The Hawker Hornbill was the last Hawker military aircraft designed under the direction of
W. G. Carter. The design was started in 1925 and the first flight took place in July 1925.
The Hornbill did not achieve service in the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
due to problems in its power plant and
radiator. Only one aircraft was built.
Construction
The Hornbill had a mixed material construction, having a steel engine mount and front fuselage covered with
duralumin sheet. The rear fuselage was made of wood structure covered with canvas. The wings also were of wood and canvas. The engine was a 698 hp (520 kW)
Rolls-Royce Condor IV driving a fine pitch wooden
propeller.
Performance
The aircraft was very fast but lacking in
stability
Stability may refer to:
Mathematics
*Stability theory, the study of the stability of solutions to differential equations and dynamical systems
** Asymptotic stability
** Linear stability
** Lyapunov stability
** Orbital stability
** Structural sta ...
and
control
Control may refer to:
Basic meanings Economics and business
* Control (management), an element of management
* Control, an element of management accounting
* Comptroller (or controller), a senior financial officer in an organization
* Controllin ...
. At 150 mph (241 km/h), steep turns could not be made without applying full rudder. Engine overheating occurred during flight tests. The single centrally mounted radiator was replaced by two radiators mounted in the lower inner wings, but the problem was not fully cured. The small size of the
cockpit restricted the movement of the pilot.
Specifications (Hornbill)
See also
References
*''Hawker Aircraft since 1920'' by Francis K Mason - pub Putnam 1961
{{Hawker Aircraft aircraft
1920s British fighter aircraft
Hornbill
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Biplanes
Aircraft first flown in 1925