The Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 was a two-seat pusher biplane that was operated as a day and night bomber and as a fighter aircraft by the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. Along with the single-seat D.H.2 pusher biplane and the Nieuport 11, the F.E.2 was instrumental in ending the Fokker Scourge that had seen the German Air Service establish a measure of air superiority on the Western Front from the late summer of 1915 to the following spring.. Side view of a Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2b. ... An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, and/or spacecraft. ... This article needs cleanup. ... The Maiden flight of an aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1914: Events January January 1 - The St. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1915: Events January January 19 - First Zeppelin raid on the UK by the German Navy. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1918: // January 25 - 2nd Lt Carl Mather was killed in an aircraft collision. ... The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of World War I. // Formed by Royal Warrant on 13 May 1912, the RFC superseded the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers. ... Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... The F.E.1 (Farman Experimental) was the second aircraft built by the pioneer designer Geoffrey de Havilland - it was designed and built by him in 1910. ... A British WWI-era F.E.2b pusher. ... Hs123 biplane. ... For other uses, see Bomber (disambiguation). ... An A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-86 Sabre, P-38 Lightning and P-51 Mustang fly in formation during an air show at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. ... The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of World War I. // Formed by Royal Warrant on 13 May 1912, the RFC superseded the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... The Airco DH.2 was a single-seat biplane pusher aircraft which operated as a fighter during the First World War. ... The Nieuport 11 was designed in response to the Fokker Scourge of 1915. ... The Fokker Scourge, a term coined by the British press, was a period of time in World War I in the summer of 1915. ... Air superiority is the dominance in the air power of one side air forces of another side during a military campaign. ... Western Front was a term used during the First and Second World Wars to describe the contested armed frontier between lands controlled by Germany to the East and the Allies to the West. ...

Design and development

The F.E.2 (Farman Experimental 2) designation actually refers to three distinct designs - although all were pushers based on the general layout employed by the French aircraft designers, the Farman Brothers. The first F.E.2 was developed by the Royal Aircraft Factory in 1911 by "rebuilding" the F.E.1 - a "boxkite" style biplane designed and built by Geoffrey de Havilland before he joined the Factory's staff. A further design with the "F.E.2" designation came out in 1913, but was destroyed in a fatal crash when the pilot, R. Kemp, lost control while in a dive. ^[1] To avoid confusion - these designs are covered in the article for the F.E.1. A British WWI-era F.E.2b pusher. ... Henri Farman on September 21, 1913 in France Farman Aviation Works was an aeroneutic enterprise founded and run by the brothers Henry and Maurice Farman. ... This article needs cleanup. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1911: Events January January 18 - Eugene Ely lands on the deck of the USS Pennsylvania anchored in San Francisco Bay, marking the first time an aircraft landed on a ship. ... The F.E.1 (Farman Experimental) was the second aircraft built by the pioneer designer Geoffrey de Havilland - it was designed and built by him in 1910. ... Geoffrey de Havilland (left) with Frederick Handley Page. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1913: Events The Serbian air force is established as an army air service. ...

The F.E.2a that appeared in February 1914 was yet another totally new design, specifically intended as a "fighter". The first production order was placed in August. By this stage, the "pusher" design was becoming obsolete as far as aerodynamic performance was concerned, however, the RFC had not yet solved the problem of firing a machine gun through the propeller of a tractor aircraft (which the Germans were shortly to manage using Anthony Fokker's interrupter gear) and consequently, pushers, with a clear forward field of fire, remained the favoured configuration for fighters. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1914: Events January January 1 - The St. ... A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ... An aircraft constructed with a tractor configuration has the engine mounted with the propeller facing forwards such that the aircraft is pulled through the air, as opposed to the pusher configuration in which the propeller faces backwards and the aircraft is pushed through the air. ... Anton Herman Gerard Anthony Fokker (April 6, 1890 – December 23, 1939), was born in Kediri (Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia) and became a Dutch aircraft manufacturer. ... Damaged propeller from a Sopwith Baby aircraft circa 1916/17 with evidence of bulletholes from a machine gun fired behind the propeller without an Interruptor. ...

The F.E.2 was a two-seater with the observer sitting in the nose of the nacelle and the pilot sitting above and behind. The arrangement was described by one pilot as follows: Look up nacelle in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

I sat in a robust throne, rather like a bishop's seat in a cathedral, and my observer sat, or knelt, in a round nacelle about the size of an old fashioned footbath right in front.^{[citation needed]}

The F.E.2b to scale: compared to the height of a man.

The observer was armed with one .303 in Lewis machine gun firing forward on a specially designed, swivelling mount that gave it a very wide field of fire. Later, another Lewis was added, mounted to fire backwards over the top wing – however, the observer was required to stand on his seat in order to fire this weapon, which failed to cover a very large "blind spot" under the tail. The observer's perch was a precarious one, especially when firing the rear gun, and he was liable to be thrown out of his cockpit, however, his view was excellent in most important directions. The F.E.2 could also carry a small external bomb load. A photo revealing the size of the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2b compared to a man. ... A photo revealing the size of the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2b compared to a man. ... The Lewis Gun was a pre-WWI era British machine gun that continued to see service all the way through WWII. It is visually distinctive because of the wide tubular cooling shroud around the barrel, and the top mounted drum magazines. ...

The first production batch was for 12 of the initial F.E.2a variant, with a large airbrake under the top centre section, and a Green engine. This was quickly replaced by the main production model, the F.E.2b which was powered by a Beardmore liquid-cooled inline engine, initially the 120 hp (89 kW) version while later F.E.2bs received the 160 hp (119 kW) Beardmore. The airbrake of the "a" having proved unsatisfactory, it was simply omitted. A total of 1,939 F.E.2b/cs were built ^[2]. The Royal Aircraft Factory itself built only a few, most construction was by private British manufacturers with G & J Weir, Boulton & Paul Ltd and Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies, the main suppliers. William Beardmore and Company was a Scottish Engineering and Shipbuilding company based in Glasgow. ... An inline engine is an internal-combustion engine with cylinders aligned in one or several rows. ... For the post 1934 aircraft manufacturer, see Boulton Paul Aircraft Boulton Paul was a British general manufacturer from Norwich that became involved in aircraft manufacture. ... Ransomes, Sims and Jeffries Engineers of Ipswich were a major British agricultural machinery maker. ...

The F.E.2c was an experimental night fighter and bomber variant of the F.E.2b, the main change being the switching of the pilot and observer positions so that the pilot had the best view for night landings. Two were built in 1916, with the designation being re-used in 1918 for a similar night bomber version of the F.E.2b^[3]. In the end, the "observer-first" layout was retained for the standard aircraft. A night fighter is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night, or in other times of bad visibility. ...

The Royal Aircraft Factory was always primarily a research establishment, and other experiments were carried out using F.E.2bs, including the testing of a generator-powered searchlight attached between two .303 inch (7.7 mm) Lewis guns, apparently for night fighting duties. ^[1]

The final model was the F.E.2d (386 built) which was powered by a Rolls-Royce Eagle engine with 250 hp (186 kW). While the more powerful engine made little difference in maximum speed, especially at low altitude, it did improve altitude performance, with an extra ten mph at 5,000 ft ^[2]. The Rolls-Royce engine also improved payload, so that in addition to the two observer's guns, an additional one or two Lewis guns could be mounted to fire forward, operated by the pilot. The Rolls-Royce Eagle V12 was a 12 cylinder 60 degree V12 aero engine of 20 Liters capacity. ...

While the F.E.2d was replaced by the Bristol Fighter, the older F.E.2b proved an unexpected success as a light tactical night bomber, and remained a standard type in this role for the rest of the war. Its climb rate and ceiling were too poor for it to make a satisfactory night fighter. The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of World War I flown by the Royal Flying Corps. ...

Operational history

An F.E.2d observer demonstrating the use of the rear-firing Lewis gun which required him to stand on his seat.

F.E.2b, 1930s magazine illustration of the British fighter/bomber, a pusher biplane, over "no man's land"

Rolls-Royce Eagle powered F.E.2d with nose-wheel.

The F.E.2b entered service in September 1915 with No. 6 Squadron RFC^[2]. At this stage it served as a fighter/reconnaissance aircraft - eventually about two thirds of the F.E.2s were built as fighters (816) and one third as bombers (395)^[1]. The F.E.2b and F.E.2d variants remained in day operations well into 1917 while the "b" continued as a standard night bomber until August 1918. At its peak, the F.E.2b equipped 16 RFC squadrons in France and six Home Defence squadrons in England. On 18 June 1916, German ace Max Immelmann was killed while in combat with F.E.2bs of No. 25 Squadron RFC. The squadron claimed the kill, but the German version is either that Immelmann's Fokker Eindecker broke up after his synchronizer gear failed and he shot off his own propeller, or that he was hit by "friendly fire" from German anti-aircraft guns. Photo demonstrating the observers firing positions in the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2d. ... Photo demonstrating the observers firing positions in the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2d. ... The Lewis Gun is a pre-World War I era squad automatic weapon/machine gun of American design that was most widely used by the forces of the British Empire. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2d Origin of photo unknown but assumed to be WWI-era and hence public domain by age. ... Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2d Origin of photo unknown but assumed to be WWI-era and hence public domain by age. ... The Rolls-Royce Eagle V12 was a 12 cylinder 60 degree V12 aero engine of 20 Liters capacity. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1915: Events January January 19 - First Zeppelin raid on the UK by the German Navy. ... The first Royal Air Force squadron to receive the F-4 Phantom II, No. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1917: Events February No. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1918: // January 25 - 2nd Lt Carl Mather was killed in an aircraft collision. ... is the 169th day of the year (170th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1916: Events January January 12 - German aces Max Immelmann and Oswald Boelcke, with 8 kills, are the first pilots awarded with Pour le Mérite (the Blue Max) January 29 - the second and last Zeppelin raid on Paris inflicts 54 casualties. ... The Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen, perhaps the most famous ace of all The first ace, Adolphe Pegoud being awarded the Croix de Guerre A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. ... Max Immelmann Max Immelmann (September 21, 1890 - June 18, 1916) was a German World War I Flying ace. ... No. ... The Fokker Eindecker was a German First World War monoplane single-seat fighter aircraft designed by Dutch engineer Anthony Fokker. ... Damaged propeller from a Sopwith Baby aircraft circa 1916/17 with evidence of bulletholes from a machine gun fired behind the propeller without an Interruptor. ... For other uses, see Friendly Fire (disambiguation). ... “Flak” redirects here. ...

In combat with single seater fighters, the pilots of F.E.2b and F.E.2d fighters would form what is probably the first use of what later became known as a "Lufbery Circle" (defensive circle)^[4]. In the case of the F.E.2 - the intention was that the gunner of each aircraft could cover the "blind spot" under the tail of his neighbour, and several gunners could fire on any enemy attacking the group. Major Raoul Lufbery poses next to his Nieuport fighter Gervais Raoul Lufbery (March 14, 1885 – May 19, 1918) was an French-American fighter pilot and flying ace in World War I. Because he served in both the French and later the American air services in World War I, he is...

By autumn 1916, the arrival of more modern German fighters such as the Albatros D.I and Halberstadt D.II meant that even the F.E.2d was outperformed and, by April 1917, it had been withdrawn from offensive patrols. Despite its obsolescence in 1917, the F.E.2 was still well-liked by its crews for its strength and good flight characteristics and it remained a difficult opponent for even the best German aces. Rittmeister Baron von Richthofen was badly wounded in the head during combat with F.E.2d aircraft in June 1917 - the Red Baron, like most German pilots of the period, classed the F.E.2 as a "Vickers" type, confusing it with the earlier Vickers F.B.5. The Albatros D I was a German fighter airplane used during World War I. It was designed by Thelen, Schubert and Gnädig, in an attempt to create an airplane superior to the then-dominant Nieuport 11 (Bébé) and Airco D.H.2. ... The Halberstadt D.II was a biplane fighter aircraft of the Imperial German Army Air Service that served through the period of Allied air superiority in early 1916, but had begun to be superseded in the Jagdstaffeln by the superior Albatros fighters by the autumn of that year. ... “Red Baron” redirects here. ... The Vickers F.B.5 Gunbus was the first operational British aircraft purpose-built for air-to-air combat, making it debatably the worlds first true fighter aircraft. ...

Although outclassed as a day fighter, the F.E.2 proved very suitable for use at night, and was used both as a night fighter in home defence squadrons on anti-Zeppelin patrols and as a light tactical night bomber. It was first used as a night bomber in November 1916^[5], with dedicated bomber squadrons being formed in February 1917. F.E.2bs continued to be heavily used as night bombers in eight bomber squadrons until the end of the First World War, with up to 860 being converted to, or built as, bombers^[5]. Service as a night fighter was less successful, due to the type's poor climb and ceiling. This is an article about Zeppelin airships. ...

A total of 35 F.E.2bs were sold to China as Vickers Instructional Machines and they had been active in battles between Chinese warlords. The last combat operations flown by F.E. 2bs were those in early 1927, when Zhili clique and Fengtian clique warlords joined their forces to defeat Guominjun. F.E.2bs in the hands of Fengtian clique warlords continued to fly in training mission until their capture by the Japanese inMukden Incident, and the new owner soon desposed the obsolete aircraft. The Warlord era represents the period in the history of the Republic of China from 1916 to the mid-1930s when the country was divided by various military cliques, and this division continued until the fall of the nationalist government in mainland China in many regions, such as in Sichuan... Year 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Zhili clique (Chinese: ; pinyin: Zhí Xì) was one of several mutually hostile cliques or factions that split from the Beiyang clique during the Republic of Chinas warlord era. ... The Fengtian Clique (Chinese: ; pinyin: Fèng Xì) was one of several mutually hostile cliques or factions that split from the Beiyang Clique in the Republic of Chinas warlord era. ... The Guominjun (Traditional Chinese: 國民軍; Simplified Chinese: 国民军; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Kuominchun), or Nationalist Army, refers to the military faction founded by Feng Yuxiang during Chinas Warlord Era. ... The Fengtian Clique (Chinese: ; pinyin: Fèng Xì) was one of several mutually hostile cliques or factions that split from the Beiyang Clique in the Republic of Chinas warlord era. ... It has been suggested that Manchuria Incident be merged into this article or section. ...

F.E.2bs were experimentally fitted with flotation bags for operation over water, were also used to conduct anti-submarine patrols operating out of the Isle of Grain at the mouth of the Thames River^[1]. Anti-submarine warfare is a term referring to warfare directed against submarines. ...

Derek Robinson's novel War Story is centred around a fictional Hornet Squadron flying the F.E.2b, and later the F.E.2d, giving a realistic, albeit darkly humorous account of flying the fighter in the months leading up to the Battle of the Somme. Derek Robinson (born 1932) is a British author best known for his military aviation novels full of black humour. ... Hornet Squadron is the name of a fictional Royal Flying Corps, and later Royal Air Force, fighter squadron featured in a number of novels by British author Derek Robinson. ... Black comedy, also known as black humor, is a subgenre of comedy and satire that deals with serious subjects – death, divorce, drug abuse, et cetera in a humorous manner. ... Combatants British Empire Australia Canada New Zealand Newfoundland South Africa United Kingdom France German Empire Commanders Douglas Haig Joseph Joffre Max von Gallwitz Fritz von Below Strength 13 British & 11 French divisions (initial) 51 British and 48 French divisions (final) 10. ...

Operators

 Australia - Australian Flying Corps

• Central Flying School AFC - One aircraft only.

 United Kingdom

• Royal Flying Corps
• Royal Air Force

 China

Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The RAAF Roundel is based on that of the British Royal Air Force, with the central circle replaced by a Kangaroo, a symbol of Australia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of World War I. // Formed by Royal Warrant on 13 May 1912, the RFC superseded the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers. ... “RAF” redirects here. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China. ...

Specifications (F.E.2b)

Data from Warplanes of the First World War: Fighters, Volume Two^[3]

General characteristics

• Crew: Two (pilot & observer)
• Length: 32 ft 3 in (9.83 m)
• Wingspan: 47 ft 9 in (14.55 m)
• Height: 12 ft 8 in (3.85 m)
• Wing area: 494 ft² (45.9 m²)
• Empty weight: 2,061 lb (937 kg)
• Loaded weight: 3,037 lb (1380 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Beardmore 6-cylinder inline piston engine, 160 hp (119 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 80 knots (91.5 mph, 147 km/h)
• Range: 3 hours endurance ()
• Service ceiling: 11,000 ft (3353 m)
• Rate of climb: 39 minutes 44 sec to 10,000 ft (3,048 m)
• Wing loading: 6.15 lb/ft² (30.1 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.053 hp/lb (0.086 W/kg)

Armament

• 1 or 2x .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun for observer (1 mounted in front & 1 on a pole firing over the top wing)
• 1 or 2x .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun for pilot in later versions
• up to 517 lb (235 kg) of bombs

The distance AB is the wing span of this Aer Lingus Airbus A320. ... William Beardmore and Company was a Scottish engineering and shipbuilding company based in Glasgow and the surrounding areas. ... inline may relate to: inline engine inline expansion This is a disambiguation page — a list of articles associated with the same title. ... VNO of an aircraft is the V speed which refers to the velocity of normal operation. ... The maximal total range is the distance an aircraft can fly between takeoff and landing, as limited by fuel capacity in powered aircraft, or cross-country speed and environmental conditions in unpowered aircraft. ... In aeronautics, the service ceiling is the maximum density altitude where the best rate of climb airspeed will produce a 100 feet per minute climb(twin engine) and 50 feet(single engine) at maximum weight while in a clean configuration with maximum continuous power. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ... In aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing. ... Power-to-weight ratio is a measure commonly used when comparing various vehicles (or engines), including automobiles, motorcycles and aircraft. ... The Lewis Gun is a pre-World War I era squad automatic weapon/machine gun of American design that was most widely used by the forces of the British Empire. ... The Lewis Gun is a pre-World War I era squad automatic weapon/machine gun of American design that was most widely used by the forces of the British Empire. ...

References

• Bruce, J.M. Warplanes of the First World War: Fighters, Volume Two. London: MacDonald & Co., 1968. ISBN 0-365-01473-8.
• Mason, Francis K. The British Fighter Since 1912. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1992. ISBN 1-55750-082-7.
• Mason, Francis K. The British Bomber Since 1914. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1994. ISBN 0-85177 861-5.
• Taylor, John W. R. "F.E.2b". Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the Present. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. ISBN 0-425-03633-2.
• Winchester, Jim. "Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2." Biplanes, Triplanes and Seaplanes (Aviation Factfile). London: Grange Books plc, 2004. ISBN 1-84013-641-3.

For other uses, see Aviator (disambiguation). ... The Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen, perhaps the most famous ace of all The first ace, Adolphe Pegoud being awarded the Croix de Guerre A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. ...

Related content

Related development

Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.1 The F.E.1 (Farman Experimental) was the second aircraft built by the pioneer designer Geoffrey de Havilland - it was designed and built by him in 1910. ...

Comparable aircraft

Vickers F.B.5 - Airco DH.1 The Vickers F.B.5 Gunbus was the first operational British aircraft purpose-built for air-to-air combat, making it debatably the worlds first true fighter aircraft. ... The Airco DH.1 was an early military biplane flown by Britains Royal Flying Corps during World War I. Of pusher configuration, the aircraft accommodated its pilot and observer in two open cockpits in the nose, the observers cockpit stepped down below the pilots and equipped with...

Designation sequence

F.E.1 - F.E.2 - F.E.3 - F.E.4 - F.E.6 The F.E.1 (Farman Experimental) was the second aircraft built by the pioneer designer Geoffrey de Havilland - it was designed and built by him in 1910. ...

See also