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weight and performance calculations for the Felixtowe F.3
Felixtowe F.3
role : maritime patrol, ASW
importance : ***
first flight : February 1917 operational : February 1918
country : United-Kingdom
design : Commander J.C.Porte RN
production : 100 aircraft
general information :
Derived from the American Curtis flyingboat. It was a larger version of the F.2 with more range and a bigger bomb load. Was less agile and was less loved by his crew than the F.2A
Gap : 2.59m chord : 8 ft = 2.44m total area of tail : 10.96m2 area of elevators : 6.22m2 area of rudder : 2.81m2 area of fin: 3.46m2 airscrew diam : 3.05m tank capacity : 212 gallon = 964 litre
users : RNAS
crew : 4
armament : 4 movable 7.70 [mm] (0.303 in) Lewis machine-guns
engine : 2 Rolls Royce Eagle VIII liquid-cooled 12 -cylinder V-engine 345 [hp]
(253.7 KW)
dimensions :
wingspan : 31.09 [m], length : 14.94 [m], height : 5.72[m]
wing area : 131.27 [m^2]
weights :
max.take-off weight : 5550 [kg]
empty weight operational : 3610 [kg] bombload : 417 [kg]
performance :
maximum speed : 150 [km/u] op 610 [m]
climbing speed : 123 [m/min]
service ceiling : 3810 [m]
endurance : 5.45 [hours]
estimated action radius : 368 [km]
description :
4-bay biplane flying boat
2 (aid) tip floats
upper wingtips supported by slanted flying wires
two spar upper and lower wing
engines attached to the wings , landing gear, fuel and bombload in or attached to fuselage
airscrew :
two fixed pitch 4 -bladed tractor airscrews with max. efficiency :0.60 [ ]
diameter airscrew 3.05 [m]
angle of attack prop : 16.97 [ ]
reduction : 0.60 [ ]
airscrew revs : 1140 [r.p.m.]
pitch at Max speed 2.19 [m]
blade-tip speed at Vmax and max revs. : 187 [m/s]
calculation : *1* (dimensions)
mean wing chord : 2.35 [m]
calculated wing chord (rounded tips): 2.49 [m]
wing aspect ratio : 13.25 []
gap : 2.59 [m]
gap/chord : 1.10 [ ]
seize (span*length*height) : 2657 [m^3]
calculation : *2* (fuel consumption)
oil consumption : 7.6 [kg/hr]
fuel consumption(cruise speed) : 114.4 [kg/hr] (156.0 [litre/hr]) at 64 [%] power
distance flown for 1 kg fuel : 1.18 [km/kg]
estimated total fuel capacity : 965 [litre] (707 [kg])
calculation : *3* (weight)
weight engine(s) dry : 751.1 [kg] = 1.48 [kg/KW]
weight reduction gear : 55.8 [kg]
weight 68 litre oil tank : 8.6 [kg]
oil tank filled with 3.8 litre oil : 3.4 [kg]
oil in engine 28 litre oil : 25.4 [kg]
fuel in engine 3 litre fuel : 2.5 [kg]
weight 66 litre gravity patrol tank(s) : 6.5 [kg]
weight radiator : 81.2 [kg]
weight exhaust pipes & fuel lines 36.4 [kg]
weight self-starter : 6.2 [kg]
weight cowling 10.1 [kg]
weight airscrew(s) (wood) incl. boss & bolts : 96.4 [kg]
total weight propulsion system : 1131 [kg](20.4 [%])
***************************************************************
fuselage skeleton (wood gauge : 10.39 [cm]): 413 [kg]
bracing : 54.4 [kg]
plywood/wood covering hull (gauche : 1.4 [cm]): 373.6 [kg]
weight controls + indicators: 10.5 [kg]
weight seats : 12.0 [kg]
weight other details, lighting set, etc. : 9.1 [kg]
weight bomb storage : 29.2 [kg]
weight two 449 [litre] main fuel tanks empty : 86.3 [kg]
weight interior + equipment + fuel lines: 74 [kg]
weight 1 fire extinguisher : 3 [kg]
total weight fuselage : 1065 [kg](19.2 [%])
***************************************************************
weight wing covering (doped linen fabric) : 84 [kg]
total weight ribs (193 ribs) : 330 [kg]
weight engine mounts : 25 [kg]
load on front upper spar (clmax) per running metre : 756.7 [N]
load on rear upper spar (vmax) per running metre : 453.9 [N]
total weight 8 spars : 327 [kg]
weight wings : 741 [kg]
weight wing/square meter : 5.64 [kg]
weight 16 interplane struts & cabane : 176.6 [kg]
weight cables (180 [m]) : 92.5 [kg] (= 515 [gram] per metre)
diameter cable : 9.2 [mm]
weight fin & rudder (11.2 [m2]) : 65.0 [kg]
weight stabilizer & elevator (14.8 [m2]): 84.3 [kg]
total weight wing surfaces & bracing : 1184 [kg] (21.3 [%])
*******************************************************************
weight machine-gun(s) : 50.8 [kg]
weight Scarff
ring mounting mg :27.7 [kg]
weight armament : 78 [kg]
********************************************************************
weight 2 tip floats : 96 [kg] (1.7 [%])
*******************************************************************
********************************************************************
calculated empty weight : 3555 [kg](64.1 [%])
weight oil for 6.5 hours flying : 49.8 [kg]
weight cooling fluids : 104.5 [kg]
weight 20 drums empty : 4.1 [kg]
weight ammunition (940 rounds) : 29.9 [kg]
weight Very pistol with cartridges : 3.6 [kg]
weight automatic pistol with spare magazines : 1.2 [kg]
*******************************************************************
calculated operational weight empty : 3744 [kg] (67.5 [%])
published operational weight empty : 3610 [kg] (65.0 [%])
_____________
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~U~
weight crew : 324 [kg]
weight fuel for 2.0 hours flying : 229 [kg]
********************************************************************
operational weight : 4297 [kg](77.4 [%])
bomb load : 417 [kg]
operational weight bombing mission : 4714 [kg]
fuel reserve : 479 [kg] enough for 4.19 [hours] flying
possible additional useful load : 357 [kg]
operational weight fully loaded : 5550 [kg] with fuel tank filled for 100 [%]
published maximum take-off weight : 5550 [kg] (100.0 [%])
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calculation : * 4 * (engine power)
power loading (operational without bombload) : 8.47 [kg/kW]
total power : 507.5 [kW] at 1900 [r.p.m]
calculation : *5* (loads)
manoeuvre load : 1.8 [g] at 1000 [m]
limit load : 2.5 [g] ultimate load : 3.8 [g] load factor : 1.3 [g]
design flight time : 3.81 [hours]
design cycles : 218 sorties, design hours : 830 [hours]
operational wing loading : 321 [N/m^2]
wing stress (3 g) during operation : 171 [N/kg] at 3g emergency manoeuvre
Felixtowe F.3 s/n N4247
calculation : *6* (angles of attack)
angle of attack zero lift : -1.27 ["]
max. angle of attack (stalling angle) : 9.76 ["]
angle of attack at max. speed : 2.12 ["]
calculation : *7* (lift & drag ratios
lift coefficient at angle of attack 0° :0.12 [ ]
lift coefficient at max. angle of attack : 1.04 [ ]
lift coefficient at max. speed : 0.32 [ ]
induced drag coefficient at max. speed : 0.0033 [ ]
drag coefficient at max. speed : 0.0504 [ ]
drag coefficient (zero lift) : 0.0471 [ ]
calculation : *8* (speeds
stalling speed at sea-level (OW): 81 [km/u]
landing speed at sea-level (OW without bombload): 97 [km/hr]
min. drag speed (max endurance) = minimum speed*1.1 at cruise height : 98 [km/hr] at 1905 [m] (power:34 [%])
min. power speed (max range) : 98 [km/hr] at 1905 [m] (power:34 [%])
max. rate of climb speed : 89.1 [km/hr] at sea-level
cruising speed : 135 [km/hr] op 1905 [m] (power:62 [%])
design speed prop : 142 [km/hr]
maximum speed : 150 [km/hr] op 610 [m] (power:90 [%])
climbing speed at sea-level (without bombload) : 253 [m/min]
calculation : *9* (regarding various performances)
take-off distance at sea-level : 236 [m]
lift/drag ratio : 12.88 [ ]
max. practical ceiling : 4675 [m] with flying weight :3848 [kg]
practical ceiling (operational weight): 4275 [m] with flying weight :4297 [kg]
practical ceiling fully loaded (mtow- 1 hour fuel) : 3300 [m] with flying weight :5436 [kg]
published ceiling (3810 [m]
climb to 1500m (without bombload) : 6.73 [min]
climb to 3000m (without bombload) : 17.30 [min]
max. dive speed : 378.1 [km/hr] at 2300 [m] height
load factor at max. angle turn 2.38 ["g"]
turn radius at 500m: 59 [m]
time needed for 360* turn 10.5 [seconds] at 500m
calculation *10* (action radius & endurance)
operational endurance : 6.19 [hours] with 4 crew and 774 [kg] bombload and 100.0 [%] fuel
published endurance : 5.45 [hours] with 4 crew and possible useful (bomb) load : 859 [kg] and 88.1 [%] fuel
action radius : 863 [km] with 4 crew and 20[kg] photo camera/radio transmitter or bombload
max range theoretically with additional fuel tanks for total 2401 [litre] fuel : 2077 [km]
F.3 prototype s/n N64
useful load with action-radius 250km : 1336 [kg]
production : 180.36 [tonkm/hour]
oil and fuel consumption per tonkm : 0.68 [kg]
Literature :
Warplanes WWI page 153
Jane’s Fighting aircraft WWI page 82
DISCLAIMER Above calculations are based on published data, they must be
regarded as indication not as facts.
Calculated performance and weight may not correspond with actual weights
and performances and are assumptions for which no responsibility can be taken.
Calculations are as accurate as possible, they can be fine-tuned when more data
is available, you are welcome to give suggestions and additional information
so we can improve our program. For copyright on drawings/photographs/
content please mail to below mail address
(c) B van der Zalm 23 January 2020 contact : info.aircraftinvestigation@gmail.com python 3.7.4