The Bristol F.2B fighter was a British combat aircraft used by the Royal Air Force during World War I. It performed its first test flight, as the F.2A, on September 9, 1916. It entered service in April 1917 and first saw combat action in May 1917. After this armed conflict, it would also be used by the civil aviation until the 1930s.
Designed by Frank Barnwell, more than 5,000 Bristol F.2B biplanes were built by the British Colonial Aeroplane Company. However, the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company would also produce it, but only 27. This variant was fitted with a new engine, a Liberty L-12, 12-cylinder engine, which replaced the Rolls Royce Falcon-III, V-12 piston engine.
Technical Characteristics
The Bristol F.2B fighter was a strong and very maneuverable biplane. It was a two-seater and single-engine aircraft, which had originally been developed for the reconnaissance role. However, it would turn out to be an excellent fighter, one of the best of the First World War.
The aircraft wing upper deck was joined to the lower deck wing by four pair of parallel struts, two on each side. The fuselage was built with steel tubes, timber and plywood.
Specifications
Type: biplane/fighter
Length: 7.87 m
Wingspan: 11.96 m
Wing Area: 37.6 square meters
Height: 2.97 m
Maximum Speed: 202 km/h (125 mph)
Range: 594 km (369 miles)
Armament: one 7.7mm Vickers forward-firing Vickers machine guns; one .303-caliber Lewis machine gun that fired backward used by the observer.
Below, the Bristol F.2B fighter in France, in 1918.
The American version of the same aircraft. The Liberty L-12 was a 400 HP engine, which was two heavy for the aircraft. As a result, the nose had a tendency to drop.
