Boulton Paul Bobolink

infobox Aircraft
name = P.3 Bobolink
type = Single-seat Fighter
manufacturer = Boulton & Paul Ltd



caption =
designer =
first flight = 1918
introduced =
retired =
produced =
number built = 1
status = Prototype
unit cost =
primary user =
more users =
developed from =
variants with their own articles = The Boulton & Paul P.3 Bobolink was a World War I British single-engined single-seat fighter aircraft. It was built by Boulton & Paul Ltd.

Development and design

The "Bobolink" was the first aeroplane designed by Boulton & Paul Limited of Norwich. The company was a manufacturer of wooden buildings but during World War I it, like many other companies, built aircraft under Ministry contracts. Aircraft built included the Sopwith 1½ Strutter and Sopwith Camel.

The British Air Ministry requested proposals to replace the Sopwith Camel. Boulton & Paul designed and constructed the Bobolink and entered it in that competition. The prototype first flew in early 1918, undergoing official trials in March of that year. Mason 1992, p.123.]

The Bobolink had two-bay biplane wings and was powered by the same Bentley BR2 rotary engine as used by the competing Sopwith Snipe. An unusual feature of the aircraft was the use of jettisonable fuel tanks. These were fitted behind the pilot and separated by a sheet of armour, allowing an individual tank to be jettisoned in the event of a fire. While the Bobolink and Snipe had similar performance, the Snipe was easier to build, while the Bobolink was claimed to have poor ground handling, with the Snipe winning the Camel replacement competition. Bruce 1965, p.82.] Only a single prototype was produced.

pecifications

aircraft specification

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref=War Planes of The First World War, Volume 1 Bruce 1965, p.83.]
crew=
length main= 20 ft 0 in
length alt= 6.10 m
span main= 29 ft 0 in
span alt= 8.84 m
height main= 8 ft 4 in
height alt= 2.54 m
area main= 266 ft²
area alt= 24.71 m²
empty weight main= 1,226 lb
empty weight alt= 557 kg
loaded weight main= 1,992 lb
loaded weight alt= 904 kg
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
engine (prop)=Bentley BR2
type of prop=rotary engine
number of props=1
power main=230 hp
power alt=172 kW
max speed main=125 mph
max speed alt=201 km/h
max speed more=at 10,000 ft (3,050 m)
range main=
range alt=
ceiling main= 19,500 ft
ceiling alt= 5945 m
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=7.49 ft²
loading alt=36.6 m²
power/mass main=0.12 hp/lb
power/mass alt=0.19 kW/kg
more performance=*Endurance: 3¼ hours
*Climb to 10,000 ft (3,050 m): 9 min 20 sec
guns=2× 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun

ee also

aircontent

related=

similar aircraft=*Sopwith Snipe

sequence=

lists=

see also=

References

*
*cite book |title= The British Fighter since 1912|last=Mason |first= Francis K.|authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1992 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis, Maryland, US |isbn= 1-55750-082-7|pages= |url=
*cite book |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title= The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985)|year= |publisher= Orbis Publishing|location= |issn=

External links

* [http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=408 British Aircraft Directory]