F7C Seahawk

Infobox Aircraft
name = F7C-1 Seahawk
type = Fighter
manufacturer = Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company

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caption = Curtiss F7C-1
Model 43
designer =
first flight = 28 February 1927
introduced =
retired = 1933
status =
primary user = United States Marine Corps
more users =
produced =
number built = 17
unit cost =
variants with their own articles = The Curtiss F7C Seahawk was a carrier-capable biplane fighter aircraft of the United States Navy Marine Corps in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Curtiss' Model 43 was their first aircraft designed expressly for the Navy, rather than a modified Army type. While clearly a descendant of the P-1 Hawk, its wings were constant-chord rather than tapered, and the upper wing had a slight sweepback. The engine was a convert|450|hp|abbr=on Pratt & Whitney R-1340-B Wasp radial. Entirely fabric-covered, the top wing was framed with spruce, while the fuselage was built from a combination of aluminum and steel tubing, sufficiently strong to serve as a dive bomber as well as a fighter.

The prototype XF7C-1 first flew on February 28, 1927. After some modification demanded by the Navy (such as the wing sweepback), 16 production aircraft F7C-1 Seahawks were built, and entered service in the USMC's VF-5M at Quantico. They continued in service until 1933.

Variants

* XFC-2: Single F7C-1 conversion for evaluation with the 575 HP (429-kW) Wright R-1820-1 Cyclone radial engine and full-span flaps.
* XFC-3: A demonstration prototype for China with an armament of four .30 cal (7.62 mm) Browning machine guns, I-type interplane struts, and ailerons on both the upper and lower wings rather than on just the upper wing. The type was superseded by the "Model 64", Curtiss F11C Goshawk.

pecifications (F7C-1)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref=
crew= 1
capacity=
payload main=
payload alt=
length main= 22.6 ft
length alt= 6.88 m
span main= 32.67 ft
span alt= 9.34 m
height main= 9.71 ft
height alt= 2.96 m
area main= 275 ft²
area alt= 25.55 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 2,053 lb
empty weight alt= 931 kg
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main= 2,782 lb
max takeoff weight alt= 1,262 kg
more general=
engine (prop)= Pratt & Whitney R-1340-B Wasp radial engine
type of prop=
number of props= 1
power main= 450 hp
power alt= 336 kW
power original=
max speed main= 155 mph
max speed alt= 249 km/h
cruise speed main= 150 mph
cruise speed alt= 241 km/h
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main=
range alt=
ceiling main= 22,100 ft
ceiling alt= 6735 m
climb rate main= 1,860 ft/min
climb rate alt= 9.45 m/sec
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
avionics=

References

* Lloyd S. Jones, "U.S. Naval Fighters" (Fallbrook CA: Aero Publishers, 1977, ISBN 0-8168-9254-7), pp. 50-52
*The complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft [http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/5490000/5496066.gifcover] Editors: Paul Eden & Soph Moeng, (Amber Books Ltd. Bradley's Close, 74-77 White Lion Street, London, NI 9PF, 2002, ISBN 0-7607-3432-1), 1152 pp.