Felixstowe F.3
| Felixstowe F.3 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Role | Flying Boat |
| Manufacturer | Felixstowe |
| Designer | John C. Porte |
| First flight | Feb 1917 [1] |
| Introduction | Feb 1918 [2] [note 1] |
| Primary user |  U.K. (RNAS)
|
| Number built | ~100? |
| Developed from | Felixstowe F.2A |
| Wingspan | 31.1 m (102 ft) [3] |
| Engine | 2×345hp Rolls-Royce Eagle VIIIs |
| Armament | nose flexible Lewis rear flexible Lewis 1 each waist position 4×230lb bombs |
| Max Speed | 145.6 km/h (90.5 mph)[3] - 150 km/h (93 mph) [1] |
| Climb | 610 m (2,000 ft) in 4:00[1] 1,500 m (5,000 ft) in 12:15[3] 2,000 m (6,500 ft) in 18:00[1] 3,000 m (10,000 ft) in 41:30[1][3] |
| Ceiling | (Svc.) 3,800 m (12,500 ft) [1] |
| Endurance | 6:00 [1] |
Though the Felixstowe F.3 was derived from the highly-successful Felixstowe F.2A, it was somewhat less maneuverable and less seaworthy. The wings were of wider span and chord than the F.2 and were notched near the propellers, and the plane carried roughly double the bomb load of the F.2. While most F.3s were built in Britain in conjunction with the F.2A, seventeen were built in Malta, with the first completion in November 1917.
Whereas the F.2 was used extensively for combat-patrols, the less-maneuverable and longer-range F.3 saw more use on anti-submarine patrol and -- unlike the F.2 -- it saw service in the Mediterranean. [1]
In June 1918 began a program to fit the F.3s with balanced ailerons to make them less tiring to fly.[2]
F.3 Squadrons in included № 234 at Tresco, № 238 at Cattewater, № 263 at Otranto, № 271 at Taranto, and № 267 at Malta, as well as several independent flights with the Grand Fleet.[2]
For more information, see Wikipedia:Felixstowe F.3.
References
- Notes
- Citations
- Bibliography
- J.M. Bruce. British Aeroplanes 1914-18. Great Britain: Funk & Wagnalls, 1957, 1969. ISBN 0370000382
- Heinz J. Nowarra, Bruce Robertson, and Peter G. Cooksley. Marine Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War. Letchworth, Herts, England: Harleyford Publications Limited, 1966. ISBN 0900435070