Hawker Woodcock

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The Hawker Woodcock was a British single-seat fighter built by the Hawker Engineering Company as the first fighter to be produced by Hawker Engineering (the successor to Sopwith Aviation). It was used by the RAF as a night fighter in the 1920s.

Hawker Woodcock
Hawker Woodcocks from No. 3 Squadron
Type Fighter
Manufacturer Hawker
Designed by Capt. Thomson
W.G. Carter
Maiden flight March 1923
Primary user Royal Air Force
Produced 1924-1926
Number built 64
Variants Hawker Danecock

Contents

[edit] Design and development

The Hawker Woodcock was designed as a night fighter in 1922. Its Chief Designer was Capt. Thomson, but after the prototype was built, W.G. Carter took over as the the chief designer at the H.G. Hawker Engineering Company. The prototype was first flown with a 358 hp Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar engine in March 1923 with F.P. Raynham at the controls. It featured a two bay wing with the inner struts at about one third span.

The prototype was rejected because of lack of manoeuvrability as well as suffering from a serious wing flutter and ineffective rudder control. Consequently, Carter changed the design, reducing the wing by two feet and making it a single bay type. The powerplant was changed to a Bristol Jupiter 380 hp engine. The modified design was designated the Woodcock Mk II, first flying in July 1923. A number of accidents were suffered and the design was progressively strengthened until the structural weakness had been cured.

The Woodcock was armed with two Vickers machine guns, synchronised to fire through the propeller disk. The guns were mounted externally on each side of the fuselage, just below the edge of the cockpit.

[edit] Operational history

The first orders for the Woodcock were placed at the end of 1924, entering service in May 1925. A total of 64 aircraft were built. This includes the two prototypes and one aircraft used for demonstration purposes. The Woodcock proved popular with its pilots [1]. It was replaced by the Gloster Gamecock in 1928. However some Woodcocks were still flying in 1936.

Hawker Woodcock Mk II
Hawker Woodcock Mk II

[edit] Variants

  • Woodcock Mk I : Single-seat night fighter prototype.
  • Woodcock Mk II : Single-seat night fighter for the RAF.
  • Hawker Danecock : Single-seat fighter aircraft for Denmark. Three aircraft were built.
    • L.B II Dankok : Single-seat fighter aircraft for the Danish Army Air Service, and the Danish Naval Air Service. 12 were built under licence in Denmark.

[edit] Specifications (Woodcock Mk II)

Data from The British Fighter since 1912[2]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 25 ft 7 in (7.80 m)
  • Wingspan: 34ft 8 in (10.57 m)
  • Height: 9 ft 0 in (2.74 m)
  • Wing area: 356 ft² (33.1 m²)
  • Empty weight: 2,014 lb (915 kg)
  • Loaded weight: 2,979 lb (1354 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1× Bristol Jupiter IV 9 cylinder Radial, 425 hp (317 kW)

Performance

Armament

[edit] Operators

[edit] References

  1. ^ Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft since 1919, Volume 1, 2nd Edition. London: Putnam, 1973. ISBN 0-370-10006-9.
  2. ^ Mason, Francis K. The British Fighter since 1912. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1992. ISBN 1-55750-082-7.
  • Mason, Francis K.Hawker Aircraft since 1920. London: Putnam & Co., 1961. ISBN 1-85310-270-9.

[edit] External links


 

 

 

 

 

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