Fairey F.2

Fairey F.2
Role	Fighter
National origin	United Kingdom
Manufacturer	Fairey Aviation Company
First flight	17 May 1917
Number built	1

The Fairey F.2 was a British fighter prototype in the late 1910s. It was the first aircraft designed entirely by the Fairey Aviation Company.

Development

The F.2 was ordered by the Admiralty in 1916 as a massive, three-seat long-range fighter. Powered by two Rolls-Royce Falcon engines, it was a three-bay biplane with a four-wheel "bedstead" main undercarriage, the wings folding aft from a point outboard of the engines. Armament consisted of a .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Gun on a Scarff ring on the extreme nose and a similar installation immediately aft of the wings.

Operational history

Built at Harlington the F.2 was transported by road to Northolt Aerodrome where it first flew on 17 May 1917; however, by then Admiralty interest in the project had waned. The fighter was found to be hard to handle and slow, and therefore no further production was continued.

Operators

United Kingdom

Royal Naval Air Service

Specifications

General characteristics

Crew: three
Length: 40 ft 6 in (12.34 m)
Wingspan: 77 ft 0 in (23.47 m)
Height: 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
Wing area: 814.00 sq ft (75.36 m²)
Gross weight: 4,880 lb (2,213 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Rolls-Royce Falcon 12-cylinder water-cooled engines , 190 hp (142 kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 93 mph (150 km/h, 81 kn)
Endurance: 3 hours 30 minutes

Armament

2 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Guns

References

Green, William; Gordon Swanborough. The Complete Book of Fighters. Godalming, UK: Salamander Books. p. 196.