Gloster Gorcock
Gorcock | |
---|---|
Role | Experimental single-seat fighter |
National origin | United Kingdom |
Manufacturer | Gloucestershire Aircraft Company |
Designer | H.P.Folland |
First flight | 1925 |
Primary user | Royal Aircraft Establishment |
Number built | 3 |
The Gloster Gorcock was a single-engined single-seat biplane fighter aircraft produced to a United Kingdom Air Ministry contract completed in 1927. Only three were built.
Development
In May 1924 Glosters received[1] an Air Ministry contract for three experimental biplane single-seat fighters. They were intended to develop metal-framed aircraft, with the first two to have steel fuselages and wooden wings (all fabric covered) and the third to have an all-steel airframe. They were to be powered by a Napier Lion engine which had been used in the racing Gloster III and was a water-cooled motor with three banks of four cylinders in an upright broad arrow arrangement. Another intention was to compare aircraft performance with direct-drive and down-geared propellers.[1]
The Gorcock was a single-bay biplane with strong
The final, all-metal Gorcock had the geared Lion IV; this was Gloster's first all-metal aircraft. It had a top speed of 174 mph (280 km/h) at 5,000 ft (1,525 m), some 30 mph (48 km/h) faster than contemporary fighters. All three aircraft were delivered by June 1927.[1]
Both Glosters and
The name
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, gorcock is a Scottish and Northern English name for the male of the red grouse. Some sources (but not the OED) suggest a connection between gore and red, but originally gore meant dung, filth or slime.
Specifications (first Gorcock)
Data from James 1971, pp. 132–3
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 26 ft 1 in (7.94 m)
- Wingspan: 28 ft 6 in (8.68 m)
- Height: 10 ft 3 in (3.11 m)
- Wing area: 250 sq ft (23.22 m2)
- Empty weight: 2,364 lb (1,098 kg)
- Gross weight: 3,179 lb (1,442 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Napier Lion IV 12-cylinder broad arrow water-cooled , 450 hp (335 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 164 mph (263 km/h, 143 kn) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m)
- Endurance: 1.8 hours
- Service ceiling: 24,000 ft (7,315 m)
- Rate of climb: 1,364 ft/min (6.93 m/s) to 15,000 ft (4,600 m)
Armament
- 2 × 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine guns in troughs each side of nose
Notes
References
- James, Derek N. (1971). Gloster Aircraft since 1917. London: Putnam Publishing. ISBN 0-370-00084-6.
- "The Gloster "Gorcock"". Flight. No. 24 November 1927. pp. 95–97.