Fairey Flycatcher
| Fairey Flycatcher | |
|---|---|
|
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| Type: | carrier-based fighter |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
November 1922 |
| Commissioning: |
1923 |
| Production time: |
1923-1926 |
| Number of pieces: |
196 |
The Fairey Flycatcher was a British carrier-based biplane - fighter aircraft from the 1920s, which by the Fairey Aviation Company was established. It made its maiden flight on November 28, 1922.
development
The Fairey Flycatcher was designed as a single-seater fighter, which could both take off from aircraft carriers and be used as a catapult aircraft from capital ships. It was one of the first aircraft specifically designed for this mission. For this purpose, the Flycatcher received landing flaps on both wings, which enabled a short take-off and landing distance. Although the wings could not be folded down, they could be dismantled in segments of 4 m each. For use as a catapult aircraft, the landing gear could be exchanged for floats, for water landing near the ship. There was also a chassis combination with wheels and floats for amphibious use.
description
Although developed after the First World War , the Flycatcher remained stuck in aircraft construction in those years, especially in terms of the materials used. The wings and the rear part of the fuselage were fabric-covered wooden structures, only the front part of the fuselage was made of metal. Instead of a tail wheel, the model has a trunk spur. Production began in 1923, and in the following years the Flycatcher was used on all aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy , alongside other better-known aircraft types such as the Fairey III and the Blackburn Ripon . In 1935 she was decommissioned.
There is still an airworthy replica in Great Britain. It can be viewed at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovil in southern Somerset .
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| length | 7.01 m |
| span | 8.84 m |
| height | 3.66 m |
| Empty mass | 924 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 1350 kg |
| drive | a radial engine Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar III / IV with 400 PS (approx. 290 kW) |
| Top speed | 216 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 5800 m (4300 m with floats) |
| Range | 500 km |
| Armament | 2 × Vickers machine guns (synchronized), 4 × 20-pound bombs |
literature
- A. Lumsden, T. Heffernan: Per mar probare (Part 4) - Fairey Flycatcher. In: Airplane Monthly, July 1987
Web links
- aviastar.org: Fairey Flycatcher (English)
- www.britishaircraft.co.uk: Fairey Flycatcher (English)