Felixstowe F.3
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Felixstowe F.3 | |
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| Felixstowe F3 | |
| Type | anti-submarine flying boat |
| Manufacturer | Short Brothers Dick, Kerr & Co. Phoenix Dynamo Manufacturing Company Malta Dockyard |
| Designed by | J C Porte, |
| Maiden flight | February 1917 |
| Introduced | 1917 |
| Primary users | RNAS RAF US Navy |
| Number built | 182 |
| Developed from | Felixstowe F.2 |
| Variants | Felixstowe F.5 Felixstowe_F5L |
The Felixstowe F.3 was a British First World War flying boat designed by Lieutenant Commander John Cyrill Porte RN of the Seaplane Experimental Station, Felixstowe the successor to the Felixstowe F.2
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[edit] Development
The Felixstowe F.2a entered production and service as a patrol aircraft, with about 100 being completed by the end of World War I. 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 F3, in order to ease production, giving lower performance than either the F.2a or F.3.
[edit] Operational service
The larger F3, which was less popular with its crews than the more maneuverable F2a, served in the Mediterranean as well as the North Sea.
[edit] Variants
[edit] Specifications (F.3)
Data from British Aircraft Directory
General characteristics
- Crew: 4
- Length: 49 ft 2 in (14.99 m)
- Wingspan: 102 ft (31.10 m)
- Height: 18 ft 8 in (5.69 m)
- Wing area: 1,432 ft² (133 m²)
- Empty weight: 7,958 lb (3167 kg)
- Loaded weight: 12,235 lb (5561 kg)
- Powerplant: 2× Rolls-Royce_Eagle VIII V12 piston, 345 hp (257 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 91 mph at 2,000 ft (147 km/h)
- Range: nm (mi, km)
- Service ceiling: 8,000 ft (2440 m)
- Rate of climb: 5 min 15 sec to 2,000 ft (610 m)
- Endurance: 6 hours
Armament
- Guns: 4 Lewis guns (1 in nose, 3 amidships).
- Bombs: Up to 920 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.3
- Smithsonian National Air and Space article on the F5L
