The Vickers F.B.24 was a British two-seat
fighter aircraft of the First World War. Only a few prototypes were built, as, although it had good performance, the
Bristol F.2 Fighter
The Bristol F.2 Fighter is a British First World War two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft developed by Frank Barnwell at the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter, ''"Brisfit"'' or ''"Bif ...
was preferred.
Design and development
In the early years of the First World War,
Vickers Limited
Vickers Limited was a British engineering conglomerate. The business began in Sheffield in 1828 as a steel foundry and became known for its church bells, going on to make shafts and propellers for ships, armour plate and then artillery. Entir ...
designed a number of aircraft to use the 150 hp (112 kW) Hart
radial engine
The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ...
, the development of which was being funded by Vickers, including two single-seat fighters, the
F.B.12 pusher and the
tractor
A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or construction. Most commo ...
F.B.16.
[Andrews and Morgan 1988, pp. 63, 66.] A third design planned to use the Hart was the F.B.24, a two-seat fighter reconnaissance aircraft.
[Andrews and Morgan 1988, pp. 72–73.]
The Hart engine proved to be unreliable, however, and was abandoned prior to the first prototype being completed in December 1916, and it became necessary to find a new powerplant for the F.B.24, with the
Hispano-Suiza 8 being chosen.
[Bruce 1969, p. 118.] The first two prototypes, the F.B.24A and F.B.24B used a 150 hp Hispano-Suiza,
[Andrews and Morgan 1988, p. 73.] with the first probably flying in March 1917.
[Mason 1992, p. 101.] but were converted to use a 200 hp (149 kW) Hispano-Suiza, becoming the F.B.24D. The F.B.24D was a
two-bay biplane with a rectangular section
fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraf ...
. The pilot and observer/gunner sat close together in separate open cockpits, with the pilot directly under the upper wings. Despite transparent panels built into the upper wings, the pilot's view was very poor.
[Bruce 1969, pp. 118–120.]
The F.B.24C was similar to the Hispano-Suiza powered aircraft, but was slightly larger and heavier, and was powered by a 275 hp (205 kW)
Lorraine-Dietrich 8Bd
Lorraine-Dietrich was a French automobile and aircraft engine manufacturer from 1896 until 1935, created when railway locomotive manufacturer ''Société Lorraine des Anciens Etablissements de Dietrich et Cie de Lunéville'' (known as ''De Dietri ...
water-cooled V8, with the cylinder blocks being enclosed in bulky fairings that protruded from the upper corners of the cowling, further restricting the pilot's view. The type was tested by the French, and although Vickers claimed good performance, the French found the aircraft's climb performance not as claimed by Vickers, and the type was not adopted.
[Bruce 1969, p. 120.] The F.B.24E was an attempt to improve the poor view for the pilot, with the fuselage being raised so that the top was level with the upper wing, and the pilot sitting with his head protruding through the gap between the two wing spars.
[Bruce 1969, p. 120, 122.]
The final version was the F.B.24G. This was of similar layout to the F.B.24E, but was larger still, and was powered by a 375 hp (280 kW) Lorraine-Dietrich
V12 engine
A V12 engine is a twelve-cylinder piston engine where two banks of six cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft. V12 engines are more common than V10 engines. However, they are less common than V8 engines.
The f ...
, the single example being built by
Darracq
A Darracq and Company Limited owned a French manufacturer of motor vehicles and aero engines in Suresnes, near Paris. The French enterprise, known at first as A. Darracq et Cie, was founded in 1896 by Alexandre Darracq after he sold his Gladi ...
in France, not flying until after the end of the war.
[Bruce 1969, p. 122.]
Variants
;F.B.24A
:First prototype - 150 hp (112 kW) Hispano-Suiza 8 engine.
;F.B.24B
:Second prototype.
;F.B.24C
:Powered by 275 hp (205 kW) Lorraine-Dietrich 8Bd engine.
;F.B.24D
:Powered by 200 hp (149 kW) Hispano-Suiza engine.
;F.B.24E
:Example with raised fuselage to improve pilot's view. Powered by 200 hp Hispano-Suiza or
Wolseley Viper
The Wolseley Viper is a British-built, high-compression derivative of the Hispano Suiza HS-8 liquid-cooled V-8 engine, built under licence by Wolseley Motors during World War I.
It powered later models of the S.E.5a, SPAD VII and other Bri ...
engine.
;F.B.24G
:Larger fighter, powered by 375 hp (280 kW) Lorraine-Dietrich V-12 engine. One built postwar by Darracq in France.
Specifications (F.B.24C)
See also
Notes
References
* Andrews, C.F. and E.B. Morgan. ''Vickers Aircraft since 1908''. London:Putnam, 1988. .
*Bruce, J.M. ''British Aeroplanes 1914–18''. London:Putnam, 1957.
* Bruce, J. M. ''War Planes of the First World War:Volume Three Fighters''. London:Macdonald, 1969. .
* Mason, Francis K. ''The British Fighter since 1912''. Annapolis, Maryland, USA:Naval Institute Press, 1992. .
""Milestones":The Vickers Machines" ''
Flight
Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...
'', 12 June 1919. pp. 760–769.
{{Vickers aircraft
1910s British fighter aircraft
F.B.24
Aircraft first flown in 1917
Biplanes