Bristol F.2 Fighter
The Bristol F.2B Fighter was a two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved an agile aircraft that was able to hold its own against single-seat scouts. Having overcome a disastrous start to its career, the F.2B's solid design ensured that it remained in miltary service into the 1930s and surplus aircraft were popular in civil aviation.
The original model of the Bristol Fighter was the Bristol F.2A which first flew on 9 September 1916. The first 150 produced were powered by a 190-hp (142 kW) Rolls-Royce Falcon I inline engine, the next 50 received the Falcon II. The aircraft was armed with one forward-firing Vickers machine gun and one .303-in Lewis gun mounted on a Scarff ring in the observer's rear cockpit.
Modifications to the F.2A resulted in the definitive F.2B Fighter which first flew on 25 October 1916. It was equipped with the 275-hp (205-kW) Falcon III engine and could reach a maximum speed of 123 mph (198 km/h). The F.2B was over 10 mph faster than the F.2A and was 3 minutes faster to reach 10,000 ft. A second Lewis gun was added to the rear cockpit. Hispano-Suiza and Sunbeam Arab engines were also tried in the F.2B without success.
When initially deployed, aircrews were instructed to maintain formation and use the crossfire of the observers' guns to meet any threat. These tactics were flawed and did not withstand the first contact with the enemy. The F.2A arrived on the Western Front in April 1917 as the British launched the Battle of Arras. The very first F.2A patrol of six aircraft from No. 48 Squadron RFC ran into five Albatros D.IIIs from Jasta 11 led by Manfred von Richthofen. Four out of six of the F.2As were shot down without inflicting any damage on the Germans.
In September and October of 1917 orders for 1,600 F.2Bs were placed and by the end of the First World War, the Royal Air Force had 1,583 F.2Bs in operation. A total of 5,329 aircraft were eventually built. After the war, F.2Bs continued to operate in army cooperation and light bombing roles throughout the British Empire, in particular the Middle East, India and China. The F.2B also served with the RNZAF and RAAF as well as with the air forces of Mexico and Spain. It was not until 1932 that the F.2B was finally withdrawn from service; its last unit being No. 20 Squadron RAF stationed in India.
Surplus F.2Bs were modified for civilian use. The Bristol Tourer was a F.2B fitted with a Siddeley Puma engine in place of the Falcon and with the cockpits enclosed by canopies. The Tourer had a maximum speed of 128 mph (206 km/h).
Bristol also developed an all-metal version of the F.2A, designated the Bristol M.R.1. Two prototypes were built but the M.R.1 never entered production.
Specifications (F.2B Fighter)
General Characteristics
- Crew: two, pilot & observer/gunner
- Length: 25 ft 10 in (7.87 m)
- Wingspan: 39 ft 3 in (11.96 m)
- Height: 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m)
- Wing area: 405 ft² (37.62 m²)
- Empty: 2,145 lb (975 kg)
- Loaded: lb ( kg)
- Maximum takeoff: 3,243 lb (1,474 kg)
- Powerplant: 1x Rolls-Royce Falcon 12-cylinder inline engine, 275 hp (205 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 123 mph (198 km/h) at 5,000 ft (1,525 m)
- Range: miles ( km)
- Service ceiling: 18,000 ft (5,485 m)
- Rate of climb: 889 ft/min (271 m/min) to 10,000 ft (3,048 m)
- Wing loading: lb/ft² ( kg/m²)
Armament
- 1x .303 in (7.7 mm) forward-firing Vickers machine gun in upper fuselage
- 2x .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis guns in observer's cockpit
- 240 lb (108 kg) bombs
Related content
Related development: F.2A - M.R.1 - Bristol Tourer
Comparable aircraft:
Designation sequence: F.2A - F.2B