Fairey F.2
British fighter prototype in the late 1910s
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The Fairey F.2 was a British fighter prototype in the late 1910s. It was the first aircraft designed entirely by the Fairey Aviation Company.
| Fairey F.2 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Fighter |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | Fairey Aviation Company |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| First flight | 17 May 1917 |
Development
The F.2 was ordered by the Admiralty in 1916 as a massive, three-seat long-range fighter. Powered by two Rolls-Royce Falcon engines, it was a three-bay biplane with a four-wheel "bedstead" main undercarriage, the wings folding aft from a point outboard of the engines. Armament consisted of a .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Gun on a Scarff ring on the extreme nose and a similar installation immediately aft of the wings.
Operational history
Built at Harlington the F.2 was transported by road to Northolt Aerodrome where it first flew on 17 May 1917; however, by then Admiralty interest in the project had waned. The fighter was found to be hard to handle and slow, and therefore no further production was continued.
Operators
Specifications
General characteristics
- Crew: three
- Length: 40 ft 6 in (12.34 m)
- Wingspan: 77 ft 0 in (23.47 m)
- Height: 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
- Wing area: 814.00 sq ft (75.36 m2)
- Gross weight: 4,880 lb (2,213 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × Rolls-Royce Falcon 12-cylinder water-cooled engines , 190 hp (142 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 93 mph (150 km/h, 81 kn)
- Endurance: 3 hours 30 minutes
Armament
- 2 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Guns
References
- Green, William; Gordon Swanborough. The Complete Book of Fighters. Godalming, UK: Salamander Books. p. 196.