Bristol F.2 Fighter
Bristol F.2 Fighter | |
---|---|
The Shuttleworth Collection's Bristol F.2B Fighter | |
Role | Biplane fighter aircraft |
Manufacturer | British and Colonial Aeroplane Company |
Designer | Frank Barnwell |
First flight | 9 September 1916 |
Retired | 1930s |
Primary users | Royal Flying Corps Polish Air Force Honduran Air Force |
Produced | 1916–1927 |
Number built | 5,329 |
The Bristol F.2 Fighter is a British
Although the type was intended initially as a replacement for the pre-war Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c reconnaissance aircraft, the new Rolls-Royce Falcon V12 engine gave it the performance of a fighter.
Despite a disastrous start to its career, the definitive F.2B version proved to be a manoeuvrable aircraft that was able to hold its own against single-seat fighters while its robust design ensured that it remained in military service into the early 1930s. Some war-surplus aircraft were registered for civilian use and versions with passenger cabins were converted.
Development
Origins
In the Autumn of 1915, the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) needed a new aerial reconnaissance and artillery spotting aircraft to replace the pre-war Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c. Among other attributes and performance requirements, emphasis was placed upon the ability to defend itself in aerial combat.[1]
Several new types were developed; the
Before either the R.2A or R.2B could be built, the new 190 hp (142 kW)
Prototypes
In July 1916, work commenced on the construction of a pair of prototypes; on 28 August 1916, an initial contract was awarded for fifty production aircraft.[1] On 9 September 1916, the first prototype performed its maiden flight, powered by a Falcon I engine.[4] It was fitted with B.E.2d wings (Bristol were major contractors for the type) to save time; its lower wings were attached to an open wing-anchorage frame and had end-plates at the wing roots.[5] On 25 October 1916, the second prototype was completed, powered by a Hispano-Suiza engine and differing from the first prototype in its tail-skid, which was integrated into the base of the rudder.[1]
It was found that the prototype's
Only 52 F.2A aircraft were manufactured before production began of the definitive model, the F.2B (retrospectively named Bristol Type 14), which first flew on 25 October 1916. The first 150 or so F.2Bs were powered by either the Falcon I or Falcon II engine but the remainder were equipped with the 275 hp (205 kW) Falcon III. The additional power gave the F.2B a 10 mph (16 km/h) advantage in level speed over the F.2A, while it was three minutes faster in a climb to 10,000 ft (3,000 m).
Armament
The Bristol F.2 Fighter was armed in what had by then become standard for a British two-seater military aircraft: one
Alternative engines
In the event the Arab engine was not a success; it was found to suffer from serious weaknesses in cylinder and crank-chamber design that led, among other faults, to chronic and severe vibration, while the cooling system also required repeated modification. The "Arab Bristol" was never to become a viable combination, in spite of prolonged development. A few Arab-engined Bristols were at the front late in the war but the British reconnaissance squadrons had to soldier on with the R.E.8 and F.K.8 until the end of hostilities.[10] The Type 16 was fitted with a 200 hp (150 kW) Hispano-Suiza engine. This worked better than the Arab but there was already a severe shortage of Hispano-Suizas for other types, such as the S.E.5a and the Sopwith Dolphin. The 300 hp (220 kW) version of the Hispano-Suiza, suggested for the Type 17, was not available in quantity before the end of the war.
Other engines tried or suggested for the F.2B were the 200 hp (150 kW)
The All-Metal Bristol Fighter
The Bristol M.R.1 is often described as an all-metal version of the F.2B but was a new design, although its fuselage was positioned between the upper and lower wing as with the F.2B. Two prototypes were built; the first flew on 23 October 1917, but the M.R.1 never entered mass production.
American versions
When the US entered the war, the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps of the United States Army lacked any competitive combat aircraft either in inventory or under construction.[12] On 1 August 1917, General John Pershing, the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces on the Western Front, issued his personal recommendation for the Bristol Fighter to be built in the United States, leading to plans for the development and production of an American version of the Fighter by the United States Army Engineering Division.[12]
Original proposals for American production had the 200 hp (149 kW) Hispano-Suiza engine.[12] On 5 September 1917, a F.2B Fighter was delivered to the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, United States. Attempts to begin production in the United States floundered due to the decision by Colonel V. E. Clark of the Bolling Commission to redesign the Fighter to be powered by the 400 hp (298 kW) Liberty L-12 engine. The Liberty was unsuitable for the Bristol, as it was far too heavy and bulky, so that the aircraft was chronically nose-heavy.[13][12]
A contract for 1,000 aircraft was placed initially with the Fisher Body Corporation then cancelled and reallocated to the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company.[12] On 7 December 1917, the order was doubled to 2,000 aircraft. On 25 January 1918, the first aircraft, which was given the name U.S.A 0-1, was completed, despite the misgivings of Barnwell, who was not satisfied with some of the modifications made, particularly in the use of the Liberty L-12 engine.[14] According to Bruce, misdirections attributed to Major E. J. Hall of the U.S. Signals Corps had led to roughly 1,400 production drawings produced by Curtiss being rendered obsolete. The reputation of the type was also tarnished by three early crashes, although one had been attributed to pilot error and the other two to faulty workmanship.[15] Only 27 O-1s were completed.[16]
Efforts to change the engine of American-built Bristol Fighters to the more suitable Liberty 8 or the 300 hp (224 kW) Wright-Hisso came up against political as well as technical problems. By July 1918, the only specimen of the American-built Hispano-Suiza engine had been installed in a Fighter; the combination soon gained the favour of the U.S. Air Board, which suggested to Curtiss that all work on the 400 hp Liberty L-12 version of the aircraft be abandoned in favour of the Hispano-Suiza version.[15] In spite of protests by Curtiss, the contracts for the U.S.A. 0-1 were terminated, leading to only a pair of prototypes and 25 production aircraft out of the planned 2,000 aircraft being constructed.[13][15]
W. C. Potter, Assistant Director of Aircraft Production, suggested that the original Bristol Fighter should be produced exactly as per Barnwell's original design, save for the use of either the Liberty 8 or Hispano-Suiza engine.
In 1918, the Dayton-Wright Company designed a modified version, designated as the B-1A or XB-1A which used a 330 hp Wright-Hispano engine in a "new fuselage of wood-veneer monocoque construction". A later version was designated as the XB-1B and was equipped with the same engine.[15][16] The XB-1A was armed with a pair of Marlin machine guns at the pilot's position while the XB-1B was armed with a pair of Browning machine guns. These aircraft were reportedly intended for use as night observation aircraft.[15] Three prototypes were built by the Engineering division at McCook Field, with a further 44 aircraft built by the Dayton-Wright Company.[17] According to Bruce, despite substantial efforts to differentiate and modify the aircraft's design, none of the American-built Fighters performed any better than the original Bristol.[15] While some of the modified versions of the F.2 were used in the US, no American-built Bristol Fighters reached the American Expeditionary Forces in France.[16]
Postwar developments
Postwar developments of the F.2B included the F.2B Mk II, a two-seat army co-operation biplane, fitted with desert equipment and a tropical cooling system, which first flew in December 1919, of which 435 were built. The Type 96 Fighter Mk III and Type 96A Fighter Mk VI were structurally strengthened aircraft, of which 50 were built in 1926–1927. Surplus F.2Bs were modified for civilian use. The Bristol Tourer was an F.2B fitted with a Siddeley Puma engine in place of the Falcon and with canopies over the cockpits; The Tourer had a maximum speed of 128 mph (206 km/h).
Operational history
Days prior to Christmas 1916, the first deliveries of production F.2A Fighters were completed, 48 Squadron at Rendcomb being the first operational unit of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) to receive the type.[7] On 8 March 1917, 48 Squadron was transferred to France in preparation for action on the Western Front; Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard was keen to get the F.2A Fighter and other new aircraft ready for the Second Battle of Arras, aiming to surprise German forces with a new type, and this led to restriction on its deployment prior to the battle to avoid alerting the Germans.[7]
The first offensive action that involved the F.2A Fighter crossing the frontline occurred on 5 April 1917, which had been timed to coincide with the British offensive at Arras.
Other early experiences with the F.2A Fighter contributed to doubts over its effectiveness. The month in which the type had been introduced to offensive operations became known as Bloody April; casualties were high throughout the RFC and the Bristol fighter proved to be no exception.[7] Contemporary two-seater aircraft were far less nimble than fighter aircraft, and many types lacked the structural strength to carry out the aggressive manoeuvres needed for dogfighting. The first "Brisfit" aircrews were accustomed to the standard doctrine of maintaining formation and using the crossfire of the observers' guns to counter enemy fighter aircraft.[7]
Pilots soon realised that the Bristol Fighter was a strong and agile aircraft, capable of manoeuvring with single-seat fighters, despite some rumours that the type lacked the structural strength to be flown as a fighter.[7] While its fixed forward-firing machine gun could be used as the primary weapon, the observer could use his flexible, rear-mounted gun to provide protection from attacks from the rear. Flown in this manner, the Bristol Fighter achieved a 'remarkable' level of success and proved to be a formidable opponent for German fighters.[7]
From May 1917 onwards, the definitive F.2B Fighter quickly supplanted the earlier F.2A model.[19] In July 1917, the War Office decided to adopt the F.2B Fighter as the equipment of all fighter-reconnaissance squadrons, leading to a significant increase in production. Despite the issuing of contracts for further large batches of aircraft, it was apparent that the rate of production could not keep up with demand for the type.[20]
Perhaps one of the best known
Near the end of the war, the Bristol Fighter was used in a pioneering new capability in the form of radio communications; 11 Squadron was the first such squadron to be equipped.[15] Only the flight commander's Fighter would be equipped with a transmitter while others were outfitted with receivers, allowing for one-way communication of orders; as the trailing aerials employed needed to be wound in prior to aerial combat, this requirement reduced the usefulness of the system.[15] The Fighter also participated in experiments held by the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) into the use of parachutes, resulting in several aircraft being modified to carry static-line parachutes within the underside of the fuselage; these trials continued following the signing of the Armistice.[15]
In September and October 1917, orders for 1,600 F.2B Fighters were placed; by the end of the First World War, the
Postwar
Following the end of the war, the F.2B Fighter was soon adopted by the RAF as its standard army cooperation machine.[15] The type continued to operate in army cooperation and light bombing roles in the British Empire, in particular the Middle East and India. In line with this role, which led to its use in a hot climate, Bristol introduced models of the Fighter equipped with 'tropical' radiators and provision for desert equipment.[15] There had also been considerations made into deploying the Fighter as a carrier-based aircraft, which led to an engineless airframe participating in immersion trials in November 1918 and an aircraft being used in deck landing tests, reportedly on board HMS Eagle.[15]
It was not until 1932 that the F.2B was withdrawn from RAF service, the last "Brisfit" unit being 20 Squadron stationed in India.[21] The type lasted a further three years in New Zealand. Surplus aircraft were allocated to ADC Aircraft, a British company established to act as a seller for wartime aircraft, which passed on large quantities of Fighters to other nations, normally to military operators.[21] Bristol also continued to manufacture and refurbish the type for some time. During the 1920s Bristol proceeded to develop and introduce numerous variants and derivatives of the Fighter, typically capable of carrying higher loads, with revised tail units and strengthened undercarriages.[22]
The F.2B Fighter was adopted by the
In 1920 Poland bought 106 Bristol Fighters (104 with Hispano-Suiza 300 hp/220 kW engines, two with Falcon IIIs) (other sources claim 107).
Operators
- Afghan Air Force operated three aircraft from 1919 and retired them by 1929.
- Australian Flying Corps operated the Bristol Fighter from 1917 to 1918.
- No. 1 Squadron in Palestine
- No. 6 (Training) Squadron in the United Kingdom
- Belgian Air Force[27]
- Canadian Air Board
- Royal Canadian Air Force
- Honduran Air Force - Honduras received a single F2.B in 1921, its first military aircraft. It was burned during an attempted revolution in 1924.[28]
- NZPAF, it was used as an army co-operation, aerial-survey and advanced training aircraft.
- Norwegian Army Air Service purchased five aircraft in 1922.[27]
- Peruvian Air Force - Three F.2Bs were purchased in 1921. They were grounded by engine problems and a lack of spare parts in 1923 and scrapped.[29]
- Polish Air Force operated 107 Bristol F.2B Fighters in 1920–1932.[27]
- Soviet Air Forceoperated two aircraft.
- Kingdom of Spain
- Aeronáutica Militar[27]
- Royal Swedish Air Forceoperated one aircraft only
- Royal Yugoslav Air Force operated one aircraft only.
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Survivors
There were three airworthy Bristol Fighters in 2007 (and several replicas):
- The Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden, Biggleswade, Beds., UK owns F.2B Fighter, serial number D8096, that still flies during the British summer.[30]
- The Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, owns a second example, D7889.[31]
- The New Zealand film director holds a second, original fuselage.
Substantially original aircraft are on static display at the:
- Royal Air Force Museum London, UK - serial number E2466 (BAPC.165)
- Imperial War Museum Duxford, UK - serial number E2581
- Museo del Aire, Madrid, Spain - serial number B.21
- Musée Royal de l'Armée, Brussels, Belgium - Type 17, 66
- Polish Aviation Museum, Kraków - serial number H1279 / 20.48
Restorations of original airframes include:
- A fuselage being rebuilt into a flyable aircraft by the Ross Walton Family Collection, Bardstown, Kentucky, USA.
- In 2016, Aerospace Bristol, Filton Airfield, Bristol, UK, purchased an airframe (BAPC.386) from a private collection in the US for restoration and display in its new museum. This sale was erroneously reported to be from Ross Walton.
In addition, various replicas are operated or displayed in locations around the world, including a full-scale replica F.2B serialled A7288 (BAPC.387) built by engineers at Rolls-Royce, Airbus and GKN Aerospace-Filton in 2010 in celebration of 100 years of aircraft manufacture at Filton, Bristol, where the original Fighters were designed and built.[32]
Specifications (F.2B)
Data from Aircraft Profile No. 21: The Bristol Fighter[33]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 25 ft 10 in (7.87 m)
- Wingspan: 39 ft 3 in (11.96 m)
- Height: 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m)
- Wing area: 405 sq ft (37.6 m2)
- Empty weight: 2,145 lb (973 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 3,243 lb (1,471 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Falcon IIIV-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 275 hp (205 kW)
- Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed: 123 mph (198 km/h, 107 kn)
- Range: 369 mi (594 km, 321 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 18,000 ft (5,500 m)
- Rate of climb: 889 ft/min (4.52 m/s)
Armament
- Guns: ** 1 × .303 in (7.7 mm) forward-firing Vickers machine gun in the upper fuselage
- 1 or 2 × .303 in Lewis Gunsin the observer's cockpit
- 1 or 2 × .303 in
- Bombs: 240 lb (110 kg)
See also
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
References
Notes
Citations
- ^ a b c d e f g h Bruce 1965, p. 3.
- ^ a b Barnes 1970, p. 104.
- ^ Bruce 1965, p. 97.
- ^ Barnes 1964, p. 106.
- ^ Hare 2012, p. 117.
- ^ Bruce 1965, pp. 3–4.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Bruce 1965, p. 4.
- ^ Bruce Air Enthusiast Thirty-five, pp. 43–45.
- ^ a b c Bruce 1965, p. 6.
- ^ a b Bruce 1965, pp. 6–7.
- ^ Bruce 1965, pp. 7–8.
- ^ a b c d e f Bruce 1965, p. 8.
- ^ a b c Bruce 1952, p. 591.
- ^ Bruce 1965, pp. 8–9.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Bruce 1965, p. 9.
- ^ a b c Guttmann, Robert (19 February 2020). "The Fighter Built for Two". Historynet. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ Wegg 1990, pp. 37–38.
- ^ Bruce 1952, p. 588.
- ^ a b c Bruce 1965, p. 5.
- ^ Bruce 1965, pp. 5–6.
- ^ a b c Bruce 1965, p. 10.
- ^ a b Bruce 1965, pp. 9–10.
- ^ Morgała (1997), p.62
- ^ a b c d Kopański 2001, pp. 11–40.
- ^ Magnusson 2007, p. 155
- ^ a b Rivas 2019, p. 9
- ^ a b c d e Holmes Aeroplane June 2015, p. 91.
- ^ Rivas 2019, p. 67
- ^ Rivas 2019, p. 81
- ^ Shuttleworth Collection – Bristol F.2B Archived 28 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved: 26 October 2010.
- ^ Canada Aviation and Space Museum – Bristol F.2B Archived 17 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved: 26 October 2010.
- ^ "News and Press: Bristol Fighter." bac2010.co.uk. Retrieved: 21 June 2010.
- ^ Bruce 1965, pp. 10, 12.
Bibliography
- Barnes, C. H. Bristol Aircraft since 1910. London: Putnam, 1964. ISBN 978-0-85177-823-5
- Barnes, C. H. Bristol Aircraft since 1910 (2nd ed). London: Putnam, 1970. ISBN 0 370 00015 3.
- Bruce, J. M. "The Bristol Fighter". OCLC 973948249
- Bruce, J. M. "Aircraft Profile No. 21: The Bristol Fighter". Profile Publications Ltd, 1965.
- Bruce, J. M. "Bristol's Fighter Par Excellence". ISSN 0143-5450.
- Bruce, J. M. Warplanes of the First World War, Vol. 1. London: Macdonald, 1965.
- Cheesman, E. F. (ed). Fighter Aircraft of the 1914–1918 War. Letchworth, Harleyford, UK: Aero Publishers, Inc., 1960.
- Cortet, Pierre (November 1998). "Rétros du Mois" [Retros of the Month]. Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (80): 34. ISSN 1243-8650.
- Gutman, J. Bristol F2 Fighter Aces of World War 1. London: Osprey Publishing, 2007. ISBN 978-1-84603-201-1.
- Hare, Paul R. Fokker Fodder. United Kingdom: Fonthill, 2012. ISBN 978-1-78155-065-6.
- Holmes, Tony. "Database: Bristol Fighter". ISSN 0143-7240.
- Klaauw, Bart van der (March–April 1999). "Unexpected Windfalls: Accidentally or Deliberately, More than 100 Aircraft 'arrived' in Dutch Territory During the Great War". Air Enthusiast (80): 54–59. ISSN 0143-5450.
- Kopański, Tomasz Jan. Samoloty brytyjskie w lotnictwie polskim 1918–1930 (British Aircraft in the Polish Air Force 1918–1930) (in Polish). Bellona, Warsaw: 2001. ISBN 83-11-09315-6.
- Magnusson, Michael (Winter 2007). "FMA : from 1945: The Story of Fabrica Militar de Aviones, Argentina: Part 1". Air-Britain Archive. pp. 155–158. ISSN 0262-4923.
- Morgała, Andrzej. Samoloty wojskowe w Polsce 1918-1924 [Military aircraft in Poland 1918-1924] (in Polish). Warsaw: Lampart, 1997. ISBN 83-86776-34-X.
- Rivas, Santiago. British Combat Aircraft in Latin America. Manchester, UK: Crécy Publishing, 2019. ISBN 978-1-90210-957-2.
- Wauthy, Jean-Luc & de Neve, Florian (June 1995). "Les aéronefs de la Force Aérienne Belge, deuxième partie 1919–1935" [Aircraft of the Belgian Air Force]. Le Fana de l'Aviation (in French) (305): 28–33. ISSN 0757-4169.
- Wegg, John. General Dynamics Aircraft and Their Predecessors. London: Putnam, 1990. ISBN 0-85177-833-X.