Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2

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The Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 was a two-seat pusher biplane that was operated as a day and night bomber and as a fighter aircraft by the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. Along with the single-seat Airco DH.2 pusher biplane, the F.E.2 was instrumental in ending the Fokker Scourge that had seen the German Air Service dominate on the Western Front for much of 1915.

The F.E.2 (Farman Experimental 2) had been developed by the Royal Aircraft Factory in 1911 by rebuilding an F.E.1. Further development was carried out in 1913 resulting in a complete redesign which produced the prototype for the production series. However, in February 1914, this prototype was destroyed in a fatal crash.

The F.E.2 had been ready for production in January of 1914 and had this happened, the RFC would have been much better equipped to counter the German aircraft in the early years of the war. Regretably the first production order was not placed until August. By this stage the "pusher" design was becoming obsolete as far as aerodynamic performance was concerned however the RFC has not solved the problem of firing a machine gun through the propeller of a tractor aircraft (which the Germans had managed using Anthony Fokker's interrupter gear) and so pushers, with a clear forward view, remained the favoured configuration for fighters.

The F.E.2 was a two-seater with the observer sitting in the nose of the nacelle and the pilot sitting above and behind. The arrangement was described by one pilot as follows:

I sat in a robust throne, rather like a bishop's seat in a cathedral, and my observer sat, or knelt, in a round nacelle about the size of an old fashioned footbath right in front.

The F.E.2 to scale: compared to the height of a man.

The observer was armed with one, and later two, .303 in Lewis machine guns on swivelling mounts. The observer's perch was a precarious one however the view was excellent. The F.E.2 could also carry a small external bomb load.

The first production batch was for 12 of the F.E.2a which was quickly replaced by the main production model, the F.E.2b which was powered by a Beardmore liquid-cooled inline engine, initially a 120-hp (89 kW) version while later F.E.2bs received the 160-hp (119 kW) Beardmore. The F.E.2c was the night fighter and bomber variant of the F.E.2b, the main change being the switching of the pilot and observer positions so that the pilot had the best view for night landings.

The F.E.2b entered service in September 1915 with No. 6 Squadron RFC. In service about two thirds of F.E.2s were operated as fighters and one third as bombers. A total if 1939 F.E.2b and F.E.2c aircraft were built and they remained in daylight service well into 1917 and as night bombers until August 1918. At its peak, the F.E.2b equipped 16 RFC squadrons in France and 6 home defence squadrons in England.

An F.E.2d observer demonstrating the use of the rear-firing Lewis gun which required him to stand on his seat.

The final model was the long-span F.E.2d (386 built) which was powered by a 250-hp (186 kW) Rolls-Royce Eagle engine and came fitted with a second Lewis gun mounted on a pole that could be fired over the tail of the aircraft. However, it required the observer to stand on his seat in order to fire it. Some had a fixed forward-firing Lewis gun operated by the pilot.

On 18 June 1916, German ace Max Immelmann was killed while in combat with F.E.2bs of No. 25 Squadron RFC. The squadron claimed the kill but it is likely Immelmann's Fokker Eindecker broke up.

F.E.2s were also used to conduct anti-submarine patrols and were fitted with flotation bags for operation over water.

Derek Robinson's novel War Story is centred around his fictional Hornet Squadron flying the F.E.2b, and later the F.E.2d, and gives a realistic, albeit darkly humorous, account of flying the F.E.2 in the months leading up to the Battle of the Somme.

Contents

1 Specifications (F.E.2b)

1.1 General Characteristics
1.2 Performance
1.3 Armament

2 Related content

Specifications (F.E.2b)

Rolls-Royce Eagle powered F.E.2d with nose-wheel.

General Characteristics

Crew: two, pilot & observer
Length: 32 ft 3 in (9.83 m)
Wingspan: 47 ft 9 in (14.55 m)
Height: 12 ft 8 in (3.85 m)
Wing area: 494 ft² (45.89 m²)
Empty: 2,057 lb (935 kg)
Loaded: lb ( kg)
Maximum takeoff: 3,032 lb (1,378 kg)
Powerplant: 1x Beardmore liquid-cooled inline engine, 160 hp (119 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 91 mph (147 km/h)
Range: miles ( km)
Service ceiling: 11,000 ft (3,353 m)
Rate of climb: 40 minutes to 10,000 ft (3,048 m)
Wing loading: lb/ft² ( kg/m²)

Armament

1 or 2x .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun
up to 517 lb (235 kg) of bombs