The saga of Mayo's Composite Aircraft projects

Early in 1941, Colonel Stewart Menzies of the British Secret Intelligence Service, proposed the possibility of deploying a fighter pick-a-back on a bomber to attack the Focke-Wulf bombers in the Northwestern Approaches.

The RAF Coastal Command put forward a proposal to mount a Hawker Hurricane Mk. IIC on top of an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley modified bomber.

During the spring of 1941 Short Bros Ltd. proposed a variant of the Short-Mayo Composite launch system mounting a Hurricane Mk. IIC on top of a Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber.

By the time of the Composite design was complete, Sir Henry Tizard of the Aeronautic Research Committee, listed the impracticalities of the project. The main shortcoming was the insufficient range of the fighter to return to the base after being launched.

When the engine icing problems of the towed Hurricane (V7480) were known the Composite project was cancelled on 26 March 1941.


The problem could have been easily solved by installing an anti-icing system with hot air coming from the Liberator engines and the Hurricane Mk. IIC was designed to carry two underwing fuel tanks for extended range.

But provide full long-range protection of the convoys with Composite aircraft required a prohibitive number of machines. Up to two squadrons may be necessary to each fighter maintained over one convoy and the number of Composites required would be out of all proportion to the number of interceptions accomplished.
 

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In reply to Schneiderman's post: Very interesting. Is all this information from the 12 boxes from "the office of Mayo that was donated to the Royal Aero Club"? Or have you researched elsewhere too? My mother did a lot of research years ago on Robert (and siblings and earlier generations) for family history reasons. From memory, as well as talking to his daughter, my mother went to Duxford and possibly the IWM (though that may have been for his brother in the RFC), and at least 10 years ago, I went to Southampton air museum on her behalf. All of them have various of his papers. My mother, now 96, is still planning to write it up, but is currently finishing her account of another of Robert's brothers who was killed at Gallipoli.
 
Justo Miranda said:
Early in 1941, Colonel Stewart Menzies of the British Secret Intelligence Service, proposed the possibility of deploying a fighter pick-a-back on a bomber to attack the Focke-Wulf bombers in the Northwestern Approaches.

The RAF Coastal Command put forward a proposal to mount a Hawker Hurricane Mk. IIC on top of an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley modified bomber.

During the spring of 1941 Short Bros Ltd. proposed a variant of the Short-Mayo Composite launch system mounting a Hurricane Mk. IIC on top of a Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber.

By the time of the Composite design was complete, Sir Henry Tizard of the Aeronautic Research Committee, listed the impracticalities of the project. The main shortcoming was the insufficient range of the fighter to return to the base after being launched.

When the engine icing problems of the towed Hurricane (V7480) were known the Composite project was cancelled on 26 March 1941.


The problem could have been easily solved by installing an anti-icing system with hot air coming from the Liberator engines and the Hurricane Mk. IIC was designed to carry two underwing fuel tanks for extended range.

But provide full long-range protection of the convoys with Composite aircraft required a prohibitive number of machines. Up to two squadrons may be necessary to each fighter maintained over one convoy and the number of Composites required would be out of all proportion to the number of interceptions accomplished.
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Well, not quite true. As part of a Composite the engine of the fighter would run throughout the flight (it was not towed) and there would be no icing problem. Designs were completed and approved for the larger oil tank required for the extended flight and for the system for drawing fuel from the Liberator to keep those of the Hurricane full and fabrication of some parts had commenced. The Hurricane was ready for delivery to Hawker but the Liberator had not yet reached Shorts but the design of parts was underway. The concept had been investigated in detail but was far from impractical, although whether it was actually required by the RAF had always been a matter for debate, as it was for alternatives. On 14th March Hawker received an official letter saying "As you will no doubt appreciate, the urgency and importance attached to this project as grown considerably in the light of recent events". Work was halted but the issue continued to be discussed for at least another year
 
Patricia Poyton said:
Very interesting. Is all this information from the 12 boxes from "the office of Mayo that was donated to the Royal Aero Club"? Or have you researched elsewhere too? My mother did a lot of research years ago on Robert (and siblings and earlier generations) for family history reasons. From memory, as well as talking to his daughter, my mother went to Duxford and possibly the IWM (though that may have been for his brother in the RFC), and at least 10 years ago, I went to Southampton air museum on her behalf. All of them have various of his papers. My mother, now 96, is still planning to write it up, but is currently finishing her account of another of Robert's brothers who was killed at Gallipoli.
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Mostly from the Aero Club archive topped up by bits from elsewhere, such as the Science Museum. There is no record of who donated Mayo's material to the Club although as it covers his time from late WW1 through to just post-WW2 it has to have been a close relative, I would suggest. Some may also have come via Major Jack Stewart, who was a co-director of the Mayo Composite Aircraft company.
If you wish to view the material in the archive send me a message, I am a volunteer archivist there and can arrange things for you.
 
Arjen said:
It has four forward-firing cannon to severely damage any surfaced submarine, those cannon would make mincemeat of any Fw 200 unlucky enough to cross its path. It would outrun any Fw 200. Win-win.
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The Liberator GR Mk. I was faster (297 mph) than the Condor (224 mph) but the drag generated in the anti-submarine version by the Yagi antennas of the Radar ASW and the underwing searchlight would have penalized performances. If the Fw 200 wasn't caught off guard, it would have been a very long interception.
 

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