Fairey proposals - early 1930s

[Bailey]

From Scale Aviation Modelling Vol.12 No.4 January 1990. A series of proposals by Fairey.

The first is dated 1929 and shows Faireys impression of a Fairey Felix powered fighter to meet "an improved F.20/27" specification.

The second shows how Faireys Felix powered submission to meet F.7/30, might have looked if the the Rolls Royce Goshawk engine had not been insisted on. Because of this Fairey did not submit a tender.

The third shows possible designs from 1932 of a Fairey engine powered Day Bomber, and a Passenger/Mail Carrier based on common airframe components.

Regards Bailey.

 

[Stargazer]

Very nice. Thanks!

 

[pathology_doc]

Put a single canopy on the day bomber in place of the double and you get... the Fairey Battle!!!

 

[Bailey]

The resemblance to the Battle Trainer is more pronounced

Cheers Bailey.

 

[Jemiba]

.. and the F.7/30 has a pronounced similarity to the He 70:
(the He 70 drawing comes from aviastar.org)

 

[Nick Sumner]

.. and the F.7/30 has a pronounced similarity to the He 70:
(the He 70 drawing comes from aviastar.org)

I think they both use Kestral engines which accounts for much of the similarity.

The wing plan of the F.7/30 is very different from the He 70. It is strongly reminiscent of a Spitfire wing but unlike the Spitfire looks to have about an 80% strait leading edge and a 100% straight trailing edge (inboard of the flaps). Such a wing would have been much more production friendly than the Spitfire's - which had compound curves on both leading and trailing edges and was therefore difficult to manufacture.

 

[Bailey]

.. and the F.7/30 has a pronounced similarity to the He 70:

I offer this piece from the same article as I quoted at the top of this thread.

Cheers Bailey.

 

[Nick Sumner]

Is that a retractable radiator on the F.7/30?

 

[Bailey]

Is that a retractable radiator on the F.7/30?

Yes it is.

Cheers Bailey.

 

[Apophenia]

I think they both use Kestral engines which accounts for much of the similarity...

The He-70 (except for the Rolls-Royce He 70G-1 testbed) was powered by a BMW VI. And, as Bailey said, the F.7/30 submission was to be powered by a Fairey Felix.

The Felix was Fairey's licence-built version of the Curtiss D-12. Other than being direct-drive V-12s, the two engines don't have much in common. The D-12/Felix had a displacement of 1,145 cid (18.8 L) and put out about 450 hp. The BMW VI was huge by comparison -- 2,797 cid (45.8 L) and around 750 hp.

 

[Bailey]

Kindly sent to me by a friend, an alternative Fairey monoplane design scheme 9/10 to meet Specification S.9/30, which via amalgamation with M.1/30 into S.15/33 produced the Swordfish. Quiet a different concept!

From Aeroguide Classics No4 - Fairey Swordfish Mks I-III

Regards Bailey.

 

[Nick Sumner]

Apophenia - thanks for the correction!

Bailey - great find! Are there other views in Aeroguide Classics number 4 or just this side elevation?

 

[redstar72]

Kindly sent to me by a friend, an alternative Fairey monoplane design scheme 9/10 to meet Specification S.9/30, which via amalgamation with M.1/30 into S.15/33 produced the Swordfish. Quiet a different concept!

So - this could be the Swordfish?
And they changed specification to get that retro biplane instead of this?

 

[Bailey]

Are there other views in Aeroguide Classics number 4 or just this side elevation?

I don't know, I've not seen the book yet.

Cheers Bailey.

 

[Apophenia]

Very nice -- thanks Bailey! This Fairey 9/10 looks rather like a monoplane Gordon update.

 

[Bailey]

Still have not seen the book itself, but managed to get the following information.

1. The book does not contain anymore drawings of Fairey projects, but is good on contructional details of the Swordfish, very useful for the modeller.

2. Below is the caption that appears with the monoplane sideview.

"Could this have been the Swordfish? From 1929 virtually every Fairey design tender comprised four or five biplane schemes and at least two for monoplanes. The Air Ministry were at the time still very wary of monoplanes, despite the undoubted success of Fairey's Long-Range Monoplane and Hendon Bomber. In all, Fairey submitted three monoplane and seven biplane designs to meet Specification S.9/30, and the drawing shows their project Scheme 9 and 10. This was an all-metal monoplane, part light alloy monocoque and part stainless steel, which would meet all the desired requirements for a general-purpose bomber / dive-bomber / torpedo / spotter-reconnaissance machine." Ian Huntley.

Regards Bailey.

 

[lark]

The Fairey S.9 monoplane project is really an
interesting discovery Bailey.

Fairey projected designs are not easy to find.Thanks.

 

[redstar72]

Thanks Bailey very much for the explanation!

 

[Bailey]

.. and the F.7/30 has a pronounced similarity to the He 70:

I don't think that the Heinkel He 70 was the only influence on the Fairey F.7/30 project. From the same article quoted at the start of this thread comes this R.J.Mitchell, Supermarine design for a Rolls-Royce Condor powered interceptor schemed in late 1926. The information was passed to Richard Fairey in response to his asking Mitchell to provide details of his ideal interceptor for the purposes of a lecture on high performance aeroplanes.

The road to both the Supermarine Type 224 to F.7/30 and the Spitfire can clearly be seen.

Regards Bailey.

 

[Stargazer]

Oooh I LOVE that Condor-powered interceptor project! Hadn't seen it before. It really DOES herald the Spitfire in several ways. Did it get a model designation or not?

 

[Bailey]

Did it get a model designation or not?

Sorry Stargazer, I've got no further info on type numbers or designations. :'(

Cheers Bailey.

 

[Nick Sumner]

That is a great find. Interesting to note the slightly offset tail (like the Battle's) which presumably was to counteract the torque of the engine.

 

[The Wooksta!]

Is a top view for the Swordfish alternate?