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Aviation History
1932
1932 - 0592.PDF
FLIGHT, JUNE 24, 1932 THE AIRCRAFT OF THE RAF. FIGHTERS STANDARD FIGHTERS SINCE the days when the D.H.2 and its contemporaries got the better of the Fokker monoplane, the fighting squadrons of the R.F.C., R.N.A.S. and Royal Air Force have seen many types of single-seater fighter. During the war no one type achieved absolute pre-eminence. In the last year of the war the greatest successes were won by the Sopwith " Camel " and the S.E.5.A., though had the Armistice not come when it did, the Sopwith " Snipe " would probably have dominated the air fighting. It gave a taste of its quality when Major Barker in a " Snipe " was attacked by some 60 enemy fighters, shot four of them down and escaped himself, though badly wounded. For this he received the Victoria Cross. For some years after the war the " Snipe " was the standard single-seater fighter of the Royal Air Force. It was succeeded by the Gloster " Grebe," with " Jaguar " engine. Next came the Gloster " Gamecock," with " Jupiter," which was given to all fighter squadrons except the two at Upavon, Nos. 3 and 17 F.S., which were equipped with the Hawker " Woodcock," with ' Jupiter," as night-fighters. The next standard fighter was the Armstrong-Whitworth " Siskin," with " Jaguar " engine, which marked the introduction of metal aircraft for Service use. No. 23 F.S. at Kenley kept their " Gamecocks " and the two Upavon squadrons retained their '' Woodcocks,'' but all the other fighter squadrons received the " Siskin." It remained the standard fighter for a number of BULLDOG SISKIN years, and is still used by the two squadrons at North Weald, Nos. 29 and 56 F.S. Finality is never reached in R.A.F. aeroplanes. Our designers are always hard at work improving on existing performance. In recent years they doubtless profited much by the research carried out in connection with the Schneider contests. The lessons of "cleaning up" a machine were thoroughly digested. It had already been realised at the time when the Siskin '' was designed that fighter aeroplanes ought to develop their best performance at a great height. When the " Siskin " had been in use for some years, the Air Ministry invited designs for a new type of fighter with still better performance, and a very keen competition between designers was the result. The list was finally narrowed down to two types, the Hawker " Hawfinch " and the Bristol : ' Bulldog." So hard was it to decide between them that the Air Ministry sent both types round to a number of squadrons for prolonged flying tests, so as to ensure that the machine selected should be the one preferred by the pilots who would have to use it. In the end the ' ' Bulldog " was chosen. The first squadrons to receive the " Bulldog " were the two Upavon squadrons, Nos. 3 and 17, in replace ment of the " Woodcock," and it has since been delivered to eight of the 13 units of the Fighting Area, the exceptions being the two at North Weald (who will probably get it soon) and the three interceptor squadrons on the coast aerodromes. INTERCEPTOR FIGHTERS IN 1925 a special command, known as Air Defence of Great Britain, was formed. After two years of pre paration, Air Exercises were held in 1927 and subsequent years to test the organisation. It was found that the fighter aeroplanes of the day had great difficulty in coping with the fastest of the two-seater day-bombers (at that time the Fairey " Fox "). The bombers would come in over the coast at a great height, and despite the speed with which the reports of their progress were passed to the headquarters of the Fighting Area, they were often able to drop their imaginary bombs and escape before the fighters could get to grips with them. Though the improve ment in the standard fighters gradually gave the latter an advantage over the bombers, which became very definite when the " Bulldog " was introduced, there still remained the problem of getting the fighter squadrons into the air and up to the level of the raiders in the very short time allowed after the latter decided to introduce a special class of interceptor fighters, in which the primary considerations were to be tremendously rapid climb, and very high speed at a great altitude. The production of this class was simplified by the production about this time of the Rolls Royce " Kestrel " engine. It produces about 525 h.p., and, being water-cooled, it has a very small frontal area. The result was perfectly astonishing perform ance in the matter of climb and speed at altitude. For some time the decision wavered between two very fine types, the Fairey " Firefly " and the Hawker " Fury," and, finally, the choice fell upon the " Fury." This type has now been sup plied to three squadrons on coastal aerodromes, Nos. 43 and 1 F.S. at Tangmere and No. 25 F.S. at Hawkinge. It is a question whether interceptors should not be stationed further inland, to allow them more time after the receipt of reports, but this will doubt- had crossed the coast, The Air Ministry, therefore, less be tested in future air exercises. 544
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