F11C Goshawk

Infobox Aircraft
name = F11C Goshawk
type = Carrierborne Fighter & Fighter-Bomber
manufacturer = Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company


caption = Curtiss XBFC-1 - Model 64 prototype
designer =
first flight = September 1932
introduced = April 1932
retired =
status =
primary user = United States Navy
more users =
produced = October 1932
number built = 28 plus 2 prototypes
unit cost =
derived from = Curtis F6C Hawk
variants with their own articles = :"For other uses of Goshawk, see Goshawk (disambiguation)"

The Curtiss F11C Goshawk was a 1930s United States naval biplane aircraft that saw limited success but was part of a long line of Curtiss Hawk airplanes built by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company for the American military. See [http://www.airminded.net/goshawk/goshawk.html Images] .

Design and development

In April 1932 when Curtiss was planning the Model 35B, the United States Navy contracted with the manufacturer for an improved derivative of the Model 34C, F6C as the "F11C". It contained major changes that included the 600 hp (447-kVV) Wright R-1510-98 radial engine, single-leg cantilever main landing-gear units, a slight increase in the interplane gap, metal- rather than fabric-covered control surfaces, and armament based on two 0.3-in (7.62- mm) fixed forward-firing machine guns supplemented by a hardpoint under the fuselage for the carriage of a 474-lb (215-kg) bomb, or an auxiliary fuel tank. Curtiss designed the type as the Model 64 Goshawk, with the US Navy designation XF11C-1 (later XBFC-1 after the adoption of the BF for Bomber-Fighter category). The aircraft was of fabric-covered metal construction, used the wing cell structure of the dismantled YP-23, and was delivered in September 1932 [http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/5490000/5496066.gifcover "The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft" Cover] ] .

Shortly before ordering the "XF11C-1", the Navy had bought a company-owned Model 64A demonstrator. This had a Wright R-1820-78 Cyclone engine, slightly longer main landing-gear legs carrying wheels with low-pressure tires, a tailwheel in place of the tailskid, fabric-covered control surfaces on the tail, and external provision for underwing racks for light bombs as well as an under-fuselage hardpoint for either a 50 US gal (189 L) fuel tank or the crutch that would swing a bomb clear of the propeller disc before release in a dive-bombing attack. "

Flight trials of this XF11C-2 (later redesignated as the XBFC-2) revealed the need for a small number of minor changes. After making the changes, the "XF11C-2" came to be regarded as the prototype for the F11C-2, of which 28 examples were ordered as dual-role fighter-bombers in October 1932.

From March 1934 the aircraft were revised with a semi-enclosed cockpit and a number of other modifications before they received the revised designation BFC-2 in recognition of their fighter-bomber or, as the Navy would have it, bomber-fighter role

Operational History

The only units to operate the F11C-2 were the Navy's famous "High Hat Squadron", "VF-1B", aboard the USS Saratoga (CV-3), and "VB-6" briefly assigned to USS Enterprise (CV-6). In March 1934 when the aircraft were redesignated BFC-2 the "High Hat Squadron" squadron was renumbered "VB-2B", and then "VB-3B", and retained its BFC-2s until February 1938. "VB-6" never actually embarked on the Enterprise with the BFC bombers Swanborough and Bowers 1976] .

The Colombian Air Force used Hawk II F-11C in the Colombia-Peru War in 1932-3.

Variants

;XF11C-1 (Model 64):First prototype derived from the Curtis F6C Hawk.;XF11C-2 (Model 64A):Second prototype, redesignated XBFC-2.;F11C-2 (Model 64A):Production version, redesignated BFC-2, 28 built.;XF11C-3 (Model 67):an F11C-2 fitted with retractable undercarriage and a 700hp R-1820-80 engine, one conversion.;XBFC-2 Hawk:the XF11C-2 prototype redesignated as a bomber-fighter.;BFC-2 Hawk:redesignation of F11C-2.;BF2C-1 Goshawk (Model 67A):Production version of the XF11C-2, 27 built.;Hawk II (Model 65):export version of XF11C-2, 126 built including 32 as floatplanes (for Bolivia, Chile, China, Colombia, Cuba, Germany, Norway, Thailand and Turkey);Hawk III:export version of BFC-2 with an 770hp R-1820-F53 engine for China;Hawk IV (Model 79):export version with an 790hp R-1820-F56 engine for China, 125 Hawk IIIs and IVs built.

Operators

;BOL;CHI;China as ROC;COL
*Used in the Colombia-Peru War;CUB;flag|Germany|Nazi
*Two aircraft were bought by Germany for Ernst Udet personal use.;NOR;THA;TUR;flag|United States|1912
*United States Navy operated 28 aircraft in the VF-1B squadron on US Navy aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3)

pecifications (F11C-2) & (BFC-2)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref="The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft" [ Eden and Moeng 2002, p. 514.]
crew= 1
capacity=
payload main=
payload alt=
length main= 22 ft 7 in
length alt= 6.88 m
span main= 31 ft 6 in
span alt= 9.6 m
height main= 9 ft 8.625 in
height alt= 2.96 m
area main= 262 ft²
area alt= 24.34 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 3,037 lbs
empty weight alt= 1,378 kg
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main= 4,132 lbs
max takeoff weight alt= 1,874 kg
more general=
engine (prop)= Wright R-1820-78 Cyclone
type of prop= radial
number of props= 1
power main= 700 hp
power alt= 522 kW
power original=
max speed main= 202 mph
max speed alt= 325 km/h
cruise speed main= 150 mph
cruise speed alt= 241 kp/h
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main=
range alt=
ceiling main= 25,100 ft
ceiling alt= 7,650 m
climb rate main= 2,300 ft/min
climb rate alt= 701 m/min
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=
armament=
* Two .30 cal (7.62 mm) Browning fixed forward-firing machine guns in the forward fuselage, up to 500 lbs (227 kg) disposable stores on three hardpoints
avionics=

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Eden, Paul and Moeng, Soph, eds. "The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft". London: Amber Books Ltd. 2002, ISBN 0-7607-3432-1.
* Swanborough, Gordon and Bowers, Peter M. "United States Navy Aircraft Since 1911". Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1976. ISBN 0-87021-968-5.

External links

* [http://www.brushfirewars.org/aircraft/curtiss_hawk_ii_bolivian/curtiss_hawk_ii_bolivian.htm Bolivian Curtiss Hawk II]
* [http://www.airminded.net/goshawk/goshawkad.html Curtiss Goshawk Marketing Brochure]