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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1809.PDF
932 FLIGHT This photograph of the Curtiss four-engined Uiplane flying-boat being assembled at Felixstowe makes a curious contrast with modern erection methods. Note the wooden scaffold-poles. THE FELIXSTOWE FLYING-BOATS . . . ever. Worn out by the strain of intensive work, occasional opera- tional flying, and even of fighting litigation against him, John Porte died suddenly at Brighton in October 1919. He was not quite 36 years old. Before his death he had seen the Atlantic flight accomplished by a flying-boat: that was in May 1919. The boat, designed by the Aircraft Division, Bureau of Construction and Repair, U.S. Navy Department, had been built by the Curtiss Engineering Corporation. It was one of a Flight of four which had been led by Cdr. John H. Towers, U.S.N., who, as a lieutenant, had been concerned with an earlier Curtiss flying-boat less than rive years before. Then, too, the objective had been the Atlantic flight. John Porte's contribution to victory was assessed with nice parsimony by the Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors: his widow received the sum of £1,500 in respect of his work on the development of flying-boats. Doubtless the official view was that what he did was in the normal course of his duties. But the final word and, perhaps, the best assessment can be left to Sir Walter Raleigh. Writing of John Porte in The War in the Air he said: "The shortest possible list of those who saved the country in its hour of need would have to include his name." DATA ON THE FELIXSTOWE FLYING-BOATS MANUFACTURE All prototypes were Ipuilt at the Seaplane Experimental Station,Felixstowe. Production was undertaken by the following contractors: The Aircraft Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Hendon, London, N.W. (May,Harden and May, Southampton Water): Porte Baby, F.2A and F.5. Dick, Kerr and Co., Ltd., Preston: F.3. The Gosport Aircraft Co., Ltd.,Gosport: F.5. Dockyard Constructional Unit, Malta: F.3. The Phoenix Dynamo Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Bradford: F.3. S. E. Saunders,Ltd., East Cowes, Isle of Wight: F.2A and F.5. Short Brothers, Ltd., Rochester: F.3 and F.5. The Norman Thompson Flight Co., BognorRegis: F.2A hulls. Canadian Aeroplanes, Ltd., Toronto, Ontario, Canada: F.5. U.S. Naval Aircraft Factory, League Island, Philadelphia,Pennsylvania: F-5L. POWER UNITS F.I: Two 150 h.p. Hispano-Suiza. Porte Baby: Three 250 h.p.Rolls-Royce; two 250 h.p. Rolls-Royce and one 260 h.p. Green; three 345 h.p. Rolls-Royce'Eagle; three 360 h.p. Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII.F.2: Two 250 h.p. Rolls-Royce. F.2A: Two 345 h.p. Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII. F.2C: Two 275 h.p. Rolls-Royce Mk. II (322 h.p. Eagle VI).F.3: Prototype, two 320 h.p. Sunbeam Cossack; production, two 345 h.p. Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII. F.5: Two 325 h.p. Eagle VII; two 350h.p. Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII; two 400h.p. Liberty 12. F.5L: Two 400h.p. Liberty 12. Felixnowe Fury: Five 334 h,p. Rollf-Roycc Eagle VII;five 365 h.p. Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII. ARMAMENT Porte Baby: Several machine-guns were carried. The Babies withlengthened forebody had a ring-mounting near the bows, and guns were presumably fitted to mountings in the hatchway behind the cockpit.The prototype Baby at one time had a six-pounder Davis gun on the bows. F.2 A: Normally four Lewis machine-guns: one on a ring-mountingon the nose cockpit, one in upper rear cockpit behind the wings, and one in each waist position. Some machines had twin Lewis guns in thenose and upper rear cockpits, and an additional gun was occasionally mounted on top of the cabin structure. Two 230-lb bombs in racksunder lower wings. F.2C: Two Lewis guns on ring-mounting on nose cockpit; two 230-lbbombs in under-wing racks. F.3: Generally as for the F.2A, but four 230-lb bombs could be carried.F.5: As for F.2A and F.3, but there were schemes to mount a Davis gun in the bows. Four 230-lb bombs in under-wing racks. TheCanadian-built F.5 could have up to eight Lewis guns. F-5L: Normal armament consisted of one Davis and four Lewis guns,four 230-lb or two 500-lb bombs; maximum defensive armament could consist of the Davis gun and eleven Lewis guns.Felixstowe Fury: Four machine-guns and a substantial load of bombs could be carried. SERVICE USE Porte Baby: R.N.A.S. Stations, Felixstowe and Killingholme. F.2A:R.N.A.S. Stations at Felixstowe, Great Yarmouth, Killingholme, Cattewater, Dundee, Scapa Flow. F.3: As for F.2A; also used in theMediterranean, probably from Taranto. F.5: Seaplane stations at Felixstowe, Calshot, Mount Batten, Great Yarmouth. No. 230 Squad-ron, R.A.F. (later No. 480 Flight) Calshot. Navigation Training Flight, Calshot. ALLOCATION On October 31st, 1918, the R.A.F. had two Porte flying boats(possibly Babies, or one Baby and the Fury), 53 F.2As, and 96 F.3s on charge. All the F.2As and 29 F.3s were at seaplane stations in theUnited Kingdom; of the remaining F.3s, 18 were attached to the Grand Fleet, 13 were in the Mediterranean, one was at an Aeroplane RepairDepot, 18 were with contractors, and 17 were in store. SERIAL NUMBERS 3580 : F.I. 9800-9820 : Porte Baby. N.64 : F.3 prototype. N.65 : F.2C.N.90 : F.5 prototype. N.4000-N.4049: ordered from Short Bros, as F.3s; some delivered as F.5s. N.4080-N.4099: ordered from S. E.Saunders as F.2As; some delivered as F.5s. N.4100-N.4159: ordered from Dick, Kerr and Co, as F,3s. N.4160-N.4179; ordered fromPhoenix Dynamo Mfg. Co. as F.3s. N.4180-N.4229: ordered from Phoenix Dynamo Mfg. Co. as F.3s, some delivered as F.5s.N.4230-N.4279: ordered from Dick, Kerr and Co. as F.3s. N.4280- N.4309: ordered from S. E. Saunders as F.2As. N.4310-N.4321: F.3sbuilt at Malta Dockyard. N.4370: F.3 built at Malta Dockyard. N.4400-N.4429: ordered from Phoenix Dynamo Mfg. Co. as F.3s.N.4430-N.4479: ordered from S. E. Saunders as F.2As; some delivered as F.5s. N.4480-N.4504: ordered from Aircraft Manufacturing Co. asF.2As; some delivered as F.5s. N.4510-N.4519 : ordered from Aircraft Mfg. Co. as F.2AS. N.4530-N.4554: ordered from Aircraft Mfg. Co.as F.2As. Between and about N.4560 and N.4568 were F.2As. N.4580 was an F.5 built by Saunders. N.4584 was an F.2A. N.4629 was anF.5, believed built by Saunders. N.4630-N.4637 at least were F.5s built by Gosport Aircraft Co. N.4838 and N.4839 were F.5s. NOTES ON INDIVIDUAL MACHINES F.2As used at Great Yarmouth: N.4283, N.4289, N.4291, N.4295,N.4298, N.4303, N.4305, N.4511, N.4512, N.4549 and N.4550. F.2As used at Felixstowe: N.4302 and N.4533. N.4545 had opencockpits. The F.5, N.4838 had experimental ailerons. COSTS F.2 A flying boat including hull and trolley, but without engines,instruments and guns, £6,738. Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII engine, each, £1,622 10s. DIMENSIONS, WEIGHTS AND PERFORMANCE Aircraft Type Span (upper wing) Span (lower wing) Length Wing area (sq ft) Weight empty (Ib) Military load (Ib) Fuel and oil (Ib) Weight loaded (Ib) Max. speed (m.p.h.) at 2.000ft 6,500ft 10,000ft Climb to 6,500ft (min and sec) Climb to 10,000ft Service ceiling (ft) Endurance (hours) Porte Baby Production 124ft 63ft 25ft 2,364 14,700 1,418 2,482 18,600 87.5 72 25 05 8,000 F.I 72ft 46ft — — — — — F.2A 95ft 7£in 68ft 5in 46ft 3in 17ft 6in 1,133 7,549 1,305 2,124 10,978 95.5 88.5 80.5 16 40 39 30 9,600 6 F.2C 95ft 46ft 17ft 3in 1,136 6,768 1,122 2,350 10,240 98 94 91 18 20 38 00 10.300 F.3 Prototype (Sunbeams) 101ft 8in 45ft 18ft 1,429 8.270 900 2,455 11,625 88.5 (at 400ft) 27 00 60 00 F.3 Production, Normal Load 102ft 74ft 2in 49ft 2in 18ft 8in 1,432 7,958 2,181 2,096 12,235 93 91.5 87.5 24 00 8,000 6 F.5 Prototype, Normal Load 103ft 8in 74ft 2in 49ft 6in 18ft 5in 1,409 8,023 2,148 2,097 12,268 102 99 90.5 16 05 32 30 11,500 7 F.5 Production, Normal Load 103ft 8in 74ft 2in 49ft 3in 18ft 9in 1.409 9,100 720 2,862 12,682 88 86 30 00 6,800 F-5L 103ft 9in 49ft 3+iin 18ft 9jin 1,397 8,250 13,000 87 — (10 min to 7.9 Felixstowe Fury, Medium Load 123ft 63ft 2in 27ft 6in 3,108 18,563 1,560 5,130 25,253 97 93 89.5 14 00 28 20 12.000
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