{{Short description|British First World War flying boat}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}} {{Use British English|date=December 2016}} {{Infobox aircraft |name = Felixstowe F.5 |image = File:Felixstowe F5s in flight.jpg |caption = Felixstowe F.5s in formation, 1928.<ref>{{cite web|title=Felixstowe F.5, N4568, in formation with another aircraft, 1928|url=http://navigator.rafmuseum.org/results.do?id=111589&db=object&pageSize=1&view=detail|website=Royal Air Force Museum|access-date=23 January 2017|location=Hendon|date=1928}}</ref> |type = Military flying boat |national_origin=United Kingdom |manufacturer = Seaplane Experimental Station (1)<br/>Short Brothers (23)<br/>Dick, Kerr & Co. (2)<br/>Phoenix Dynamo Manufacturing Company (17)<br/>Gosport Aircraft Company (10)<br/> S.E. Saunders Ltd<br/>Boulton Paul Ltd (hulls only)<br/>Aircraft Manufacturing Co. Ltd<br/>Yokosuka Naval Air Technical Arsenal (10)<br/>Hiro Naval Arsenal (60) <br/> Aichi (40) |designer = John Cyril Porte |first_flight = November 1917 |introduction = 1918 |retired = <!--date the aircraft left military or revenue service. if vague or multiples, it probably should be skipped-->1930 |status = <!--in most cases, this field is redundant; use it sparingly--> |primary_user = Royal Air Force |more_users = United States Navy (F5L) <br/> Imperial Japanese Navy |produced = <!--years in production, e.g. 1970-1999, if still in active use but no longer built--> |number_built = 163 (F.5); 227 (F5L) |unit cost = |developed_from = Felixstowe F.2 |variants = Felixstowe F5L<br/>Hiro H1H }}
The '''Felixstowe F.5''' was a British First World War flying boat designed by Lieutenant Commander John Cyril Porte, RN of the Seaplane Experimental Station in Felixstowe.
==Design and development== Porte designed a better hull for the larger Curtiss H-12 flying boat, resulting in the Felixstowe F.2A, which was greatly superior to the original Curtiss boat. This entered production and service as a patrol aircraft. 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 a heavier bomb load but inferior manoeuvrability. The Felixstowe F.5 was intended to combine the good qualities of the F.2 and F.3, with the prototype (N90) first flying in November 1917. 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 a lower performance than either the F.2A or F.3.{{Citation needed|date=January 2015}}
==Operational history== The F.5 did not enter service until after the end of the First World War but replaced the earlier Felixstowe boats (together with the Curtiss machines) to serve as the Royal Air Force's (RAF) standard flying boat until being replaced by the Supermarine Southampton in 1925.{{Citation needed|date=January 2015}}
==Variants==
;N90 :N90 was the air ministry serial of the prototype Felixstowe F.5 built by the Seaplane Experimental Station.
;Felixstowe F.5 :Main production variant built by sub-contractors, differed from prototype in the use of Felixstowe F.3 components to ease manufacture.
;Felixstowe F5L :American-built version of the F.5 with two Liberty engines; 137 built by the Naval Aircraft Factory (USA), 60 by Curtiss Aviation (USA) and 30 by Canadian Aeroplanes Limited (Canada).{{Citation needed|date=July 2017}}
;Gosport Flying Boat :[[File:Felixstowe F.5 (Gosport Aircraft Company).jpg|thumb|right|F.5 of the Gosport Aircraft Company at Calshot, eighth of a batch of 50 ordered.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Cowin|first1=Hugh W.|title=Aviation Pioneers|date=1999|publisher=Osprey|url=http://flyingmachines.ru/Site2/Crafts/Craft25636.htm|access-date=13 February 2017}}</ref>]] :One of the ten RAF aircraft built by the Gosport Aircraft Company was civil registered as a ''Gosport Flying Boat'' in 1919 to appear at the First Air Traffic Exhibition at Amsterdam in August 1919.<ref name="Jackson342" />
;Gosport Fire Fighter :Proposed 10-seat version of the F.5 designed to carry men and material to the scene of a forest fire or emergency.<ref name="flight1006">{{cite magazine|magazine=Flight|date=31 July 1919|title=The Gosport Flying-Boats|page=1006|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1919/1919%20-%201004.html}}</ref><ref name='Felixstowe'/>
;Gosport G5 :Proposed civilian version of the F.5 for two crew and six passengers, mail and cargo or either alone, fitted with two 365 hp Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII, 450 hp Napier Lion or 500 hp Cosmos Jupiter engines. As the ''Fire Fighter'' above, the G5 could be adapted to operate in remote areas for locating forest fires and transporting personnel and fire-fighting equipment.<ref name='Felixstowe'/><ref name="flight1657"/>
;Gosport G5a :Proposed smaller variant of the G5 with a 97 ft 6in span and 46 ft in length, for two crew and six passengers with an increased loading capacity.<ref name='Felixstowe'>Bruce, 23 December 1955, p.931</ref><ref name="flight1657">{{cite magazine |magazine=Flight |date=25 December 1919|title=Some Gosport Flying Boats for 1920 |pages=1657–1658 |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1919/1919%20-%201655.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801100734/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1919/1919%20-%201655.html |archive-date=1 August 2015}}</ref>
;Aeromarine 75 :American civilian version of the Felixstowe F5L, eight converted by the Aeromarine Plane and Motor Company for three crew, 10–14 passengers and mail, fitted with two Liberty 12A engines. Entered service 1 November 1920.<ref>{{cite journal|editor1-last=Spooner|editor1-first=Stanley|title=An Aeromarine Limousine Flying Boat|journal=Flight|date=5 August 1920|volume=XII|issue=606|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1920/1920%20-%200863.html?search=aeromarine}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Johnston|first1=E. R.|title=American Flying Boats and Amphibious Aircraft: An Illustrated History|date=2009|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0786439744|page=11|edition=illustrated|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H1EIAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA11|chapter=Part 1: The Early Era, 1912–1928}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Kusrow; Larson|first1=Daniel; Björn|title=A Website About Aeromarine Airways A Pioneer Airline in U.S. Aviation|url=http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/aerom.htm|website=The Aeromarine Website|access-date=14 July 2017|date=2017}}</ref> The first in-flight movie screened in an Aeromarine 75 during the ''Pageant of Progress Exposition'', Chicago, August 1921.
;Navy F.5 :An improved Japanese version of the F.5 known as the ''Navy F.5'' used by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) between 1922 and 1930. The Hiro Naval Arsenal first licence-built the Felixstowe F.5 from October 1921, Aichi continued manufacture until 1929.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hiro (Hirosho) Navy Type F.5 Flying-boat. |url=http://japaneseaircraft.devhub.com/blog/614328-hiro-hirosho-navy-type-f5-flying-boat/ |website=Japanese Aircraft of WWII |access-date=31 December 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141231165816/http://japaneseaircraft.devhub.com/blog/614328-hiro-hirosho-navy-type-f5-flying-boat/ |archive-date=31 December 2014 }}</ref>
;Saunders hull :S. E. Saunders were awarded a contract in 1922 to investigate the merits of a tunnel type wooden hull in comparison with an all-metal hull built by Short Brothers.{{Citation needed|date=July 2017}}
:The new 'hollow bottom' ventilated hull was patented by Saunders and fitted to F.5 (N178), the aircraft delivered to the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment in September 1924, however trials were brief and it was dismantled and scrapped by mid 1925. The Short Brothers' design proved the merit of metal hulls.{{Citation needed|date=July 2017}}
;Short S.2 :[[File:Short_S.2_flying_boat.jpg|thumb|right|Short S.2 prototype (N177) at Short Brothers Works, Rochester, Kent, 1924.]] :In 1924 the Air Ministry invited tenders for two hulls of modern design to suit the wings and tail surfaces of the F.5. Short Brothers submitted a proposal for an all-metal hull developed from the Short Silver Streak.{{Citation needed|date=July 2017}}
:Built of duralumin, then a largely untried and untrusted material, the aircraft was first flown on 5 January 1925 and delivered to the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment at Felixstowe on 14 March where it was subjected to a series of strenuous tests, including dropping the aircraft onto the water by stalling it at a height of 30 ft (9 m): the aircraft withstood all trials, and after a year an inspection revealed only negligible corrosion.{{Citation needed|date=July 2017}}
:Thereafter, all Short flying boats were of metal construction and other manufacturers pursued the same practice following development of their own construction methods. The trials succeeded in overcoming official resistance to the use of duralumin, and led to the order for the prototype Short Singapore<ref>Barnes 1967, p. 197.</ref> (N179).
;Hiro H1H :Hiro Naval Arsenal produced their own variant of the ''Navy F.5'', as the H1H. The first version, ''Navy Type 15'' with a wooden hull was powered by either Lorraine W-12 or BMW VII engines, the ''Type 15-1'' had a longer wing span, whilst the ''Type 15-2'' had an all-metal hull and four-bladed propellers. It was retired in 1938.<ref name='Mikesh'>{{cite book |last1=Mikesh |first1=Robert C. |last2=Abe |first2=Shorzoe |title=Japanese Aircraft 1910–1941 |date=1990 |publisher=Naval Institute Press Annapolis |location=Maryland 21402 |isbn=1-55750-563-2}}</ref><ref name='Januszewski'>{{cite book |last1=Januszewski |first1=Tadeusz |last2=Zalewski |first2=Kryzysztof |title=Japońskie samoloty marynarski 1912-1945|date=2000|location=tiel2, Lampart|isbn=83-86776-00-5}}</ref>
;Atlantic Coast Airways F5L :American civil version of the ex-U.S. Navy Felixstowe F5L, converted for the Atlantic Coast Airway Corporation of Delaware; reported to accommodate 25 passengers for the inaugural flight 26 August 1928. Fitted with Hamilton, two-bladed aluminium alloy propellers.<ref>{{cite news |title=Travellers by Airplane to Hear Sound Pictures |agency=Associated Press |volume=LXIII |issue=237 |publisher=San Antonio Express |date=24 August 1928 |page=3}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Larsson; Zekria |first1=Björn; David |title=Atlantic Coast Airways |url=https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/acal.htm |website=airline timetable images |publisher=Airline Timetable Images |access-date=27 September 2023 |date=9 April 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Fortier |first1=Rénald |title=The costliest sandwich shop on planet Earth, Part 1 |url=https://ingeniumcanada.org/channel/articles/the-costliest-sandwich-shop-on-planet-earth-part-1 |website=Ingenium channel |publisher=Ingenium |access-date=31 Aug 2023 |date=3 April 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Fortier |first1=Rénald |title=The costliest sandwich shop on planet Earth, Part 2 |url=https://ingeniumcanada.org/channel/articles/the-costliest-sandwich-shop-on-planet-earth-part-2 |website=Ingenium channel |publisher=Ingenium |access-date=31 Aug 2023 |date=9 April 2018}}</ref>
==Operators== {{UK}} *Royal Air Force – generally formed from RNAS flights. ** No. 230 Squadron RAF ** No. 231 Squadron RAF ** No. 232 Squadron RAF ** No. 238 Squadron RAF ** No. 247 Squadron RAF ** No. 249 Squadron RAF ** No. 259 Squadron RAF ** No. 261 Squadron RAF ** No. 267 Squadron RAF *Gosport Aircraft and Engineering Company – one civil registered F.5. [[File:F5 Japanese flying boat.jpg|thumb|F.5 of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN)]] {{USA}} * United States Navy * Aeromarine Airways * Atlantic Coast Airways Corporation of Delaware {{JPN}} – (Post-war) * Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service – licence built by the Hiro Naval Arsenal and Aichi
==Specifications (F.5)== thumb|420x420px|Felixstowe F.5 drawing showing details of hull construction.
{{Aircraft specs |prime units?=kts
|ref=''Aircraft of the Royal Air Force''<ref>Thetford 1979</ref>
|crew=four |length ft= 49 |length in= 3 |length m= 15 |span ft= 103 |span in= 8 |span m= 31.6 |height ft= 18 |height in= 9 |height m= 5.7 |wing area sqft= 1,409 |wing area sqm= 131 |empty weight lb= 9,100 |empty weight kg= 4,128 |gross weight lb= 12,682 |gross weight kg= 5,753 |eng1 name= Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII, V-12 |eng1 number=2 |eng1 hp= 345 |eng1 kw= 257 |max speed kts= 76 |max speed mph= 88 |max speed kmh= 142 |max speed note= at 2,000 ft (610 m) |ceiling ft= 6,800 |ceiling m= 2,073 |time to altitude= 30 min to 6,500 ft (1,980 m) |endurance= Seven hours |armament= * '''Guns:''' 4 × Lewis guns (one in the nose, three amidships) * '''Bombs:''' Up to 920 lb (417 kg) of bombs beneath wings }}
==See also== [[File:Navy_F.5_flying_boat.jpg|thumb|right|Postcard of an IJN Navy F.5 and crew with propeller covers, on Lake Kasumigaura.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Evans; Peattie|first1=David C.; Mark R.|title=Kaigun: Strategy, Tactics, and Technology in the Imperial Japanese Navy 1887–1941|date=2012|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|isbn=978-1-84832-159-5|pages=179–181|edition=illustrated|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iSDOAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA180}}</ref>]]
* Sempill Mission {{aircontent <!-- designs which were developed into or from this aircraft: --> |related= * Felixstowe F.2 * Felixstowe F.3 * Felixstowe F.4 Fury<ref name="flight1657"/> * Felixstowe F5L * Short N.3 Cromarty * Hiro H1H * Naval Aircraft Factory PN * Short Singapore * Hall PH
<!-- aircraft similar in appearance or function to this design: --> |similar aircraft=
* Phoenix P.5 Cork * Vickers Valentia * English Electric Kingston * Supermarine Swan * Supermarine Southampton * Saunders A.14
<!-- any lists that are appropriate: --> |lists=
<!-- other articles that could be useful to connect with: --> |see also= }}
==References== '''Notes''' {{Reflist|refs= <ref name="Jackson342">Jackson 1974, p. 342</ref> }}
'''Bibliography''' {{Refbegin}} * Barnes, C.H. ''Shorts Aircraft Since 1900''. London: Putnam, 1967. * {{citation |first= Bruce |last=J.M. |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1955/1955%20-%201723.html |title=The Felixstowe Flying-Boats (Historic Military Aircraft No. 11 Part 1) |work=Flight |date=2 December 1955 |pages=842–846 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107145240/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1955/1955%20-%201723.html |archive-date=7 November 2018 }} * {{citation |first= Bruce |last=J.M. |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1955/1955%20-%201772.html |title=The Felixstowe Flying-Boats (Historic Military Aircraft No. 11 Part 2) |work=Flight |date=16 December 1955 |pages=895–898 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160803235921/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1955/1955%20-%201772.html |archive-date=3 August 2016}} * {{citation |first= Bruce |last=J.M. |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1955/1955%20-%201806.html |title=The Felixstowe Flying-Boats (Historic Military Aircraft No. 11 Part 3) |magazine=Flight |date=23 December 1955 |pages=929–932 |volume=68 |issue=2448 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160305032142/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1955/1955%20-%201806.html |archive-date=5 March 2016 }} * Donald, David and Jon Lake, eds. ''Encyclopedia of World Military Aircraft''. London: AIRtime Publishing, 1996. {{ISBN|1-880588-24-2}}. * A.J.Jackson, ''British Civil Aircraft since 1919'' Volume 2, Putnam & Company, London, 1974, {{ISBN|0-370-10010-7}} * Taylor, Michael J.H., ed. ''Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation''. London: Studio Editions, Ltd., 1989. {{ISBN|0-517-10316-8}}. * Thetford, Owen. ''Aircraft of the Royal Air Force since 1918''. London: Putnam & Co., 1979. {{ISBN|0-370-30186-2}}. {{Refend}}
== External links == {{Commons category|Felixstowe F.5}}
* [http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1060000010 First visit of an English flying boat to Kristiana]: Film of the arrival and overflight by an RAF Felixstowe F.5 flying boat (N4044) at Kristiania (later Oslo), Norway, July 1919. * [http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/1060023294 Royal Air Force]: Film of Fleet Air Arm aircraft and aircraft operating from shore bases, including the F.5, 1925. * [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}} {{Short Brothers aircraft}} {{ADF aircraft designations}}
F.5 Category:1910s British patrol aircraft Category:Flying boats Category:Aircraft first flown in 1917 Category:Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft Category:Biplanes