F9C Sparowhawk

**deckape** · #1 05-01-2010, 08:16 PM

One more of my collections once again when I am out of card stock I got to something else. Here is My 1/32 scale F9C Sparowhawk, The Curtis Sparowhawk was designed as an experimentle aircraft for the Navy. Durring the glorious days of the use of airships they were the queen of the skies. in the 1930s the navy used durigibles as patrol defense knowing that they couldn,t defend themselves from being attacked by air the Navy came up with an Idea of launching fighter planes from their airships. The Macon was one of the first Airships that were designed to carry and launch aircraft useing a trampeze type structure alowing to retrieve and launch aircraft the F9C Sparowhawk served that purpose, durring the close of the 1930s this program became obsolte and was abandon and never used again. The F9C Sparowhawk had a very short service life alot of them were eventually scraped or thrown out in the ocean used as artificial reefs. There are only a small handfull of these aircraft left

4 museums that display this aircraft from a bygone age of Aviation.

**Astroboy** · #2 05-01-2010, 10:37 PM

The sole remaining Sparrowhawk is at the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles Airport in Virginia. If you are ever in Northern Virginia try to see the place, you won't regret it.

**Maltedfalcon** · #3 05-01-2010, 11:26 PM

One cool thing about them
since the they could be deployed/retreived in flight. the landing gear could be removed. There are some great pix of a sparrowhawk flying without any landing gear.

**Paperwarrior** · #4 05-02-2010, 04:53 AM

This is one of my favorite aircraft. You've done a great job with this one. I've read reports from pilots who flew the one remaining (Navy's spare) Sparrowhawk and they stated it was one of the nicest aircraft they'd ever flown.

Great scout compo...airship and aircraft for longer range and protection.

**deckape** · #5 05-02-2010, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maltedfalcon

One cool thing about them
since the they could be deployed/retreived in flight. the landing gear could be removed. There are some great pix of a sparrowhawk flying without any landing gear.

Ahoy Maltedfalcon
this very true dear sir, Reason for removeing the landing gear wasn,t to reduce drag. scince they were primarly airborne all the time instead of haveing them inside the hanger decks of the Durigibles they were fixed on their trampeze out in the exterier of the airship itself. Some had their landing gear installed for land use and Aircraft carrier use. But unfortunately they never saw much aircraft carrier action only subcided on airships. To answer of PAPER WARRIER indeed these were very easy planes to fly so far to my refrence material there was never no complaint of the aircraft in general. Truely a pilots airplane your corect Sir.

**Getter 1** · #6 05-02-2010, 01:26 PM

Deckape,

Great looking model and like Paperwarrior this is one of my favorites as well :D I was wondering if any of you happen to have references of the Macon's hangar? Of all the research I've done I cannot find any ref pix of it hardly anywhere. Anything would be of use :D

G1

**Ron40** · #7 05-02-2010, 02:19 PM

There is a model of the Macon at PaperModels.net - Catalog Page 38
the model may show the history or the hangar details. I believe it was
similar to the hangar at Moffet Field in California. I in the Navy in the late
50's and 60's and our squadron VA-156 was based in the hangar. Ron

**Getter 1** · #8 05-02-2010, 03:14 PM

Ron40,

That's the Macon modle I'm building ATM :D It's hangar is only a black out ont he bottom of the hull. I cut it out to add a detailed interior but I'm having a hard time finding much in the way of details of the hangar interior. Sorry I should have specified the ship's interior hangar not it's land based one :P

G1

**Ron40** · #9 05-02-2010, 04:06 PM

Getter 1
This is a book that has the Akron & Macon listed in it. Maybe you can
get some info from it. It's listed at Amazon.com (Amazon.com: Naval Air Station, Lakehurst (NJ) (Images of America) (9780738511603): Kevin Pace, Ronald Montgomery, Rick Zitarosa: Books
Regards, Ron

**Scott K** · #10 05-03-2010, 05:28 PM

I'll have to take a look in my copy of Up Ship!: A History of the U.S. Navy's Rigid Airships 1919-1935 by Douglas Hill Robinson and Charles l. Keller, it might have an interior hanger shot or two (don't remember any at the moment, but...)

Highly recommended to any U.S. Navy airship fans.

Scott K.