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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 0444.PDF
V-engine of 460 h.p. The Fairey engine was called the Felix. The machine built around the Felix engine became known as the Fairey Fox Mark I. It was a two-seater day bomber and it can be said to have re- volutionised the standard of design for military aircraft of that time. That this is no exaggeration will be realised when it is pointed out that the performance of the Fox added something like 50 m.p.h. to the speed of current types of medium bombers whilst carrying the same useful load and it was not surprising that, as a result of tests at Martlesham Heath, the Fairey Co. was given a contract to supply a squadron of these machines. The designers were given a free hand and there is not the slightest doubt that the Fairey Fox set a new fashion in design and established new stan- dards for comparison. With 460 h.p. Felix engine the Fox Mark I had a loaded weight of 4,018 lb., a wing loading of 12.8 lb. / sq. ft., and a top speed of 158 m.p.h. At the same time as the Fox was being produced, the Fairey design staff turned out a single-seater fighter of very similar lines and, of course, fitted with the 460 h.p. Felix engine. A REAL F A IR E The first all-metal low-wing canti-lever monoplane to go into service in the R.A.F. was the Fairey HendonI1??0)! which had two Rolls-Royce Kestrel engines of 478 h.p. each.There were gun positions in nose and stern. " Flight " photograph. This machine had a maximum speed of 188 m.p.h. at a loaded weight of 3,616 1b. and a wing loading of 13.3 lb./sq, ft. Like the Fox the Firefly was produced as a private ven- ture. Both the Fox and the Firefijv were subsequently manufactured i Belgium at Gosselies, where in the meantime Mr. Fairey had established a branch company. During 1926 large orders were received for boat-built floats for the III D. and the Flycatcher types. It became necessary to extend the fac- tory by adding two more bays, and a large erecting shop was built to accom- modate the assembly of III D and Flycatcher aircraft. The experi- mental department was also extended and two experimental machines were ; put in hand, known as the Flycatcher II and the Ferret respectively.' Air-cooled Speed Although it was given the name Fly- catcher II, the experimental machine actually resembled more the Firefly type. It was a single-seater fighter and had the clean lines of the first Firefly, but was fitted with a Bristol aircooled supercharged Mercury 520 h.p. radial engine. A special form of cowling was introduced for this air- _ craft and showed that even with a radial it was possible to obtain a very clean line. For a loaded weight of 3,150 lb. and a wing loading of 11.41b. / sq. ft., the speed was 137 m.p.h. The Ferret was a two-seater General Purpose biplane fitted with Armstrong ' Siddeley Jaguar engine. It was the first all-metal fabric covered aircraft built by the Fairey Co. and was signed to give a great measure of inter- changeability. In the meantime the Series III had by no means reached the limit of its possibilities. During the period 1926- 27 a further machine was developed in the series, which became known as The S.9/30 (Kestrel), shown on theleft, was an experimental fleet spotter. Apart from the unorthodox single-float arrangement, which was used much in America but never becamepopular in this country, the machine was interesting because of its con-struction, which had a primary structure of stainless steel. The upper picture shows the GordonG.P. type, which was also produced as a seaplane under the name Seal.Both had Siddeley Panther engines of 525 h.p. They were a developmentof the III F. The S.9/30 appeared in 1931, and the Seal and Gordon in1932.
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