The Boeing F3B was a
biplane fighter and
fighter bomber
A fighter-bomber is a fighter aircraft that has been modified, or used primarily, as a light bomber or attack aircraft. It differs from bomber and attack aircraft primarily in its origins, as a fighter that has been adapted into other roles, wh ...
that served with the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
from 1928 into the early 1930s.
Design and development
Designed by the company as its Model 74, the plane was an incremental improvement over the
F2B. The Navy-designated prototype XF3B-1 still had the tapered wings of the
F2B for instance, but was built as a single-float
seaplane
A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their technological characteri ...
using the
FB-5 undercarriage. However, the growing use of
aircraft carriers took away most of the need for floating fighters, and by the time other test results had been taken into account, the production F3B-1 (Model 77) had a larger upper wing that was slightly swept back and a redesigned tail with surfaces made from corrugated aluminum.
[Jones 1977, pp. 60–62.] It also eliminated the spreader bar arrangement of the undercarriage and revised the vertical tail shape.
[Eden and Moeng 2002, p. 319.]
Operational history
It first flew on 3 February 1928, turning in a respectable performance and garnering Boeing a contract for 73 more. F3Bs served as
fighter-bombers for some four years with the squadrons
VF-2B
Strike Fighter Squadron 2 (VFA-2) also known as the "Bounty Hunters" is a United States Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet strike fighter squadron based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. Their tail code is NE and their callsign is "Bullet". They a ...
aboard ,
VB-2B aboard (later
VF-6B), and
VB-1B on ,
during which period some were fitted with
Townend ring
A Townend ring is a narrow- chord cowling ring fitted around the cylinders of an aircraft radial engine to reduce drag and improve cooling.
Development
The Townend ring was the invention of Dr. Hubert Townend of the British National Physica ...
s and others with streamlined wheel fairings.
The aircraft remained in first-line service to 1932 and were then retained as "hacks" (command and staff transports) for several more years.
Variants
;XF3B-1:(Model 74) One prototype serial number A7674
;F3B-1:(Model 77) Single-seat fighter biplane for the US Navy, 73 aircraft serial numbers A7675-A7691; A7708-A7763
Operators
;
*
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
Specifications (F3B-1)
See also
References
Notes
Bibliography
* Eden, Paul and Soph Moeng, eds. ''The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft''. London: Amber Books, 2002. .
* Jones, Lloyd S. ''U.S. Naval Fighters.'' Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers, 1977. .
* Swanborough, Gordon and Peter M. Bowers. ''United States Navy Aircraft Since 1911.'' Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1976. .
External links
Boeing F3B-1s on carrier deck*
{{USN fighters
Boeing F3B
The Boeing F3B was a biplane fighter and fighter bomber that served with the United States Navy from 1928 into the early 1930s.
Design and development
Designed by the company as its Model 74, the plane was an incremental improvement over the ...
F3B
Carrier-based aircraft
Biplanes
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1928