| A.W.14 Starling | |
|---|---|
| Role | Fighter |
| Manufacturer | Armstrong Whitworth |
| First flight | 1927 |
| Status | Prototype only |
| Number built | 2 |
The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.14 Starling was a British single-engine biplane fighter developed for the Royal Air Force in the 1920's. It was unsuccessful, with the Bristol Bulldog being selected instead.
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The A.W.14 Starling was developed by Armstrong Whitworth in order to meet the requirements of Specification 28/24, for a replacement for Armstrong Whitworth's earlier Siskin, but was submitted to meet Specification F9/26, for a single-seat fighter capable of operating in day and night-time conditions. The Starling was an all-metal biplane with staggered wings of unequal span.
Two prototypes were ordered, with the first J8027, powered by a 385 hp (287 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar VII radial engine flying on 2 May 1927[1]. During this first test flight the engine proved to be too weak to provide necessary power after a bird strike the plane crashed on take-off killing its test pilot Ernest Starling instantly. The plane was rebuilt and re-engined with a 460 hp (340 kW) Jaguar V engine and was respectfully named after their first test pilot[2] . Performance was still unimpressive however, with the first prototype not exceeding speeds of 160 mph (260 km/h) rather than the expected 180 mph (290 km/h), and was rejected by the RAF. J8027 was given the civil registration G-AAHC in May 1929 and used by the company as a demonstrator, it was shown at Olympia in London in July 1929. It was last flown on the 14 March 1931 and cancelled from the register in December 1931.
The second prototype, J8028 was redesigned with a smaller lower wing and a more powerful 525 hp (391 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Panther II engine to meet the requirements of Specification N.21/26 for a naval fighter, first flying on 5 December 1929[1]. While showing better performance than the first prototype, it too was unsuccessful, although it did carry out useful development work for the Armstrong Whitworth A.W.16.
Data from The British Fighter since 1912 [1]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
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