WHAT THE ! - Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 Bachstelze (Wagtail)
 

Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 Bachstelze (Wagtail) :o

The Fa-330 was one of several German "gyro-kites". It consisted of a seat and an un-powered overhead rotor. The pitch of the blades is such that as the wind strikes them they produce lift. The intent of the Fa-330 was to permit it's launching from the conning tower of a moving U-boat attached to a cable. The cable would be let out until the Fa-330 had reached sufficient altitude to scan the horizon for merchant ships.
If time permitted, the pilot would be winched back aboard. In an emergency he could disconnect the tow-line in mid-air and either ride the Fa-330 down (it would descend in a controlled manner like an autogiro or a modern helicopter in "auto-rotation") or come down in a parachute. Perhaps the U-boat would get a chance to re-surface later and pluck him from the sea. :lurk:

• http://robroy.dyndns.info/targetkites/Fa-330/intro.html

• http://www.uboat.net/technical/bachstelze.htm

I wonder if this will ever make it into a future mod :hmm:

Wow, I never knew about such a thing.

I think I would hate that job!

Imagine being the poor bastard up there flying that.....then seeing a bloody enemy aircraft...... then seeing the Captain cutting like mad to cut you away so he can save his crew and boat and order CRASH DIVE ! ........:eek:

A perfect "Bernard"-job! Lets hope those bombers fly right into him...:up:

Yeah def a 'volunteers only' job that one :up:

I would have thought it would be absolutely maddness to surface a u-boat in late war assemble one of them and launch it while you could be hit from enemy planes at any time.

From the Uboat.net page :

"The scheme was abandoned because it cost too much time to recover it and the observer on it when the U-boat was attacked."

No wonder, imagine the scene...:

Observer : Aircraft spotted coming our way
Kaleun : Crash dive - Ahead flank, 70m depth, rudder 25° starboard ...

a couple minutes later :
Kaleun: Oh Scheisse, we forgot something...:D

Might make your crash dive a little slower as well:rotfl:

__________________________________________________ ________________

Observer : Aircraft spotted coming our way
Kaleun : Crash dive - Ahead flank, 70m depth, rudder 25° starboard ...

a couple minutes later :
Kaleun: Oh Scheisse, we forgot something...
crew: what did we forget ?
kaleun: you guys remember Hans ? the observer
crew: yea
kaleun: well, we kinda forgot to get him down inside the sub when we started to dive
crew: so thats him banging on the hull ?
kaleun: sure is

Or:

(Bernard is on watch duty.)

BERNARD: "Enemy aircraft spotted!" (points)

KALEUN: "No Bernard...that's our own aircraft, Dumkopf!"

i still like mine better;)

Spare a thought for the (mostly RAF) pilots on a CAM Ship.

Get launched from a catapult on the forecastle of a merchant ship, knowing that your only options were to either try out your parachute or crash into the ocean & hope to escape the cockpit before the plane sinks & then be picked up before hypothermia kills you.

So there you are, mid atlantic, mid winter, gale force winds, mountainous seas.....

Or see the boat in crash dive with you attached with a cable, like a fish .:dead:

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

BERNARD: I spy something...blue.
KALEUN: Not this again. Crash dive to 70m. I hope you don't "forget" to release the cable on Bernard. Just like you "forgot" to pack his parachute.