
450 mph top speed
Fowler flaps allow landing speed of 60 mph
37,500 ft ceiling