The Felixstowe F.1 was a British experimental flying boat designed and developed by

Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...

John Cyril Porte Lieutenant Colonel John Cyril Porte, (26 February 1884 – 22 October 1919) was a British flying boat pioneer associated with the First World War Seaplane Experimental Station at Felixstowe. Early life and career Porte was born on 26 Feb ...

RN at the naval air station,

Felixstowe Felixstowe ( ) is a port town in Suffolk, England. The estimated population in 2017 was 24,521. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest Containerization, container port in the United Kingdom. Felixstowe is approximately 116km (72 miles) northea ...

based on the Curtiss H-4 with a new hull. Its design led to a range of successful larger flying boats that was assistance in promoting Britain as a leader in this field of aviation.

Development

Before the war Porte worked with American aircraft designer

Glenn Curtiss Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early a ...

on a trans-atlantic flying boat. Due to the start of the

Great 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 ...

he returned to England, eventually to command of the naval air station at

, Suffolk. Porte decided that the original Curtiss flying-boats that the Royal Navy acquired could be improved and a number of modifications to in-service flying-boats were made. The modifications had a mixed result so Porte using the experience gained, developed with his Chief Technical Officer John Douglas Rennie, a new single-step hull known as the Porte I. The Porte I hull used the wings and tail unit of an original H-4 (No.3580) powered by two Hispano-Suiza 8 engines; the new flying boat was designated the Felixstowe F.1. During trials of the F.1 two further steps were added to the hull and a deeper V-shape which greatly improved the performance on takeoff and landing. Porte went on to design a similar hull, the Porte II for the larger Curtiss H-12 flying boat, which became the Felixstowe F.2.

Operators

; * Royal Naval Air Service ** RNAS Felixstowe *

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

** Seaplane Experimental Station,

- Flying school

Specifications

References

Notes

Bibliography

External links

Sons of Our Empire
Film of the Royal Naval Air Service at Felixstowe, including a Curtiss Model H-2 and prototype Felixstowe F.1 (No. 3580) fitted with

Anzani Anzani was an engine manufacturer founded by the Italian Alessandro Anzani (1877–1956), which produced proprietary engines for aircraft, cars, boats, and motorcycles in factories in Britain, France and Italy. Overview From his native Italy, An ...

engines, Porte and Commodore of Harwich, George C. Cayley RN returning from a flight in a Felixstowe F.1, about August 1916.
"The Felixstowe Flying-Boats - part 1"
a 1955 ''Flight'' article

a 1955 ''Flight'' article

a 1956 ''Flight'' article on the Felixstowe flying boats

{{Seaplane Experimental Station aircraft 1910s British patrol aircraft Flying boats F.1 Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1916 Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft