 Page One Page Two Page Three Page Four Page Five Page Six History Main Page  With the
restoration
completed,
the problem
was how
to get
4402
the
short distance
down a
steep 300ft
slope to
the
water. |
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Story by Jack Meadows First Published in Aeroplane Monthly, March 1994 ...continued from page two Only 200 N3N Mk I's were built, and very few Mk II's; the rest of a total of 1,000 were Mk III's. Used mainly as primary trainers, they were operated either as landplanes or as seaplanes with a distinctive main float and outer stabilising floats. They were completely US Navy built, even down to their Wright R-760E seven cylinder radial engines. That, and the thorough design, was the problem. They cost three times as much as Stearmans, so production ceased in 1942.  After the war they were used, mainly as landplanes, for a variety of jobs such as cropdusting and banner towing, usually fitted with the more powerful Pratt and Whitney 456 engine.Bill's N3N was once altered to simulate a red single-seat German First World War fighter for a film. In temporary sheds near his house above Garden Bay, 4402 was completely rebuilt. The single raised and enclosed cockpit fitted for cropdusting was replaced by the original twin open cockpits, and the smaller engine was reinstalled. It proved impossible to find a correct 9ft diameter ground adjustable propeller, so an 8ft 6in unit was used, without affecting performance. A float replaced the wheels, of course. With the restoration completed, the problem was how to get 4402 the short distance down a steep 300ft slope to the water. In the end it had to be broken down into its component parts and trucked by road to a spot where a scow was moored. It was then assembled on the scow and towed over water - a total of ten miles for a 100-yard trip. With the scow and its charge safely moored at the foot of the slope below the house, the endless paperwork completed and the N3N re-certificated, Bill's first flight in 4402 was made on October 11, 1991. It was completely successful. Unlike the twin-float Cessnas, the single-float N3N cannot simply be lifted from the water by floating docks. Moreover, the single-float layout makes it impossible to approach or tie-up alongside the scow or a wharf, as can be done with a twin-float seaplane, because the wingtip floats would get in the way and be prone to damage. So, once on the water, it must be positioned head - or tail - on to the dock. Nor can the single float be used as a walkway for easy access to the cockpit or for mooring and unmooring. |
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