The Bristol Fighter F2b, nicknamed the 'Brisfit' or the 'Biff', was designed in 1916 by Frank Barnwell and Manufactured by 'The British and Colonial Aeroplane Company', it first saw service with 48 Squadron of the RFC on the Western Front, where the Squadron's pilots were mistakenly instructed to avoid violent manoeuvres during combat because the airframe was structurally weak! (Unusually, as visible in the picture above, the lower wing was not fitted to the fuselage, but twelve inched below) Following this advice was responsible for such high initial losses that when combined with other aircraft losses that the month became later known as "Bloody April" and the Bristol Fighter was very nearly withdraw from service. An improved Bristol Fighter, the F2b, was produced using the early lessons learned on the Western Front, and had increased range, endurance, speed and ammunition capacity. The highest score achieved with a Bristol Fighter was by the Canadian ace Andrew McKeever who downed a total of 31 enemy planes whilst flying the 'Brisfit'. The Bristol Fighter F2b remained in service with the newly formed RAF as a light bomber and recognisance aircraft until 1932, and with several commonwealth air-forces until 1934. |
Bristol Fighter F2b Specifications: - Wing Span: 39 ft 3 in (11.96 m)
- Length: 25 ft 10 in (7.87 m)
- Height: 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m)
- Power-plant: Rolls-Royce Falcon III, 12 cylinder, liquid cooled inline V, 270 hp
- Weight: 2,779 lb (1,261 kg)
- Maximum speed: 123 mph (198 km/h)
- Service Ceiling: 21,500 ft (6,553 m)
- Range: 3 hours maximum endurance
Armament: - 1 Vickers machine gun, synchronized, forward firing
- 2-3 Lewis machine guns on a scarf ring, rear cockpit
- 240lb (108.9 kg) of bombs
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