Fairey Campania

Infobox Aircraft
name=Campania


caption=
type=Carrier-borne patrol and reconnaissance aircraft
manufacturer=Fairey Aviation
designer=
first flight=16 February 1917
introduced=
retired=August 1919
status=
primary user=Royal Naval Air Service
more users=Royal Air Force
produced=
number built=62cite book|first=Kenneth|last= Munson |title=Flying Boats and Seaplanes since 1910|publisher=Blandford]
unit cost=
variants with their own articles=The Fairey Campania was a British ship-borne, patrol and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War. It was a single-engine, two-seat biplane with twin main floats and backward-folding wings. The Campania was the first aeroplane ever designed specifically for carrier operations.

Development

The Royal Navy was an early leader in carrier aviation and, in the autumn of 1914, purchased the liner "Campania" for conversion into a seaplane carrier. Operating seaplanes required the carrier to stop to hoist the aircraft out- and in-board by crane, leaving the ship exceedingly vulnerable to U-Boat attacks and the technique fell into disfavour with the Admiralty, who began to seek alternativesTaylor 1988, p.56 ] . By the middle of 1916, the "Campania" had been fitted with a 200-foot (60.9 m) flight deck forward and experiments were being carried out into launching aircraft from this. Against this background, the Admiralty issued a specification for a purpose-built, two-seat patrol and reconnaissance aircraft.

The aircraft that Fairey designed in response first flew on 16 February 1917. This was the first of two prototypes, designated F.16 and powered by a 250-hp Rolls-Royce Eagle IV. The second, powered by an Eagle V of 275-hp, was designated F.17. Both prototypes would later see active service operating from Scapa Flow.

Operational history

Trials proving satisfactory, the type went into production and service. Most of the F.17s shipped aboard the carriers "Campania", "Nairana" and "Pegasus"; the first aircraft joined the "Campania" and the type took its name from her. Only the "Campania" possessed a flight-deck; Campanias operated from this using jettisonable, wheeled bogies fitted to the floats. The aircraft in the other ships took off from the water in the normal way.

The 27 F.22s operated from RNAS air stations. The Campania had an undistinguished career but performed useful work as a spotter aeroplane. In all, 100 aircraft were ordered but only 62 were completed.

During the War of Intervention, some Campanias from Nairana operated against the Bolsheviks from Archangel.

The Campania was declared obsolete in August 1919.

Variants

* F.16 - 250 hp Rolls-Royce Eagle IV
* F.17 - 275 hp Rolls-Royce Eagle V or 345 hp Eagle III
* F.22 - 260 hp Sunbeam Maori II

Operators

; UK
* Royal Air Force
** No. 240 Squadron RAF
** No. 241 Squadron RAF
** No. 253 Squadron RAF
* Royal Naval Air Service

pecifications (F.22)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?= plane
jet or prop?= prop

ref=Fairey Aircraft since 1915 Taylor 1988, p.60.]
crew=2
capacity=
length main= 43 ft 1 in
length alt= 13.11 m
span main= 61 ft 7 in
span alt= 18.77 m
height main= 15 ft 1 in
height alt= 4.59 m
area main= 674.6 ft²
area alt= 62.3 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 3,672 lb
empty weight alt= 1,669 kg
loaded weight main= 5,329 lb
loaded weight alt= 2,422 kg
useful load main= 666 lb
useful load alt= 303 kg
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=

engine (prop)=Sunbeam Maori II
type of prop=water cooled V-12 engine
number of props=1
power main= 260 hp
power alt= 194 kW
power original=

max speed main= 74 knots
max speed alt= 85 mph, 137 km/h
max speed more=at sea level
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
range main=
range alt=
ceiling main= 6,000 ft
ceiling alt= 1,981 m
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main= 7.90 lb/ft²
loading alt= 38.9 kg/m²
thrust/weight=
power/mass main= 0.049 hp/lb
power/mass alt= 0.080 kW/kg
more performance=*Endurance: 4 hr 30 min

* Climb to 2000 ft (610m): 7 mins

guns= One Lewis gun on Scarff ring in rear cockpit

bombs= Up to six 116 lb bombs under wings and fuselage.

avionics=

References

Bibliography

*Taylor, H.A. "Fairey Aircraft since 1915". London:Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0-370-00065-x.

External links

ee also

aircontent

related=

similar aircraft=

lists=

see also=