Hawker Hector

infobox Aircraft
name = Hector
type = Army cooperation
logo =
manufacturer = Hawker Aircraft



caption =
designer =
first flight = 14 February 1936
introduction =
retired =
status =
primary user =
more users =
produced =
number built = 179
unit cost =
developed from = Hawker Hart
variants with their own articles =

The Hawker Hector was intended as a replacement for the Hawker Audax Army co-operation aircraft. Because of the demand for Rolls-Royce Kestrel engines required for the Hawker Hind program, an alternative power plant was specified. Consequently the Napier Dagger III was used.

Although both the design and the building of the prototype was done by Hawkers, the subsequent production aircraft were built by Westland Aircraft in Yeovil, Devon. The prototype first flew on on 14 February 1936 with George Bulman as pilot. One prototype and 178 production aircraft were built. Thirteen of these were supplied to Eire in 1941-2.

The aircraft were later used by the RAF (in 1940) as target-towers, and for towing the General Aircraft Hotspur training glider.

Irish Air Corps examples were received after the Dunkirk Evacuation. In general they were in poor condition. They were sold by the British War Office to the Irish Free State upon requests for aircraft. The Irish military were wholly unprepared for major warfare, but still relied almost totally on military supplies from Britain. The defence of Ireland was also in the British interest, but with the Battle of Britain raging in the skies, could afford to sell the Irish Government nothing better than the Hector. The type was deeply unpopular with ground crews due to the extremely complicated nature of the engine, which had 24 cylinders, and therefore 48 spark plugs and 96 valves, all of which required frequent maintenance.

Variants

* Hector Mk I : Two-seat army co-operation aircraft for the RAF.

Operators

;IRL
* Irish Air Corps;UK
* Royal Air Force
** No. 2 Squadron RAF
** No. 4 Squadron RAF
** No. 13 Squadron RAF
** No. 26 Squadron RAF
** No. 53 Squadron RAF
** No. 59 Squadron RAF
** No. 296 Squadron RAF
** No. 602 Squadron RAF
** No. 612 Squadron RAF
** No. 613 Squadron RAF
** No. 614 Squadron RAF
** No. 615 Squadron RAF

pecifications (Hector)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?= plane
jet or prop?= prop
ref=Hawker Aircraft since 1920
crew= Two
capacity=
length main= 29 ft 9½ in
length alt= 9.06 m
span main= 36 ft 11½ in
span alt= 11.26 m
height main= 10 ft 5 in
height alt= 3.18 m
area main= 346 ft² Mason 1994, p.281]
area alt= 33.1 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 3,389 lb
empty weight alt= 1,537 kg
loaded weight main= 4,910 lb
loaded weight alt= 2,227 kg
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=

engine (prop)= Napier Dagger III
type of prop= 24-cylinder air-cooled H-block engine
number of props=1
power main= 1,000 hp
power alt= 750 kW
power original=

max speed main= 162 knots
max speed alt= 187 mph, 301 km/h
max speed more= at 6,560 ft (1,999 m)
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
range main= 261 nm
range alt= 300 mi, 483 km
ceiling main= 24,000 ft
ceiling alt= 7,815 m
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance= *Climb to 10,000 ft (3,050 m): 5 min 40 s
armament=
* 1 × forward-firing .303 in Vickers machine gun Mk.V
* 1 × .303 in Lewis gun in the rear cockpit on a Hawker mount
* Mountings for a camera, flares, and two 112 lb (50 kg) bombs (or containers)
avionics=

References

* Francis K Mason, "Hawker Aircraft since 1920" (Putnam, 1961)
* Mason, Francis K. "The British Bomber since 1914". London:Putnam. 1994. ISBN 0 85177 861 5.

ee also

aircontent
related=Hawker Hart
Hawker Audax

similar aircraft=

sequence=

lists=

see also=List of aircraft of the Royal Air Force