Bristol F.2 Fighter

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_F.2_Fighter

The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and
reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War developed by Frank Barnwell at
the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter,
other popular names include the "Brisfit" or "Biff".

Although the type was intended initially as a replacement for the pre-war Royal
Aircraft Factory B.E.2c reconnaissance aircraft, the newly-available Rolls-Royce
Falcon V12 engine gave it the performance of a two-seat fighter.

Despite a disastrous start to its career, the definitive F.2B version proved to
be an agile aircraft that was able to hold its own against opposing single-seat
fighters; its robust design ensured that it remained in military service into
the 1930s. Some surplus aircraft were registered for civilian use, and dedicated
civilian versions proved popular.

By Autumn 1915, the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) had identified the need for a new
aerial reconnaissance and artillery spotting aircraft to replace the pre-war
Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c. Among other attributes and performance
requirements, emphasis was placed upon the ability to defend itself in aerial
combat.

Several new types were developed; the Royal Aircraft Factory responded with its
R.E.8 design, while the Armstrong Whitworth Company produced the design that
eventually emerged as the F.K.8. In March 1916, Frank Barnwell of the Bristol
Aeroplane Company, commenced work on a new design also intended to serve as a
replacement for the ageing B.E.2. This initially took two forms, the Type 9
R.2A, to be powered by the 120 hp Beardmore engine, and the very similar Type 9A
R.2B, powered by the 150 hp Hispano-Suiza. Both designs featured the mounting of
the fuselage between the wings, with a gap between the lower longerons and the
wing, along with a substantial part of the vertical tail surfaces being located
beneath the fuselage. These features were intended to optimise the field of fire
for the observer; the positioning of the fuselage also resulted in the upper
wing obscuring less of the pilot's field of view. The crew positions were placed
as close together as possible, to optimise communication between the pilot and
observer.

Before either the R.2A or R.2B could be constructed, the new 190 hp (142 kW)
Rolls-Royce Falcon inline engine became available; Barnwell now drafted a third
revision of his design around the new engine, with its decidedly superior
power/weight ratio. The anticipated improvement in performance changed the
emphasis in its intended operational use; it was now seen as a replacement for
the F.E.2d and Sopwith 1½ Strutter two-seat fighters rather than a competitor
with the pedestrian reconnaissance designs that were to replace the B.E.2. The
resulting Type 12 F.2A, was a two-bay equal-span biplane, closely based on the
R.2A and R.2B designs.

The Bristol F.2 Fighter was armed in what had by then become the standard
weapons configuration for a British two-seater military aircraft: one
synchronised fixed, forward-firing .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun (in this
case mounted under the cowling to avoid freezing) and a single flexible .303 in
(7.7 mm) Lewis Gun on a Scarff ring over the observer's rear cockpit.

The F.2B variant often carried a second Lewis gun on the rear cockpit mounting,
although observers found the weight of the twin Lewis gun mounting difficult to
handle in the high altitudes at which combat increasingly took place in the last
year of the war, many preferring to retain a single gun.

Attempts were made to add a forward-firing Lewis gun on a Foster mounting or
similar on the upper wing either instead of, or in addition to, the Vickers gun.
Among other problems this caused interference with the pilot's compass, which
was mounted on the trailing edge of the upper wing: to minimise this effect the
Lewis gun was offset to starboard.


Role
Biplane fighter aircraft

Manufacturer
British and Colonial Aeroplane Company

Designer
Frank Barnwell

First flight
9 September 1916

Retired
1930s

Status
Retired

Primary users
Royal Flying Corps
Polish Air Force

Produced
1916–1927

Number built
5,329

Unit cost

£1,350 (1918)

American versions

Upon America's entry into the First World War, the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal
Corps of the United States Army lacked any competitive combat aircraft either in
inventory or under construction at that time. On 1 August 1917, General John J.
Pershing, the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces on the Western
Front, issued his personal recommendation for the Bristol Fighter to be
domestically manufactured in the United States, leading to plans being assembled
for the development and production of an American version of the Fighter by the
United States Army Engineering Division.

Original proposals for the American production had the 200 hp (149 kW)
Hispano-Suiza engine. On 5 September 1917, a single F.2B Fighter was delivered
to the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, United States. However, efforts to
commence production in the United States floundered due to the decision by
Colonel V.E. Clark of the Bolling Commission to redesign the Fighter to be
powered with the 400 hp (298 kW) Liberty L-12 engine. The Liberty was a totally
unsuitable engine for the Bristol, as it was far too heavy and bulky, and the
resulting aircraft had a nose-heavy attitude during flight.

A contract for 1,000 aircraft was placed initially with the Fisher Body
Corporation, but this was subsequently cancelled and reallocated to the Curtiss
Aeroplane and Motor Company instead. On 7 December 1917, the order was doubled
to 2,000 aircraft. On 25 January 1918, the first aircraft, which was given the
designation U.S.A 0-1, was completed, despite the warnings and misgivings of
Barnwell, who was not satisfied by some of the modifications made, particularly
in the use of the Liberty L-12 engine. According to Bruce, misdirections
attributed to Major E.J. Hall of the U.S. Signals Corps had led to roughly 1,400
production drawings produced by Curtiss being rendered obsolete. The reputation
of the type was also tarnished by three early crashes, although one had been
attributed to pilot error, and the other two to faulty workmanship.

Efforts to change the powerplant of American-built Bristol Fighters to the more
suitable Liberty 8 or the 300 hp (224 kW) Wright-Hisso came up against political
as well as technical problems. By July 1918, the only specimen of the
American-built Hispano-Suiza engine had been installed into a Fighter; the
combination soon gained the favour of the U.S. Air Board, which suggested to
Curtiss that all work on the Liberty L-12 version of the aircraft be abandoned
in favour of the Hispano-Suiza version. In spite of protests by Curtiss, the
contracts for the U.S.A. 0-1 were terminated, leading to only a pair of
prototypes and 25 production aircraft out of the planned 2,000 aircraft being
constructed.

Days prior to Christmas 1916, the first deliveries of production F.2A Fighters
were completed, No. 48 Squadron at Rendcomb being the first operational unit of
the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) to receive the type. On 8 March 1917, No.48 and its
Fighters were deployed to France in preparation for action on the Western Front;
Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard was keen to get the F.2A Fighter and
other newly introduced aircraft ready for the upcoming Second Battle of Arras,
aiming to surprise German forces with the hitherto unknown type, and this led to
restriction on its deployment prior to the battle to avoid alerting the Germans
to the presence of the Fighter.

Accordingly, the first offensive action that involved the F.2A Fighter crossing
the frontline occurred on 5 April 1917, which had been deliberately timed to
coincide with the British offensive at Arras. The very first F.2A patrol of six
aircraft from No. 48 Squadron RFC, led by Victoria Cross recipient William Leefe
Robinson, ran into five Albatros D.IIIs from Jasta 11 led by Manfred von
Richthofen. Four out of the six F.2As were shot down – including that of
Robinson, who was captured – and a fifth was badly damaged.

Other early experiences with the F.2A Fighter contributed to doubts over its
effectiveness. The month in which the type had been introduced to offensive
operation became known as Bloody April: casualties were high throughout the RFC,
and initially the Bristol fighter proved to be no exception. At this period,
contemporary two-seater aircraft were far less nimble than fighter aircraft, and
many types lacked the structural strength to carry out the aggressive manoeuvres
needed for dogfighting. The first "Brisfit" aircrews were accustomed to the
standard doctrine of maintaining formation and using the crossfire of the
observers' guns to counter enemy fighter aircraft.

Pilots soon realised that the Bristol Fighter was a strong and agile aircraft,
capable of manoeuvring with single-seat fighters, despite some rumours that the
type lacked the necessary structural strength to be flown as a fighter. While
its fixed forward-firing machine gun could be used as the primary weapon, the
observer could use his flexible, rear-mounted gun to provide protection from
attacks from the rear. Flown in this manner, the Bristol Fighter achieved a
'remarkable' level of success and proved to be a formidable opponent for German
fighters.

From May 1917 onwards, the definitive F.2B Fighter quickly supplanted and
replaced the earlier F.2A model. In July 1917, the War Office decided to adopt
the F.2B Fighter as the equipment of all fighter-reconnaissance squadrons,
leading to a significant increase in production. Despite the issuing of
contracts for further large batches of aircraft, it was apparent that the rate
of production could not keep up with demand for the type.

Perhaps one of the best known flying aces to use the type was Canadian Andrew
Edward McKeever, and his regular observer L.F. Powell. By the end of 1917
McKeever had accumulated 30 shoot-downs of enemy aircraft, while Powell had
achieved eight aerial kills, while operating the Fighter. McKeever later became
a flying instructor stationed in England before becoming the commanding officer
of No. 1 Squadron of the newly formed Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), where he
continued to use the Fighter as his personal aircraft, which was later
transferred to Canada.

Specifications (F.2B)

General characteristics
Crew: 2 (pilot & observer/gunner)
Length: 25 ft 10 in (7.87 m)
Wingspan: 39 ft 3 in (11.96 m)
Height: 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m)
Wing area: 405 ft² (37.62 m²)
Empty weight: 2,145 lb (975 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 3,243 lb (1,474 kg)
Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Falcon III liquid-cooled V12 engine, 275 hp (205 kW)

Performance
Maximum speed: 123 mph (107 kn, 198 km/h) at 5,000 ft (1,500 m)
Range: 369 mi (320 nmi, 593 km)
Service ceiling: 18,000 ft (5,500 m)
Rate of climb: 889 ft/min (4.5 m/s)

Armament

Guns:
1× .303 in (7.7 mm) forward-firing Vickers machine gun in the upper fuselage
1 or 2× .303 in Lewis Guns in the observer's cockpit

Bombs: 240 lb (110 kg)




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