Boeing F2B

The Boeing F2B was an American biplane fighter aircraft of the United States Navy in the 1920s, familiar to aviation enthusiasts of the era as the craft of the Three Sea Hawks aerobatic flying team, famous for its tied-together formation flying.

Design and development

File:Boeing XF2B-1 at NACA Langley in 1931.jpeg

Boeing XF2B-1 (BuNo A7385)

Initially the Boeing Model 69, it was inspired by the results of tests on the FB-6, which was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1340B Wasp radial engine. Boeing set out to use this engine in a fighter designed specifically for carrier operations, using the same welded-tubing fuselage and wooden-frame wings as for the Model 15, and adding a large spinner to reduce air drag around the engine (this was dropped in production). Armament was either two machine guns, or one .30 in and one ; the lower wing had attachments for up to four bombs, plus a fifth could be hung from the fuselage.

Operational history

First flight of the F2B prototype was November 3, 1926. The Navy acquired the prototype as XF2B-1, which was capable of reaching speeds of , and was sufficiently impressed to order 32 F2B-1s. In addition to omission of the large streamlined spinner cap, the production versions also had a balanced rudder. Delivery began on January 20, 1928, with some assigned to fighter squadron VF-1B and others to bomber squadron VF-2B, both operating from the carrier . Although the Navy did not order any more F2Bs, Boeing built two more, as Model 69Bs, exporting one to Brazil and the other to Japan.

U.S. Navy flight demonstration team

File:Boeing F2B-1 fighters in flight c1928.jpg

Three U.S. Navy Boeing F2B-1 fighters that made up the 1928 U.S. Navy aerobatics team called The Three Seahawks

In 1927, Lieutenant D. W. "Tommy" Tomlinson, commanding officer of U.S. Navy squadron VF-2B, created the first U.S. Navy aerobatic team. Drawing from squadron VB-2B at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California, the team used three Boeing F2B-1 fighters. Its first unofficial demonstration in January 1928 at San Francisco, California, gave rise to the popular nickname "Suicide Trio," although officially the team was called "Three Sea Hawks." The first public performance as an official team representing the U.S. Navy was between September 8 and 16, during National Air Races week at Mines Field (now Los Angeles International Airport) in Los Angeles, California. The Boeing F2B-1 could not fly inverted without the engine quitting; consequently, Tomlinson modified the carburetors to permit brief inverted flight. At the end of 1929, the Three Sea Hawks team disbanded when its VB-2B pilots were reassigned.

Variants

XF2B-1

(Model 69) One prototype serial number A7385

F2B-1

(Model 69) Single-seat fighter biplane for the U.S. Navy, serial numbers A7424 to A7455

Model 69B

Two aircraft, generally similar to the F2B-1, one each to Brazil and Japan.

Model 76

F2B-1 modified with metal wings and rod aileron control.

Operators

• Brazilian Naval Aviation

• Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service

United States

• United States Navy

Specifications (F2B-1)

File:Boeing F2B-1 3-view L'Aéronautique October,1927.png

Boeing F2B-1 3-view drawing from L'Aéronautique October,1927

See also

Related development

• Boeing XP-8

Related lists

• List of military aircraft of the United States
• List of fighter aircraft

References

Bibliography

• Eden, Paul and Sophn Moeng. The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. London: Amber Books Ltd., 2002. Template:ISBN.
• Jones, Lloyd S. U.S. Naval Fighters. Fallbrook CA: Aero Publishers, 1977. Template:ISBN.
• Swanborough, Gordon and Peter M. Bowers. United States Navy Aircraft Since 1911. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1976. Template:ISBN.

External links

• Boeing F2B-1 Archived version as of 10 November 2016