Felixstowe F5L

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felixstowe_F5L

The twin-engine F5L was one of the Felixstowe F series of flying boats developed
by John Cyril Porte at the Seaplane Experimental Station, Felixstowe, England
during the First World War for production in America.

A civilian version of the aircraft was known as the Aeromarine 75.

Porte had taken the Curtiss H-12, an original design by the American Glenn
Curtiss and developed them into a practical series of flying boats at the
Felixstowe station. They then took their F.5 model and further redesigned it
with better streamlining, a stronger hull using veneer instead of doped linen
and U.S.-built 330 hp (later 400 hp) Liberty 12A engines. The prototype was
built and tested in England and the design then taken over by the Naval Aircraft
Factory, Philadelphia, where further modifications were made to suit their
production methods under wartime conditions. The American-built version was also
known as the Curtiss F5L and (in civilian operation) as the Aeromarine 75.

The F5L was built by the Naval Aircraft Factory (137), Curtiss (60) and Canadian
Aeroplanes Limited (30). Some were converted for civilian use by the Aeromarine
Plane and Motor Company in 1919.


Role
Military flying boat

National origin
United Kingdom

Manufacturer
Naval Aircraft Factory (137)
Curtiss Aircraft (60)
Canadian Aeroplanes Limited (30)

Designer
John Cyril Porte

First flight
15 July 1918

Introduction
November 1918

Retired
1928

Primary users
United States Navy
Aeromarine Plane and Motor Company (Aeromarine 75)

Number built
227

Developed from
Felixstowe F.5

Variants
Naval Aircraft Factory PN

The F5L entered USN service at the end of the war and was the U.S. Navy’s
standard patrol aircraft until 1928, when it was replaced by the PN-12. In civil
service, named the Aeromarine 75, the Felixstowe F5L could accommodate 10
passengers and was operated by Aeromarine Airways on flights from Key West to
Havana, carrying the first U.S. Post Office international air mail on flights
from New York City to Atlantic City, and from Cleveland to Detroit.

On 13 January 1923, the Aeromarine Airways Aeromarine 75 Columbus suffered
engine failure during a flight from Key West to Havana and landed in the Florida
Strait. Buffeted by 10-to-15-foot (3-to-4.5-metre) waves, its hull began to fill
with water. Four passengers died, but the ferry ship H. M. Flagler saved the
other three passengers and both crew members.

Specifications

General characteristics
Crew: 2
Capacity: 12-14 passengers
Length: 49 ft 4 in (15.04 m)
Wingspan: 103 ft 9 in (31.62 m)
Height: 18 ft 9 in (5.72 m)
Wing area: 1,397 sq. ft (129.8 m²)
Empty weight: 8,720 lb (3,955 kg)
Loaded weight: 14,334 lb (6,508 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Liberty L-12A V-12 water-cooled piston engines, 400 hp (kW) each

Performance
Range: 830 mi (1335 km)

Armament

Two machine guns and bombs



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