Austin-Ball A.F.B.1

Infobox Aircraft
name=A.F.B.1


caption=
type=Fighter
manufacturer=Austin Motor Company
designer=C. H. Brooks
first flight=July 1917
introduced=
retired=
status=
primary user=
more users=
produced=
number built=1
variants with their own articles=The Austin-Ball A.F.B.1 was a British fighter plane of World War I built by car manufacturer Austin with input from Britain's leading fighter ace at the time, Albert Ball. It was a two-bay biplane of largely conventional configuration with unstaggered, equal-span wings. The top wing was attached to the upper fuselage, granting the pilot excellent visibility on all sides and above. The armament was unusual: the fixed, forward-firing Lewis gun fired through the hollow propeller shaft; but its muzzle was located aft of the powerplant. A second Lewis gun with an upwards firing arc was mounted on the upper wing. This weapon, combined with the excellent topside visibility was well-suited to Ball's favoured method of attack, from below the enemy.

Only a single prototype was built. Although the fighter promised excellent performance, the SE.5a was already in production, and the A.F.B.1 would have competed with it for production facilities (Austin was a major SE.5a contractor) and engines (since both fighters used the Hispano-Suiza 8). Moreover, Ball had already been killed in action by the time the aircraft was ready for its first flight.

pecifications (A.F.B.1)

aircraft specifications

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop

ref=

crew=1
capacity=
payload main=
payload alt=
length alt=6.55 m
length main=21 ft 6 in
span alt=9.14 m
span main=30 ft
height alt=2.84 m
height main=9 ft 3 in

area main= 290 ft²
area alt= 26.9 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 1,525 lb
empty weight alt= 693 kg
loaded weight main=2,077 lb
loaded weight alt=942 kg
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=

engine (prop)=Hispano-Suiza 8 V-8
type of prop=
number of props=1
power main= 200 hp
power alt=150 kW
power original=

max speed main= 138 mph
max speed alt= 222 km/h
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main=
range alt=

endurance=2 hrs 15 min
ceiling alt=6,700 m
ceiling main=22,000 ft
climb rate alt=5.7 m/s
climb rate main=1,120 ft/min

loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
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armament=*1 × fixed, forward-firing .303 Lewis gun
*1 × hinged upward-firing .303 Lewis gun

References

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External links

* [http://www.austinmemories.com Austin & Longbridge Aircraft Production]

ee also

aircontent

related=

similar aircraft=

sequence= Austin-Ball AFB1 - Austin Whippet

lists=

see also=