Austin-Ball A.F.B.1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| A.F.B.1 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Type | Fighter |
| Manufacturer | Austin Motor Company |
| Designed by | C. H. Brooks |
| Maiden flight | July 1917 |
| Number built | 1 |
The Austin-Ball A.F.B.1 was a British fighter plane of World War I built by car manufacturer Austin with input from Britain's leading fighter ace at the time, Albert Ball. It was a two-bay biplane of largely conventional configuration with unstaggered, equal-span wings. The top wing was attached to the upper fuselage, granting the pilot excellent visibility on all sides and above. The armament was unusual: the fixed, forward-firing Lewis gun fired through the hollow propeller shaft; but its muzzle was located aft of the powerplant. A second Lewis gun with an upwards firing arc was mounted on the upper wing. This weapon, combined with the excellent topside visibility was well-suited to Ball's favoured method of attack, from below the enemy.
Only a single prototype was built. Although the fighter promised excellent performance, the SE.5a was already in production, and the A.F.B.1 would have competed with it for production facilities (Austin was a major SE.5a contractor) and engines (since both fighters used the Hispano-Suiza 8). Moreover, Ball had already been killed in action by the time the aircraft was ready for its first flight.
Contents |
[edit] Specifications (A.F.B.1)
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 21 ft 6 in (6.55 m)
- Wingspan: 30 ft (9.14 m)
- Height: 9 ft 3 in (2.84 m)
- Wing area: 290 ft² (26.9 m²)
- Empty weight: 1,525 lb (693 kg)
- Loaded weight: 2,077 lb (942 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Hispano-Suiza 8 V-8, 200 hp (150 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 138 mph (222 km/h)
- Service ceiling 22,000 ft (6,700 m)
- Rate of climb: 1,120 ft/min (5.7 m/s)
Armament
- 1 × fixed, forward-firing .303 Lewis gun
- 1 × hinged upward-firing .303 Lewis gun
[edit] References
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 85.
- World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing, File 889 Sheet 85.
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
|
||||||||||||||
