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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 0445.PDF
20TH, I94I. ORY (Continued) The G.4/31 specification was for ageneral purpose machine which could operate as a bomber from smallrough aerodromes, and as a torpedo carrier. This machine had a SiddeleyTiger engine of 750 h.p. the III F. It was available with a variety of power plants and in both landplane and seaplane form. In addition, it was used as a General Pur- pose landplane, as a Fleet Air Arm landplane, as a Fleet Air Arm sea- and the loaded weights ranged 5,120 1b. to 6,543 lb., while wing loadings varied from 11.5 lb./sq. ft. to as much as 14.72 lb./sq. ft. The speeds varied from 124 m.p.h. to 150 m.p.h. according to type. Among the types of engine with which the III F was fitted may be mentioned the Napier Lion XA, the Lion V, the Jupiter VIII, the Sidde- ley Jaguar and the Lorraine. The III F was at first of composite con- struction, but later versions were of all-metal construction. • Large Exports A very important export business was done with the III F. In the face of international competition, the Fairey Aviation Co. succeeded in ob- taining an order for a number of them for the Argentine Navy. Orders for the same type were also received from the Chilean Government, and among other countries and Dominions which ordered Fairey III F aircraft may be mentioned Greece, Russia, China, New Zealand, India and the Irish Free State. The III F was used for many in- teresting purposes, and here it is worth mentioning that one of them carried on its top plane a small glider which could be released by the pilot while in flight. After it had been released in the air, the glider was used s a target for naval gunnery practice, t will be recollected that aircraft of the III D type had carried out exten- sive nights across Africa. A similar flight was carried out by four III Fs, starting from Heliopolis Aerodrome (Cairo) and going via Khartoum and Pretoria to Cape Town. On return- ing to Cairo by the same route, the four III Fs had covered a distance of 11,000 miles each without any trouble worth mentioning. The flight had also kept to the prearranged schedule throughout. The next machine to be designed was a two-seater Fleet fighter ship- plane known as the Fleetwing. In its original form the Fleetwing was a seaplane, but it had been designed to be readily convertible into a landplane by substituting a wheel undercarriage for the floats. In the latter form it The T.S.R.II (Pegasus III M, 750 h-p.) was produced in 1934, and wasthe forerunner of the Swordfish. Note the Townend cowling ring. was used for deck landing. As a sea- plane the Fleetwing was interesting in that it was the first Fairey machine to be fitted with the latest type of Fairey all-metal floats. The new floats were of the long type with steps and had a pronounced V bottom which gave them excellent shock absorbing qualities when alighting and taking off in rough seas. Concurrently with the design of the Fleetwing, the Fairey Co. turned its attention to the monoplane type, which was showing great possibilities. In the early part of 1928 work was commenced on the first cantilever monoplane to be built in this country. This machine, known as the long-range monoplane, was designed for an attack on the world's long-distance record. The type of machine built had a Napier Lion XI A engine of 570 h.p. Its gross weight was 17,500 lb. and the wing loading reached the surprisingly high figure (for that time) of 20.7 lb./sq. ft. The speed was about no m.p.h., and it will be real- ised that in view of the intention to attack the world's long-distance record the monoplane was designed for long range but not for very high cruising speed. The first attempt on the world's long-distance record, made in April, 1929, was not successful, although the machine covered a distance of 4,130 miles in 50J hours, flying from Cran- well to Karachi. Very strong head winds reduced the average speed to 65 m.p.h., and it was necessary to " Flight " photograph.One of the cleanest single-seater fighter biplanes ever produced was the Fantome of 1934. It had a Hispano engine of 910 h.p. and did 252 m.p.h.
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