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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1011.PDF
IIIF (Lion engine) tor Chile. IIIF (Pegasus) tor Latvia. on to the island of Fernando Noronha, 1,250 miles distant, but strong headwinds obliged a descent, after twelve hours' flying, near a Portuguese cruiser. This had been stationed, with such a contingency in mind, 250 miles short of Fernando Noronha. In alighting the undercarriage collapsed and the machine was wrecked. Eventually the flight was completed by the same crew on a standard IIID of the Portuguese Navy. IIIF Mk I In 1926 appeared a very much deaned-up develop- ment of the IIID and Ferret series, designated IIIF. In its Mk I form it was powered with a Napier Lion V engine and was a three-seater of composite construction (tubular metal fuselage, wooden wings). Four of the first six production machines were supplied to the R.A.F. for the Cape-Cairo flight of 1928. There was little Service experience with the type but the flight of over 11,000 miles was completed without trouble and to a pre-arranged timetable. Conversion from landplane to floatplane could be accomplished in one hour. IIIF Mk II This mark was also of composite construction but had increased load factors and was powered with a Napier Lion XI engine. IIIF Mk HIM An all-metal version, with Lion XIA engine, for the Fleet Air Arm. IIIF Mk HIB Another all-metal machine for the Fleet Air Arm, also with Lion XIA engine, but with a strengthened fuselage, for catapulting, and other detailed modifications. A number were constructed ab initio as trainers, and thus had no superfluous fittings. These machines had duplicated flap controls. IIIF Mk IVC A two-seater of composite construction, this was a general-purpose version for the R.A.F. IIIF Mk IVM Another general-purpose variant, of all-metal con- struction, except that the fin and rudder had wooden ribs. IIIF Mk IVMjA Construction of this mark was entirely in metal. N.B. IIIFs of the Mks III and IV were the most prolific of the breed and, though normally powered with the Napier Lion engine, Mk IVs were fitted experimentally with the Jaguar VI, Panther IIA, Jupiter VIII, and Rolls-Royce F (Kestrel). For the Argentine Government a number of Mk Ills were fitted with Lorraine Ed.12s, subsequently replaced by Panther Vis. More-or-less standard machines were supplied to the Irish Free State Air Corps, Chilean Naval Air Service and Greek Naval Air Service, and two Jaguar-engined three-seat survey versions of the Mk III were supplied to the Air Survey Company. Examples also went to Russia, China, New Zealand and India. Variants included not only trainers but communications aircraft; a flying test bed with Junkers Jumo diesel engine; another, Kestrel-powered, for silencing experiments; target-glider launchers (glider carried on the top wing); and target tugs. Other machines were fitted with experimental Handley Page slots. One had a special undercarriage for water-resistance tests at full scale; another reverted to the old tail float arrangement (with lateral wing floats in addition), and an experimental installation was made of a single central main float, again with lateral stabilizing floats. A IIIF with Kestrel engine was the first of all the Rolls-Royce test beds (October 1931). In essence, however, there were only two basic types of IIIF —the general-purpose type and the Fleet Air Arm type. These differed principally in that the G.P. machine was a two-seater and the F.A.A. a three-seater, carrying a wireless operator in addi- tion to the pilot and observer/gunner. In all types wheel and float undercarriages were readily interchangeable, and the wings were arranged to fold. The metal machines had corrugated drawn- tube spars with pressed ribs clipped on. All structural compo- nents and the great majority of parts were jig-built, assuring com- plete interchangeability. Armament was a fixed Vickers gun ; ~ "~ Seal floatplane. V Gordon. firing through a trough in the port cowling and a Lewis either on a Scarff mounting or—more generally—on a Fairey "high-speed" mounting, which allowed the gun to be stowed in the decking of the fuselage. A bomb load of some 500 lb could be carried beneath the wings, or, alternatively, extra fuel tanks could be similarly disposed. Typical figures for a IIIF landplane were: span 45ft 9in, length 32ft 6in, gross weight 6,041 lb, speed at 10,000ft 120 m.p.h., endurance 3-4.2 hr. The seaplane version was some- times flown at gross weights as high as 7,200 lb. Some IIIFs, for export, had Seal-type tails. One such, with Pegasus HIM, for Latvia, had a top speed of 153 m.pJi. Fairie Queen Following trials with the Larynx pilotless air- craft, work was undertaken at the Royal Aircraft Establishment on the development of a radio-controlled target for the Royal Navy, and for this the Fairey IIIF formed the basis. Dihedral angle was increased and a special new automatic pilot was developed. With the aid of a fully automatic landing system several successful alightings were made, during 1932, in the English Channel. Three machines were built and the last was shipped to Gibraltar, where it was engaged by the guns of the Home Fleet for H hours before alighting successfully in a rough sea. Eventually the machine was transferred to Malta, where it was shot down by H.M.S. Shropshire, of the Mediterranean Fleet. Gordon I The foregoing name was allotted by the Air Ministry to the IIIF Mk V, a development with Armstrong Siddeley Panther IIA engine. The Gordon differed from the IIIF Mk IVB only in power plant, fuel and oil systems, forward fuselage. Vickers gun mounting (transferred to die outside of the fuselage), and certain details of the electrical system. Military load remained as before, typical bomb loads being two 230 or 250 lb bombs or four 112-pounders, plus, in each case, four 20-pounders. Gross weight was 5,906 lb and speed at 10,000ft 132 m.p.h. Gordons were sometimes operated on floats, were used for target-towing and, widi a message hook, for army co-operation. Gordon II This designation distinguished a modified Service- type Gordon, having a redesigned rear fuselage, Frise ailerons and a revised tail unit to harmonize control. Seal The Seal was the Fleet Air Arm counterpart of the Gordon, and originally had the same type of tail unit, though for produc- tion this was revised, and a tailwheel fitted in the place of the skid. Ailerons were of the Frise type. A number of Seals were produced as trainers, and the type was flown experimentally in this country with a Panther VI engine in a long-chord cowling. Seals similarly powered were supplied to Argentina. The standard Fleet Air Arm Seal, with Panther IIA, had a top speed of about 140 m.pii. and a ceiling of 17,000ft. Fitting of a float under- carriage lowered these figures to 128.7 m.pJi. and 13,900ft respec- tively. Endurance was about 41 hr. Seal.
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