{{Short description|1917 British flying boat class}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}} {{Use British English|date=December 2016}} {{Infobox aircraft |name = Felixstowe F.2 |image =Felixstowe F2.jpg |caption = Felixstowe F.2A in flight. |type = Military flying boat |manufacturer = [[S.E.Saunders|S.E.Saunders Ltd]]<br>[[Airco|Aircraft Manufacturing Co Ltd]]<br>[[May, Harden and May|May, Harden & May]] |national_origin=United Kingdom |designer = [[John Cyril Porte]] |first_flight = July 1916 |introduction = 1917 |retired = <!--date the aircraft left military or revenue service. if vague or multiples, it probably should be skipped--> |status = <!--in most cases, this field is redundant; use it sparingly--> |primary_user = [[Royal Naval Air Service]] |more_users = [[Royal Air Force]]<br />[[United States Navy]] |produced = <!--years in production, e.g. 1970-1999, if still in active use but no longer built--> |number_built = 175 |unit cost = |developed_from = <!-- the aircraft which formed the basis for the topic type -->[[Felixstowe F.1]]<br>[[Curtiss H-12]] |variants = [[Felixstowe F.3]]<br> [[Felixstowe F.5]]<br>[[Felixstowe F5L]]<!-- variants OF the topic type --> }} The '''Felixstowe F.2''' was a 1917 British [[flying boat]] class designed and developed by [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[John Cyril Porte]] [[Royal Navy|RN]] at the [[RNAS Felixstowe|naval air station]], [[Felixstowe]] during the [[First World War]] adapting a larger version of his superior [[Felixstowe F.1]] hull design married with the larger [[Curtiss H-12]] flying boat. The Felixstowe hull had superior water contacting attributes and became a key base technology in most seaplane designs thereafter.
==Design and development== Before the war Porte had worked with American aircraft designer [[Glenn Curtiss]] on a flying boat, ''America'' in which they intended to cross the Atlantic in order to win the [[Daily Mail aviation prizes|£10,000 prize]] offered by the British ''[[Daily Mail]]'' newspaper for the first aircraft to cross the Atlantic. Following the outbreak of war in Europe, Porte returned to England and rejoined the [[Royal Navy]], eventually becoming commander of the [[RNAS Felixstowe|naval air station]] at [[Felixstowe]] where he recommended the purchase from [[Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company|Curtiss]] of an improved version of the ''America'' flying boat on which he had worked, the [[Curtiss H-4]] type,<ref name="Bruce pt 1 p843-4">Bruce ''Flight'' 2 December 1955, pp. 843–844.</ref> resulting in the RNAS receiving two prototype ''Americas'' and 62 H-4s.<ref name="Thetford Navy p78">Thetford 1978, p.78.</ref>
The Curtiss H-4 was found to have a number of problems, being both underpowered and having a hull too weak for sustained operations and having poor handling characteristics when afloat or taking off.<ref name="Bruce pt 1 p844">Bruce ''Flight'' 2 December 1955, p.844.</ref><ref name="London p16-7">London 2003, pp. 16–17.</ref> One flying boat pilot, Major Theodore Douglas Hallam, wrote that they were "comic machines, weighing well under two tons; with two comic engines giving, when they functioned, 180 horsepower; and comic control, being nose heavy with engines on and tail heavy in a glide."<ref name="Spider p21-2">Hallam 1919, pp. 21–22.</ref>
To try to resolve the H-4's hydrodynamic issues, in 1915 Porte carried out a series of experiments on four H-4s fitted with a variety of modified hulls,<ref name="Bruce pt 1 p844"/> using the results of these tests to design a new {{convert|36|ft|m|adj=mid|-long}} hull which was fitted to the wings and tail of an H-4, [[United Kingdom military aircraft serials|serial number]] ''3580'', with a pair of 150 hp (112 kW) [[Hispano-Suiza 8]] engines as the [[Felixstowe F.1]].<ref name="London p18">London 2003, p.18.</ref> Rather than the lightweight boat-type structure of the Curtiss boats, the F.1's hull was based around a sturdy wooden box-girder similar to that used in contemporary landplanes, to which were attached a single-step planing bottom and side sponsons. Once modified by the fitting of a further two steps, the new hull proved to give much better take off and landing characteristics and was much more seaworthy.<ref name="Bruce pt 1 p845-6">Bruce ''Flight'' 2 December 1955, pp. 845–846.</ref><ref name="Thetford Navy p191">Thetford 1978, p. 191.</ref>
Porte then designed a similar hull, for the larger [[Curtiss H-12]] flying boat, which while larger and more capable than the H-4s, shared failings of a weak hull and poor water handling. The combination of the new Porte II hull,<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Rennie|first1=Major John Douglas|editor1-last=Pritchard|editor1-first=J. Laurence|title=Some Notes on The Design, Construction and Operation of Flying Boats|journal=The Journal of the Royal Aeronautical Society|date=1923|volume=XXVII|pages=136–137|url=https://archive.org/stream/journalaero27roya#page/136/mode/2up/search/fury+servo|accessdate=25 September 2015|publisher=Royal Aeronautical Society|location=University of Toronto}}</ref> this time fitted with two steps, with the wings of the H-12, a new tail and powered by two [[Rolls-Royce Eagle]] engines was named the Felixstowe F.2; its first flight was in July 1916,<ref name="London p24-5">London 2003, pp. 24–25.</ref> proving greatly superior to the Curtiss on which it was based.<ref name="Bruce pt 1 p846">Bruce ''Flight'' 2 December 1955, p. 846.</ref> The F.2 entered production as the Felixstowe F.2A, being used as a patrol aircraft, with about 100 being completed by the end of World War I. Another seventy were built, and these were followed by two F.2C which were built at Felixstowe.
In February 1917, the first prototype of the [[Felixstowe F.3]] was flown. This was larger and heavier than the F.2, giving it greater range and heavier bomb load, but poorer agility. Approximately 100 Felixstowe F.3s were produced before the end of the war.
The [[Felixstowe F.5]] was intended to combine the good qualities of the F.2 and F.3, with the prototype first flying in May 1918. The prototype showed superior qualities to its predecessors but the production version was modified to make extensive use of components from the F.3, in order to ease production, giving lower performance than either the F.2A or F.3. [[File:F.2A in dazzle scheme.jpg|thumb|Felixstowe F.2B<ref name="Bruce pt 2 p895">Bruce ''Flight'' 16 December 1955, p. 895.</ref> (N4545) in a [[Dazzle camouflage|dazzle scheme]] during an anti-submarine patrol. The dazzle camouflage adopted aided identification during air combat and on the water in the event of being forced down.]] [[File:Felixstowe F.2A Q 082243.jpg|thumb|Felixstowe F.2A (N4283), finished in a black and white scheme, piloted by Captains [[Robert Leckie (RCAF officer)|R. Leckie]] and [[Gerald Livock|G. E. Livock]], March 1918.]]
==Operational history== The Felixstowe F.2A was used as a patrol aircraft over the [[North Sea]] until the end of the war. Its excellent performance and maneuverability made it an effective and popular type, often fighting enemy patrol and fighter aircraft, as well as hunting [[U-boats]] and [[Zeppelins]]. The larger F.3, which was less popular with its crews than the more maneuverable F.2A, served in the Mediterranean and the North Sea.
The F.5 did not enter service until after the end of World War I, but replaced the earlier Felixstowe boats (together with Curtiss flying boats) to serve as the [[RAF]]'s standard flying boat until being replaced by the [[Supermarine Southampton]] in 1925.
==Variants== ;F.2A :Based on the Curtiss H12 with a new hull. Powered by two 345 hp Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII engines, with 4 to 7 machine guns and 460 lb of bombs. ;F.2B :F.2A with an open cockpit.<ref name="Bruce pt 2 p895"/> ;F.2C :Modified F.2A with a lighter hull. Two built.
==Operators== ;{{CHI}} *[[Chilean Air Force]] - received one F.2A in 1920. Still operational in 1924.<ref>Rivas 2019, p. 20</ref> ;{{NLD}} *[[Netherlands Naval Aviation Service|Royal Netherlands Naval Air Service]] - one in service (N4551), receiving serial L-2{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} ;{{UK}} *[[Royal Naval Air Service]] *[[Royal Air Force]] **[[No. 228 Squadron RAF]] **[[No. 230 Squadron RAF]] **[[No. 231 Squadron RAF]] **[[No. 232 Squadron RAF]] **[[No. 234 Squadron RAF]] **[[No. 240 Squadron RAF]] **[[No. 247 Squadron RAF]] **[[No. 249 Squadron RAF]] **[[No. 257 Squadron RAF]] **[[No. 259 Squadron RAF]] **[[No. 261 Squadron RAF]] **[[No. 267 Squadron RAF]] ;{{USA}} *[[United States Navy]]
==Specifications (F.2A) == [[File:F.730 Plan and Profile of Hull BW 2.jpg|thumb|433x433px|Felixstowe F.2a general arrangement drawing showing details of hull.]] {{Aircraft specs |prime units?=imp
|ref=British Naval Aircraft since 1912 <ref name="Thetford Navy p194,6">Thetford 1978, pp. 194, 196.</ref>
|crew=4 |length ft= 46 |length in= 3 |length m= 14.1 |span ft= 95 |span in= 7.5 |span m= 29.15 |height ft= 17 |height in= 6 |height m= 5.34 |wing area sqft= 1,133 |wing area sqm= 105.3 |empty weight lb= 7,549 |empty weight kg= 3,424 |gross weight lb= 10,978 |gross weight kg=4,980 |eng1 name= [[Rolls-Royce Eagle]] VIII |eng1 type= V12 piston |eng1 number=2 |eng1 hp= 345 |eng1 kw= 257 |max speed mph= 95.5 |max speed kts= 83 |max speed kmh= 154 |max speed note= at 2,000 ft |ceiling ft= 9,600 |ceiling m= 2,926 |wing loading lb/sqft= 9.69 |wing loading kg/m2= 47.4 |power/mass=0.063 hp/lb (0.10 kW/kg) |endurance=6 hours |more performance= |time to altitude=3 min 50 s to 2,000 ft (610 m), 39 min 30 s to 10,000 ft (3,050 m) |guns=4 × [[.303 British|.303 in]] (7.7 mm) [[Lewis Gun]]s, 1 in nose, 3 amidships |bombs= Up to {{convert|460|lb|abbr=on}} of bombs beneath wings }}
==See also== {{aircontent <!-- designs which were developed into or from this aircraft: --> |related= *[[Felixstowe F.1]] *[[Curtiss H-12]] *[[Curtiss H-16]] *[[Felixstowe F.3]] *[[Felixstowe F.5]] *[[Felixstowe F5L]]
<!-- aircraft similar in appearance or function to this design: --> |similar aircraft= <!-- any lists that are appropriate: --> |lists=
<!-- other articles that could be useful to connect with: --> |see also= }}
==Notes== {{Reflist}}
==Bibliography== * Bruce, J.M. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1955/1955%20-%201723.html "The Felixstowe Flying-Boats: Historic Military Aircraft No. 11, Part 1."] ''[[Flight International|Flight]]'', 2 December 1955, pp. 842–846. * Bruce, J.M. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1955/1955%20-%201772.html "The Felixstowe Flying-Boats: Historic Military Aircraft No. 11, Part 2."] ''Flight'', 16 December 1955, pp. 895–898. * Bruce, J.M. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1955/1955%20-%201806.html "The Felixstowe Flying-Boats: Historic Military Aircraft No. 11, Part 3."] ''Flight'', 23 December 1955, pp. 929–932. * Bruce, J.M. ''British Aeroplanes 1914-18''. London: Putnam, 1957. * Hallam, T.D. ''The Spider Web: The Romance of a Flying Boat War Flight''. London: William Blackwood, 1919. * London, Peter. ''British Flying Boats''. Stroud, UK: Sutton Publishing, 2003. {{ISBN|0-7509-2695-3}}. * Rivas, Santiago. ''British Combat Aircraft in Latin America''. Manchester, UK: Crécy Publishing, 2019. {{isbn|978-1-90210-957-2}}. * Thetford, Owen. ''British Naval Aircraft since 1912''. London: Putnam, Fourth edition 1978. {{ISBN|0-370-30021-1}}.
==External links== {{Commons category|Felixstowe F.2}} *[http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1060022770 Pigeons and Seaplanes]: Film of [[carrier pigeon]]s used to send messages from British seaplanes in the [[North Sea]] during the First World War, including the Felixstowe F.2, c.1917. *[http://www.willhiggs.co.uk/dundee/felixstowes.htm Felixstowe Flying-Boats] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130330022203/http://www.willhiggs.co.uk/dundee/felixstowes.htm |date=30 March 2013 }}
{{Seaplane Experimental Station aircraft}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:1910s British patrol aircraft]] [[Category:Flying boats]] [[Category:Felixstowe aircraft|F.2]] [[Category:Biplanes]] [[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1916]] [[Category:Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft]]