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Aviation History
1935
1935 - 0354.PDF
178 FLIGHT. FEBRUARY 14, ig-55. I Part II : Single-seater Fighters : A I 233 m.p.h. High-altitude Fighter : [The Airship "Macon's" Fleet of Sparrowhazvks " << CONTINUING the review of U.S. Navy types, we find the modernised Curtiss " Hawk " appearing as the F11C-3. This is the redesigned single-seater biplane fighter, but with an undercarriage which retracts into the sides of the fuselage. It was designed for high- altitude fighting and bombing, and is the result of twelve years' experience on the part of the Curtiss people. Fitted with the Wright " Cyclone " R-1820-F3 supercharged engine of 700 h.p., it has a top speed of 233 miles an hour. With an absolute ceiling of 27,000ft., it climbs 10,000ft. in five minutes, and has a cruising radius of 559 miles. Dimensions and weights of this machine are: Span (top), 36ft. 6in. ; span (lower), 26ft. ; length, 23ft. 4in. ; height, ait. 11 Jin. ; chord (top), 73m. ; chord (lower), 6o£in. ; wing area, 262 sq. ft. ; weight empty, 3,083 lb. ; weight loaded, 4,160 lb. Two Browning A bomber-fighter—the Curtiss BF2C-1 single-seater with 700 h.p. "Cyclone" engine. Note the sliding cockpit cover and retractile undercarriage. 0.30-calibre machine guns make up the armament and are mounted one on each side of the fuselage, with the barrels running between the engine cylinders. Almost identical with the F11C-3, the BF2C-1 single- seater bomber-fighter is now being posted to squadrons on carrier duty. Only a few minor changes were made in this machine, which is powered with the Wright " Cyclone " SR-1820-04 engine of 700 h.p. Inasmuch as it is prac tically the same machine, it is believed that the former is regarded as too slow for strictly fighting duties, in spite of its speed of 233 miles an hour. It was then redesignated for dive-bombing. The same type of retract able landing gear is provided as in the F11C-3. Shortly to be replaced by the more modern fighters, the Curtiss F11C-2 is an earlier " Hawk " single-seater. The landing gear is of the old-style rigid type and the wheels are fitted with spats. Powered with a Wright " Cyclone " SR-1820-F of 700 h.p., it has a top speed of over 200 m.p.h. at 10,000ft. Cruising, it has a speed of 170 m.p.h. and lands at 60. More often known as the " Goshawk," it has the following dimensions: Span (top), 31ft. 6in. ; span (lower), 26ft. ; length, 22ft. 8|in. ; height, 9ft. 8|in. ; wing area, 252 sq. ft. ; weight, fully loaded, 3,409 lb. ; useful load, 686 lb. ; ceiling, 30,000ft. Considered too slow for strictly fighting duties, the Boeing XF6B-1 single-seater will shortly have its designa tion changed to the bomber-fighter class, as it did not come up to fighter standard and was rejected. Differing from its immediate predecessors turned out by Boeing, it The Boeing XF6B-I, which has a 700 h.p. " Twin Wasp Junior "y transferred from the fighter category to the bomber-fighter ckr UNITED STATEJ has a cantilever streamlined landing gear with no axle, and the fuselage contour is of slightly different design. It is powered with a 700 h.p. Pratt and Whitney " Twin Wasp Junior." Dimensions are: Span, 28ft. 6in.; length, 22ft. irsin. ; chord (both wings), 4ft. 8in. ; gap, 4ft. iojin, Included with the fighters received for test was the Berliner-Joyce XF3J-1. This is a single-seater biplane with a peculiar " butterfly " top wing. In its tests it was considerably slower than it should have been and was out classed by others of later design. The power plant is the 700 h.p. Wright " Cyclone " R-1510. A standard fixed- type landing gear is installed, and it is quite possible that the machine may be returned for modifications to bring up its speed. It also has the new sliding cockpit cover. While reviewing the fighter types it would not be amiss to mention the tiny airship fighters of the Curtiss F9C-2 class. These little single-seater biplanes are carried aloft by the rigid airship Macon for its defence, and it is now no secret that the Macon has a hangar inside her huge structure that houses five of these machines. They are known as " Sparrow hawks " and are powered with the Wright " Whirlwind " 420 h.p. engine. They have a span of 25ft. 6in., and a length of 20ft. i£in. A special hook on the top wing constitutes the means by which they make contact with the airship while in flight. They are also equipped for carrier landings. Four observation types have also been recently sub mitted for tests. These are all two-seaters and include the Curtiss X03C-1, which has a cruising speed in the neighbourhood of 170 miles an hour. It is fitted with slots and flaps to reduce the landing speed, and is believed to be powered with a Wright " Cyclone " engine. The Douglas X02D-1 is also reported to be of approximately the same speed, and likewise is provided with slots and flaps. It had the misfortune to crash during its test, as the result of a faulty landing gear, but was rebuilt and The Sikorsky XSS-2 amphibian fighter scout. The engine SD-i, of 550 h.p. is »e"
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