Fly Past

6 RAF CENTENARY CELEBRATION PATROLLERS AND AIRLIFTERS

1918 2018

Although the prototype F.

showed greatly improved

performance and passed its

acceptance trials in May 1918

with flying colours, the decision to

incorporate as many production

elements of the existing F.3 as

possible to reduce costs diluted the

benefits. The F.3 parts also increased

the all-up weight of the F.5 to the

extent that some airframes struggled

to even match the performance of

preceding variants.

Nonetheless, the F.5 continued in

production and quickly became the

standard flying boat of the newly

formed Royal Air Force from 1918

onwards, although it didn’t fly

operationally until the end of the

Great War.

The Felixstowe F.5 was an elegant

looking flying boat with its biplane

wings mounted amidships, and

pontoons located outboard. Its

375hp (280kW) Rolls-Royce Eagle

engines were mounted between the

wings, well clear of salt spray. The

Type: Four-crew general reconnaissance fl ying boat

First fl ight: February 1917; entered service April 1918

Powerplant: Two 375hp (2809kW) Rolls-Royce Eagle piston engines

Dimensions: Span 103ft 8in (31.60m), length 49ft 3in (15.01m)

Weights: Empty 9,100lb (4,128kg), all-up 12,682lb (7,753kg)

Max speed: 88mph (142km/h) at sea level

Range: 616 miles (991km)

Armament: One Lewis gun in the nose and three amidships. Bomb load: 920lb

(417kg)

Replaced: Blackburn Iris

Taken on charge: 23

Replaced by: Supermarine Southampton

FELIXSTOWE F.

DEFINITIVE F.

Development continued in a bid

to regain the manoeuvrability

of the earlier designs and the

prototype F.5 (N90) flew from

Felixstowe’s Seaplane Experimental

Establishment in November 1917.

The aircraft had been completely

redesigned and had a greater

wingspan than the F.3 – 103ft

8in (31.60m) compared to 102ft

(31.09m) – and a new wing section

complete with rectangular ailerons on

the upper wings. Other aerodynamic

improvements resulted in a 10mph

(16km/h) speed increase.

Below right

The Felixstowe F.3 was

larger and heavier

than the F.2, giving

it greater range and

heavier bomb load, but

poorer agility.

FLYING BO

FELIXSTOWE

1917 TO 1925

Although the prototype F.

FLYING BOATSFLYING BOATS

with flying colours, the decision to

incorporate as many production

elements of the existing F.3 as

possible to reduce costs diluted the

benefits. The F.3 parts also increased

the all-up weight of the F.5 to the

extent that some airframes struggled

T

he successful line of Felixstowe

flying boats that served

extensively with the RAF can

trace their history to the Royal Naval

Air Service’s Felixstowe F.1, created

by Lt Cdr John Cyril Porte RN.

Working at Naval Air Station

Felixstowe, Porte created the new

aircraft based upon the US-designed

Curtiss H-4 but incorporated an

advanced hull. Four were built

before Porte turned his attention to

the Felixstowe F.2, which was based

on the larger Curtiss H-12. This

successful hull design was upheld

throughout the development of a

series of flying boats for the RNAS

and subsequent RAF.

The updated Felixstowe F.2A was

employed as a patrol aircraft over the

North Sea until the end of the war,

and its excellent performance and

manoeuvrability made it effective

and popular, often fighting enemy

patrol and fighter aircraft, as well as

hunting U-boats and Zeppelins.

In February 1917, the first

prototype of the Felixstowe F.

was flown. This was larger and

heavier than the F.2, giving it

greater range and heavier bomb

load, but poorer agility. However,

approximately 100 F.3s were

produced before the end of the

war and used in the Mediterranean

theatre and North Sea.