| Firefly | |
|---|---|
| Role | Fighter |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | Fairey |
| Designer | Marcel Lobelle |
| First flight | 9 November 1925 |
| Number built | 1 |
The Fairey Firefly was a British fighter of the 1920s from Fairey Aviation. It was a single-seat, single-engine biplane of mixed construction.
Development
The Firefly was a private-venture design, penned by Marcel Lobelle. It was first flown on 9 November 1925 by Norman Macmillan. [1] The Air Ministry did not pursue the project, partly because of the American Curtiss engine used [2] and partly because of its wooden construction [1] and the Firefly I did not enter production.
Specifications (Firefly I)
Data from The Complete Book of Fighters [2]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 24 ft 10 in (7.57 m)
- Wingspan: 31 ft 6 in (9.60 m)
- Height: 9 ft 1 in (2.77 m)
- Wing area: 236.8 sq ft (22.00 m2)
- Gross weight: 2,724 lb (1,236 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Curtiss D-12 V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 430 hp (320 kW)
- Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed: 185 mph (298 km/h, 161 kn)
- Time to altitude: 5,000 ft (1,524 m) in 2 minutes 24 seconds
Armament
- Guns: 2 × 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine guns
See also
Related development
References
- ^ a b Mason, Francis K (1992). The British Fighter since 1912. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-082-7.
- ^ a b Green, W; Swanborough, G (1994). The Complete Book of Fighters. Smithmark. ISBN 0-8317-3939-8.