Fairey Long-range Monoplane
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| Long-range Monoplane | |
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| Type | experimental aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Fairey Aviation |
| Maiden flight | 14 November 1928 |
| Primary user | Royal Air Force |
| Number built | 2 |
The Fairey Long-range Monoplanes were a pair of British experimental aircraft of the late-1920s and early 1930s. The Fairey Long-range Monoplanes were single-engine, high-wing aircraft with fixed tailwheel undercarriage.
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[edit] Design and development
The first aircraft was designed to meet Air Ministry Specification 33/27; it was issued by the Directorate of Technical Development (DTD). According to a Ministry spokesman in the House of Commons, this aircraft was to be constructed not just "for a specific record" but as a serious study into methods of increasing the range of aircraft. In order to soothe the anxieties of the Treasury, the aircraft started life as the Postal Aircraft.[1] The sharp, pointed nose and sleek lines of the prototype gave rise to the nickname, "Eversharp" after the maker of pens and mechanical pencils. [2]
Although other configurations were studied, after wind-tunnel testing, a high wing was chosen, allowing a gravity feed from the fuel tanks. The wing spars were of wood and the wing used a pyramid system of internal bracing with fabric covering. The fuel capacity was 1,043 gallons and the system used a gravity feed and mechanical fuel pump in sequence; a wind-driven, emergency back-up pump was provided. There were other features dedicated to the long-range function; there were two parallel oil filter circuits, allowing one filter to be removed and cleaned while the other remained in operation. The aircraft was even equipped with a pneumatic bed for a reserve pilot. After extensive testing using a Fairey IIIF and a DH.9A, the Napier Lion XIA of 570-hp was selected, late in the gestation of the machine.
[edit] Operational history
The first built, J9479, flew for the first time on 14 November 1928. Squadron Leader Jones-Williams and Flight Lieutenant Jenkins made a long distance flight from RAF Cranwell, Lincolnshire to Karachi; the first non-stop flight between Britain and India, but not a world long-distance record. A second attempt at a long distance record led to the loss of the aircraft and crew in a crash at Tunis, requiring a second prototype K1991 to be constructed. This example was equipped with an autopilot. [3]
From 6-8 February 1933, Squadron Leader Gayford (officer in charge of the RAF Long Range Development Unit) and his navigator Flight Lieutenant G.E. Nicholetts flew non-stop in the second aircraft K1991 from Cranwell to Walvis Bay, South West Africa. This was a world long-distance record of 5,410 miles (8,544 km). On their return to RAE Farnborough, they were met by Air Minister (Lord Londonderry), Under Secretary for Air (Sir Philip Sassoon) and Sir John Salmond, Marshal of the Royal Air Force.[4]
Gayford and the LRDU would later make long distance flights with the Vickers Wellesley.
[edit] Operators
[edit] Specifications (Fairey Long-range Monoplane II)
Data from Fairey Aircraft since 1915[1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 48 ft 6 in (14.8 m)
- Wingspan: 82 ft (25.0 m)
- Height: 12 ft (3.6 m)
- Wing area: 850 ft² (79 m²)
- Loaded weight: 17,500 lb (7,938 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 17,500 lb (7,938 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 (fixed-pitch propeller)× Napier Lion XIa twelve-cylinder, liquid-cooled, 570 hp (425 kW) each
- *Mean chord: 11 ft (3.3 m)
Performance
- Cruise speed: 96 knots (110 mph [5], 177 km/h)
- Wing loading: 20.7 lb/ft² (101.1kg/m²)
- Power/mass: 29.2 hp/lb ()
- Take-off distance: 4,500 ft (1.370 m)
[edit] References
- ^ a b Taylor, Hugh A. Fairey Aircraft Since 1915. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 2004. ISBN 0-85177-825-9.
- ^ Winchester 2005, p. 37.
- ^ Fairey Long Range Monoplanes
- ^ S/L Gayford
- ^ British Aircraft Directory
- Winchester, Jim. X-Planes and Prototypes. London: Amber Books Ltd., 2005. ISBN 1-904687-40-7.
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
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