Parnall Prawn
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| Prawn | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Type | Experimental flying boat |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | George Parnall and Company |
| Designer | |
| Number built | 1 |
The Parnall Prawn was an unsuccessful experimental flying boat built in the United Kingdom in 1930. Its single engine was fitted on a tilting mounting in the nose, so that the propeller could be kept clear of the water on takeoff and landing. Only one was built.
The Prawn had a single step all-metal hull and a fabric covered parasol wing with a straight leading edge and pronounced outboard taper on the trailing edge, which was attached to the hull by a pair of lift struts either side and steel inverted V cabane struts. There was a generous cut-out in the trailing edge centre section to improve the view from the open cockpit. powered by a 65 hp (48 kW) water-cooled Ricardo-Burt engine which has originally been designed as an auxiliary power plant for the R101 airship,[2] driving a small four-bladed propeller with a diameter of about 4 ft 6 in (1.35 m). The engine was hinged at the rear; at take-off, it could be raised through up to 22° to clear the water. Fuel was gravity-fed from a prominent tank on top of the wing centre section.[3] A bulky radiator was mounted on top of the engine cowling. The aircraft had a conventional empennage; with an unbalanced rudder and a tailplane mounted just above the top of the fuselage, strut braced to the fuselage below and wire braced to the fin above. A stabilising float was mounted on N struts below each wing and braced inboard by a pair of struts.[3]