Felixstowe F.2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| F2A | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Felixstowe F3 | |
| Type | Military Flying Boat |
| Manufacturer | S.E.Saunders Ltd Aircraft Manufacturing Co Ltd May, Harden & May |
| Designed by | J C Porte, |
| Maiden flight | February 1917 |
| Introduced | 1917 |
| Primary users | RNAS RAF US Navy |
| Number built | 175 |
| Variants | Felixstowe F.3 Felixstowe F.5 Felixstowe_F5L |
The Felixstowe F.2 was a British First World War flying boat designed by Lieutenant Commander John Cyrill Porte RN of the Seaplane Experimental Station, Felixstowe.
Contents |
[edit] Development
Porte was a great supporter of the flying boat. Before the war he had joined up with American aircraft designer Glenn Curtiss, and together they had designed the "America" flying boat, which they intended to cross the Atlantic. He returned to Britain soon after the war started, but was relegated to second-line duties due to his poor health (he would die of tubercolosis in 1919). However he was appointed command of a training unit in Hendon. Later, he became the commander of the naval air base at Felixstowe. While occupying this position he started persuading the authorities to purchase Curtiss flying boats of the Curtiss H-4 type, which in fact were the military version of the "America" flying boat.
Porte built a modified H4, with a new hull with improved hydrodynamic qualities, as the Felixstowe F.1, of which four were built. Porte then designed a similar hull for the larger Curtiss H12 flying boat, the Felixstowe F.2a, which was greatly superior to the original Curtiss boat. This entered production and service as a patrol aircraft, with about 100 being completed by the end of World War I. Another seventy were built and these were followed by two F.2c which were built at Felixstowe
In February 1917, the first prototype of the Felixstowe F.3 was flown. This was larger and heavier then the F.2, giving it greater range and heavier bomb load, but poorer agility. Approximately 100 Felixstowe F.3s were produced before the end of the war.
The Felixstowe F.5 was intended to combine the good qualities of the F.2 and F.3, with the prototype first flying in May 1918. The prototype showed superior qualities to its predecessors but the production version was modified to make extensive use of components from the F.3, in order to ease production, giving lower performance than either the F.2A or F.5.
[edit] Operational service
The Felixstowe F.2A was widely used as a patrol aircraft over the North Sea until the end of the war. Its excellent performance and maneuverability made it an effective and popular type, often fighting enemy patrol and fighter aircraft, as well as hunting U-boats and Zeppelins. The larger F.3, which was less popular with its crews than the more maneuverable F.2a, served in the Mediterranean as well as the North Sea.
The F.5 did not enter service until after the end of World War I, but replaced the earlier Felixstowe boats (together with Curtiss flying boats) to serve as the RAF's standard flying boat until being replaced by the Supermarine Southampton in 1925.
[edit] Variants
- F.2a: Based on Curtiss H12 with new hull. Powered by two 345 hp Rolls Royce Eagle VIII engines. 4 to 7 machine guns and 460 lb of bombs.
- F.2c: Modified F2a with lighter hull. two built.
- Curtiss H-16 - US built version of the F.2a by the Naval Aircraft Factory, Philadelphia
[edit] Specifications (F2a)
Data from British Aircraft Directory
General characteristics
- Crew: 4
- Length: 46 ft 3 in (14.1 m)
- Wingspan: 95 ft 7 in (29.14 m)
- Height: 17 ft 6 in (5.34 m)
- Wing area: 1,133 ft² (105 m²)
- Empty weight: 7,549 lb (3431 kg)
- Loaded weight: 10,978 lb (4990 kg)
- Powerplant: 2× Rolls-Royce_Eagle VIII V12 piston, 345 hp (257 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 95 mph at 2,000 ft (153 km/h)
- Range: nm (mi, km)
- Service ceiling: 9,600 ft (2930 m)
- Rate of climb: 3 min 50 s to 2,000 ft (610 m)
- Endurance: 6 hours
Armament
- Guns: 4 Lewis guns (1 in nose, 3 amidships).
- Bombs: Up to 460 lbs bombs beneath wings.
[edit] References
[edit] Related content
Related development
Designation sequence
Felixstowe Porte Baby - Felixstowe F.2 - Felixstowe F.3 - Felixstowe F.5
Timeline of aviation
Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines
Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft
Notable military accidents and incidents · Notable airline accidents and incidents · Famous aviation-related deaths
Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft
[edit] External links
- Felixstowe Flying-Boats
- britishaircraft.co.uk - Felixstowe F.2
- britishaircraft.co.uk - Felixstowe F.3
- britishaircraft.co.uk - Felixstowe F.5
- Smithsonian National Air and Space article on the F5L
