RAF F.E.2b (160hp engine)
role : multi role combat aircraft
first flight : march 1916 operational : May 1916
country : United-Kingdom
design :
production : 1484 aircraft
general information :
First F.E.2bs had one 120 pk Beardmore engine , this was soon replaced by a 160 pk version. (with a 4-bladed prop ?). Beardmore 160 hp went march 1916 into production, makes first aircraft operational earliest April 1916 ) Also a second machine gun was added on a high pool between the pilot and observer. With this gun the observer was even capable of shooting backward over the wing to defer a foe attacking from the back. Together with the DH2 and Nieuport 11 the FE2b was able to brake the Fokker-menace. The nosewheel early FE2bs had, was later on omitted . The FE2b was a fine aircraft to fly and it had a long valuable service with the RFC. Outclassed as a fighter in autumn 1916 it was turned into a valuable night bomber and as such it remained in service trough 1917.
At the start of the Somme battle 160 hp FE2bs had a lot of engine trouble with the Beardmore engine.
Max 3 112-lb bombs could be carried, two under the lower inner wing and 1 under the fuselage. Normal bomb load 2x 112 lb bombs
Not so handy and fast but good armament.
End 1917 FE-2bs were used for raids against Germany. March 1918 FE-2bs still
operating at the front as night bomber. This was longer as the FE-2d witch were more
used as fighter planes and withdrawn from the front in France in 1917 and relocated
to Home Defence in the UK.
users : RFC
crew : 2
armament : 2 movable 7.70 [mm] (0.303 in) Lewis machine-guns
engine : 1 Beardmore liquid-cooled 6 -cylinder inline engine 160 [hp](117.7 KW)
dimensions :
wingspan : 14.56 [m], length : 9.83 [m], height : 3.85[m]
wing area : 45.89 [m^2]
weights :
max.take-off weight : 1380 [kg]
empty weight operational : 937 [kg] bombload : 152 [kg]
performance :
maximum speed : 145 [km/hr] at sea-level
service ceiling : 3353 [m]
endurance : 3.5 [hours]
estimated action radius : 228 [km]
description :
3-bay biplane with fixed landing gear and tail strut
two spar upper and lower wing
tail supported by two open tailbooms
engine, landing gear and fuel in or attached to fuselage, bombs attached to the the wing
and fuselage
airscrew :
fixed pitch 4 -bladed pusher airscrew with max. efficiency :0.60 [ ]
estimated diameter airscrew 2.73 [m]
angle of attack prop : 16.73 [ ]
reduction : 1.00 [ ]
airscrew revs : 1250 [r.p.m.]
pitch at Max speed 1.93 [m]
blade-tip speed at Vmax and max revs. : 183 [m/s]
calculation : *1* (dimensions)
mean wing chord : 1.58 [m]
calculated wing chord (rounded tips): 1.72 [m]
wing aspect ratio : 9.24 []
estimated gap : 1.73 [m]
gap/chord : 1.10 [ ]
seize (span*length*height) : 551 [m^3]
calculation : *2* (fuel consumption)
oil consumption : 2.5 [kg/hr]
fuel consumption(cruise speed) : 31.8 [kg/hr] (43.4 [litre/hr]) at 68 [%] power
distance flown for 1 kg fuel : 4.10 [km/kg]
estimated total fuel capacity : 173 [litre] (127 [kg])
calculation : *3* (weight)
weight engine(s) dry : 279.0 [kg] = 2.37 [kg/KW]
weight 15 litre oil tank : 1.2 [kg]
oil tank filled with 0.9 litre oil : 0.8 [kg]
oil in engine 7 litre oil : 5.9 [kg]
fuel in engine 1 litre fuel : 0.6 [kg]
weight 18 litre gravity patrol tank(s) : 2.8 [kg]
weight radiator : 16.9 [kg]
weight exhaust pipes & fuel lines 14.1 [kg]
weight cowling 4.7 [kg]
weight airscrew(s) (wood) incl. boss & bolts : 41.2 [kg]
total weight propulsion system : 366 [kg](26.5 [%])
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weight tail boom : 40 [kg]
fuselage skeleton (wood gauge : 6.95 [cm]): 121 [kg]
bracing : 8.8 [kg]
fuselage covering ( 11.9 [m2] doped linen fabric) : 3.8 [kg]
weight controls + indicators: 7.0 [kg]
weight seats : 6.0 [kg]
weight other details, lighting set, etc. : 5.1 [kg]
weight bomb storage : 10.6 [kg]
weight 154 [litre] main fuel tank empty : 12.3 [kg]
weight engine mounts & firewalls : 6 [kg]
total weight fuselage : 181 [kg](13.1 [%])
***************************************************************
weight wing covering (doped linen fabric) : 29 [kg]
total weight ribs (72 ribs) : 82 [kg]
load on front upper spar (clmax) per running metre : 715.4 [N]
load on rear upper spar (vmax) per running metre : 261.6 [N]
total weight 8 spars : 80 [kg]
weight wings : 192 [kg]
weight wing/square meter : 4.17 [kg]
weight 12 interplane struts & cabane : 30.9 [kg]
weight cables (97 [m]) : 12.2 [kg] (= 126 [gram] per metre)
diameter cable : 4.5 [mm]
weight fin & rudder (2.5 [m2]) : 10.6 [kg]
weight stabilizer & elevator (4.4 [m2]): 18.7 [kg]
total weight wing surfaces & bracing : 264 [kg] (19.1 [%])
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weight machine-gun(s) : 25.4 [kg]
weight Scarff ring mounting mg :10.0 [kg]
weight armament : 35 [kg]
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wheel pressure : 690.0 [kg]
weight 2 wheels (790 [mm] by 99 [mm]) : 32.9 [kg]
weight tailskid : 3.0 [kg]
weight undercarriage with axle 35.7 [kg]
total weight landing gear : 71.6 [kg] (5.2 [%]
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FE2b fitted with a 37mm Vickers one-pounder pom-pom gun used for ground strafing by no 100 sq. April 1917 .Probably only few used operational.
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calculated empty weight : 918 [kg](66.5 [%])
weight oil for 4.2 hours flying : 10.4 [kg]
weight cooling fluids : 25.4 [kg]
weight 6 drums empty : 1.2 [kg]
weight ammunition (282 rounds) : 10.8 [kg]
*******************************************************************
calculated operational weight empty : 965 [kg] (69.9 [%])
published operational weight empty : 937 [kg] (67.9 [%])
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weight crew : 162 [kg]
weight fuel for 2.0 hours flying : 64 [kg]
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operational weight : 1190 [kg](86.2 [%])
bomb load : 152 [kg]
operational weight bombing mission : 1342 [kg]
fuel reserve : 38 [kg] enough for 1.19 [hours] flying
operational weight fully loaded : 1380 [kg] with fuel tank filled for 80 [%]
published maximum take-off weight : 1380 [kg] (100.0 [%])
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calculation : * 4 * (engine power)
power loading (operational without bombload) : 10.11 [kg/kW]
total power : 117.7 [kW] at 1250 [r.p.m]
calculation : *5* (loads)
manoeuvre load : 2.5 [g] at 1000 [m]
limit load : 3.75 [g] ultimate load : 5.6 [g] loadfactor : 2.1 [g]
design flight time : 2.80 [hours]
design cycles : 304 sorties, design hours : 850 [hours]
operational wing loading : 254 [N/m^2]
wing stress (3 g) during operation : 183 [N/kg] at 3g emergency manoeuvre
F.E.2b with V-strut undercarriage
calculation : *6* (angles of attack)
angle of attack zero lift : -1.36 ["]
max.angle of attack (stalling angle) : 11.49 ["]
angle of attack at max.speed : 1.56 ["]
calculation : *7* (lift & drag ratios
lift coefficient at angle of attack 0° :0.12 [ ]
lift coefficient at max. angle of attack : 1.14 [ ]
lift coefficient at max.speed : 0.26 [ ]
induced drag coefficient at max.speed : 0.0041 [ ]
drag coefficient at max.speed : 0.0380 [ ]
drag coefficient (zero lift) : 0.0339 [ ]
calculation : *8* (speeds
stalling speed at sea-level (OW): 69 [km/u]
landing speed at sea-level (OW without bombload): 83 [km/hr]
min.drag speed (max endurance) : 92 [km/hr] at 1676 [m](power :44 [%])
min. power speed (max range) : 102 [km/hr] at 1676 [m] (power:47 [%])
max.rate of climb speed : 89.6 [km/hr] at sea-level
cruising speed : 130 [km/hr] op 1676 [m] (power:69 [%])
design speed prop : 138 [km/hr]
maximum speed : 145 [km/hr] op 100 [m] (power:98 [%])
climbing speed at sea-level (without bombload) : 180 [m/min]
calculation : *9* (regarding various performances)
take-off distance at sea-level : 163 [m]
lift/drag ratio : 10.98 [ ]
max. practical ceiling : 4075 [m] with flying weight :1051 [kg]
practical ceiling (operational weight): 3500 [m] with flying weight :1190 [kg]
practical ceiling fully loaded (mtow- 1 hour fuel) : 2850 [m] with flying weight :1348 [kg]
published ceiling (3353 [m]
climb to 1500m (without bombload) : 9.66 [min]
max.dive speed : 320.0 [km/hr] at 1850 [m] height
load factor at max.angle turn 1.90 ["g"]
turn radius at 500m: 46 [m]
time needed for 360* turn 10.7 [seconds] at 500m
calculation *10* (action radius & endurance)
operational endurance : 3.19 [hours] with 2 crew and 152 [kg] bombload and 80.2 [%] fuel
published endurance : 3.50 [hours] with 2 crew and possible useful (bomb) load : 142 [kg] and 88.1 [%] fuel
action radius : 478 [km] with 2 crew and 20[kg] photo camera/radio transmitter or bombload
max range theoretically with additional fuel tanks for total 488 [litre] fuel : 1467 [km]
useful load with action-radius 250km : 236 [kg]
production : 30.80 [tonkm/hour]
oil and fuel consumption per tonkm : 1.11 [kg]
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Literature :
Wikepedia > list of aircraft engines > Beardmore 160 hp
Fighters 1914-19 page.20,100
Warplanes WOI page 55,94,96,103,132
Janes fighting aircraft WOI page 30
Praktisch handboek vliegtuigen deel 1 page.175
Armamament of British Aircraft 1909-1939 page 288,289
Robert Radcliffe's novel Across the Blood-Red Skies
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.
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is available, you are welcome to give suggestions and additional information
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