The Fairey N.9 (also known as the F.127) was a British experimental
floatplane of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
; only one was built. It carried out the first shipborne
catapult launches from
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
ships, and was later sold to
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
.
Development and design
In 1917
Fairey Aviation
The Fairey Aviation Company Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer of the first half of the 20th century based in Hayes in Middlesex and Heaton Chapel and RAF Ringway in Cheshire. Notable for the design of a number of important military a ...
produced two separate designs to meet
Admiralty Specification N.2(a) for a two-seat
carrier-based seaplane for the
Royal Naval Air Service, one powered by a
Rolls-Royce Falcon engine, and a larger aircraft powered by a more powerful
Sunbeam Maori. The smaller aircraft, usually known by its serial number ''N.9'', but also by its constructor's number F.127, flew first on 5 July 1917, with the larger aircraft (serial number ''N.10''), the prototype
Fairey III
The Fairey Aviation Company Fairey III was a family of British reconnaissance biplanes that enjoyed a very long production and service history in both landplane and seaplane variants. First flying on 14 September 1917, examples were still in u ...
, flying in September.
[Mason 1994, p. 89.]
N.9 was a compact
biplane with single-bay wings of unequal span that folded back for shipboard stowage. It was fitted with
trailing edge
The trailing edge of an aerodynamic surface such as a wing is its rear edge, where the airflow separated by the leading edge meets.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 521. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 199 ...
flaps on both the upper and lower wings. Power was from a 200 hp (149 kW)
Rolls-Royce Falcon engine with radiators on each side of the engine.
Its performance was below the requirements of the specification, and no production followed.
Operational history
Although not chosen for production, N.9 was chosen for trials of catapult launching. After strengthening, it was sent to the
Port Victoria Marine Experimental Aircraft Depot
The British Royal Naval Air Service established an R.N. Aeroplane Repair Depot on the Isle of Grain on the River Medway Estuary in Kent in early 1915. As there was already a RNAS seaplane base on the Isle of Grain, the Depot was named Port Victori ...
for tests with the catapult trials ship,
HMS ''Slinger'' in June 1918, carrying out the first catapult launches of a seaplane from a Royal Navy ship.
[Taylor 1974, pp. 68–70.]
N.9 was bought back from the Royal Navy and fitted with a Maori engine and equal span wings. It was sold to the
Royal Norwegian Navy
The Royal Norwegian Navy ( no, Sjøforsvaret, , Sea defence) is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of Norway. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 in mobilized state, ...
in May 1920, then sold for civil use in 1927, and wrecked in a crash on 12 June 1928.
[Taylor 1974, p. 70.]
Specifications
See also
Notes
References
* Bruce, J. M. ''British Aircraft 1914-18''. London: Putnam, 1957.
* Mason, Francis K. ''The British Bomber since 1914''. London: Putnam, 1994. .
* Taylor, H. A. ''Fairey Aircraft since 1915''. London: Putnam, 1974. .
{{Fairey aircraft
1910s British military reconnaissance aircraft
N.9
Floatplanes
Single-engined tractor aircraft
Biplanes
Aircraft first flown in 1917