Armstrong Whitworth FK10
| Armstrong Whitworth FK10 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Fighter plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
1916 |
| Number of pieces: |
9 (1 FK9 + 8 FK10) |
The Armstrong Whitworth FK10 was a British four-Decker - Military aircraft from 1917, the short time in the First World War was used, however, despite superior maneuverability due to insufficient flight performance is not proven. It was one of the few four-deckers that were built in (albeit very small) series.
history
One of the most unusual designs designed and built in Great Britain during the First World War is the two-seat FK10 developed by Frederick Koolhoven at Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft , which had its maiden flight in early 1917 .
The design as a four-decker with four strongly staggered wings in connection with ailerons on all surfaces gave the machine an outstanding maneuverability . The arrangement of the pilot's seat immediately in front of the wings and that of the observer behind the wings gave both of them a good field of vision when used as reconnaissance aircraft . In addition to the 110-horsepower Clerget - rotary engine and 110-horsepower came Le-Rhone - and 130-horsepower Clerget engines for installation. In addition to Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft in Elswick near Newcastle upon Tyne (two copies), the model was also produced by Angus-Sanderson in Newcastle upon Tyne (five copies) and the Phoenix Dynamo Manufacturing Co. (two copies).
Although the FK10 was the best four-decker of the First World War, it showed rather poor flight performance overall, which was slightly below that of the Sopwith 1½ Strutter , so that only a total of nine machines for the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS ) instead of the 50 initially ordered by the military. The machines were withdrawn from the front lines in 1917 after a relatively short period of use.
Versions
- FK9 - prototype with a Clerget - 9Z - rotary engine with 110 horsepower (81 kW)
- FK10 - (series) production version with revised fuselage and tail unit , a rotary engine Clerget 9B with 130 HP (97 kW)
Military use
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 2 |
| length | 7.47 m |
| span | 8.49 m |
| height | 3.50 m |
| Wing area | 36.27 m² |
| Engine | an air-cooled 9-cylinder rotary engine Clerget 9 B with 130 HP (96 kW) starting power |
| Top speed | 135 km / h (84 mph / 73 kn) at 2,000 m (6,500 ft) |
| Climb performance | 37:10 min at 3,050 m (10,000 ft) |
| Duration of use | 2.5 h |
| Armament | front: rigid Vickers machine gun rear: movably mounted Lewis machine gun both caliber .303 British (7.7 mm) |
Comparable aircraft
See also
literature
- JM Bruce: Warplanes of the First World War. Fighters Volume One. Macdonald, London 1965.
- W. Green, G. Swanborough: The Complete Book of Fighters. Smithmark, New York 1994, ISBN 0-8317-3939-8 .
- Francis K. Mason: The British Fighter since 1912. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis 1992, ISBN 1-55750-082-7 .
