Fairey Flycatcher

infobox Aircraft
name = Flycatcher
type = Fighter
manufacturer = Fairey

---

caption =
designer =
first flight = November 1922
introduced = 1923
retired = 1934
status =
primary user = Fleet Air Arm
more users =
produced = 1923-1926
number built = 196
unit cost =
developed from =
variants with their own articles =

The Fairey Flycatcher was a Royal Navy single-seat biplane carrier borne fighter aircraft made by Fairey Aviation which served in the period 1923 to 1934. It was produced in both landplane (carrier use) and floatplane (catapult use aboard capital ships) forms.

Design and development

The Flycatcher was designed to meet the requirements of Specification N6/22 for a carrier and floatplane fighter to replace the Gloster Nightjar, powered by either the Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar or the Bristol Jupiter radial engines. Both Fairey and Parnall submitted designs to meet this specification, with Fairey producing the Flycatcher, and Parnall, the Parnall Plover. The Flycatcher first flew on 28 November 1922 , powered by a Jaguar III engine. Small orders were placed for both the Flycatcher and Plover to allow service evaluation. After trials, the Flycatcher was ordered for full production.

Technical description

The Flycatcher was a remarkable design for its time and was one of the earliest aircraft specifically designed for operation from aircraft carriers. Flaps ran the entire trailing edges of both wings. These could be lowered for landing and takeoff, providing the aircraft with the capability of using only convert|50|yd of deck space "to come and go."

The fuselage was made of both wood and metal with fabric covering. A rather cumbersome undercarriage could be changed for twin floats or a wheel/float combo for amphibian use.

Hydraulic wheel brakes were added to assist the aircraft in stopping in the confined space of an aircraft carrier. Arrestor hooks on the undercarriage spreader bar were a feature of early models, designed to engage the arrestor wires strung out on the carrier deck.

Operational history

Production of the Flycatcher began at Fairey's Hayes factory in 1923, entering service with No. 402 Flight Fleet Air Arm. The Flycatcher was flown from all the British carriers of its era. Some 192 were produced. A typical deployment was on the aircraft carrier HMS Courageous, where 16 Flycatchers would serve alongside 16 Blackburn Ripons and 16 reconnaissance aircraft.

Very popular with pilots, the Flycatchers were easy to fly and very manoeuvrable. It was in them that the Navy developed the combat tactics used in the Second World War.

The Flycatcher saw service with the Home, Mediterranean, East Indies and China fleets.

During its service on the China station, the Flycatcher was active against Chinese pirates in the waters near Hong Kong.

Variants

* Flycatcher Mk I : Single-seat fighter aircraft for the Royal Navy.
* Flycatcher Mk II : Prototype of planned replacement for Flycatcher I. Fundamentally a completely different aircraft from the Flycatcher I, the all metal Flycatcher II first flew in October 1926, competing against the Gloster Gnatsnapper, Hawker Hoopoe, Armstrong Whitworth Starling and Vickers Type 123/141 to meet specification N.21/26. Specification later abandoned. No production.

Operators

; UK
*

pecifications (Flycatcher I)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref=The British Fighter since 1912Mason, Francis K. "The British Fighter since 1912". Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1992. ISBN 1-55750-082-7.
crew=1
capacity=
length main= 23 ft 0 in
length alt= 7.01 m
span main= 29 ft 0 in
span alt= 8.84 m
height main= 12 ft 0 in
height alt= 3.66 m
area main= 288 ft²
area alt= 26.8 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 2,038 lb
empty weight alt= 926 kg
loaded weight main= 3028 lb
loaded weight alt= 1377 kg
loaded weight more= (3531 lb (1605 kg) with floats)
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main= lb
max takeoff weight alt= kg
more general=
engine (prop)= Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IV
type of prop= two row, 14 cylinder radial engine
number of props= 1
power main= 400 hp
power alt= 298 kW
power original=
max speed main= 116 knots
max speed alt= 133 mph, 214 km/h
max speed more=at sea level
cruise speed main= knots
cruise speed alt= mph, km/h
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main= knots
stall speed alt= mph, km/h
range main= 270 nm
range alt= 310 mi, 499 km
ceiling main= 19,000 ft
ceiling alt= 5790 m
climb rate main= 1090 ft/min Thetford, Owen. "British Naval Aircraft since 1912, Fourth Edition". London: Putnam,1994. ISBN 0-85177-861-5.
climb rate alt= 5.53 m/s
loading main= 10.5 lb/ft²
loading alt= 51.4 kg/m²
thrust/weight=
power/mass main= 0.132 hp/lb
power/mass alt= 216 W/kg
more performance=*Climb to 10,000 ft (3050 m): 9 min 29 sec
armament=* Two fixed forward firing Vickers machine guns

*Provision for four convert|20|lb|abbr=on bombs under wings.
avionics=

ee also

aircontent
related=

similar aircraft=*Gloster Nightjar
*Nakajima A1N
*Boeing FB

lists=

see also=

References

External links

* [http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=361 Fairey Flycatcher]
* [http://avia.russian.ee/air/england/fairey_flycatcher.php Fairey Flycatcher 1922]