Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.2

Last updated
Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.2
RoleMaritime reconnaissance, bomber
Manufacturer Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk [1]
Designer Halfdan Gyth Dehli [1]
Introduction 1916
Retired2 October 1924
Primary user Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service
Produced1916–1918
Number built3
Developed from M.F.1

The Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.2 was a two-seat military biplane floatplane produced by Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk in 1915 and 1916. It was designed by naval captain Halfdan Gyth Dehli, based on former models by French designer Maurice Farman and improvements by Einar Sem-Jacobsen of the Norwegian Army Air Service's aircraft factory Kjeller Flyfabrikk. [1]

Biplane Airplane wing configuration with two vertically stacked main flying surfaces

A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage over a monoplane, it produces more drag than a similar unbraced or cantilever monoplane wing. Improved structural techniques, better materials and the quest for greater speed made the biplane configuration obsolete for most purposes by the late 1930s.

Floatplane aircraft equipped with floats for operation from water surfaces

A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, making the vehicle an amphibious aircraft. British usage is to call "floatplanes" "seaplanes" rather than use the term "seaplane" to refer to both floatplanes and flying boats.

Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk - The Navy's Flying Boat Factory - was the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service' aeroplane manufacturer. It was established in Horten in 1915 and produced 120 aircraft from then until it ceased to exist in 1940.

Contents

Background

The M.F.2 was the second type of aircraft manufactured by Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk, and was financed by the extraordinary appropriations to the Norwegian Armed Forces after the outbreak of the First World War. [2]

Norwegian Armed Forces military organization responsible for the defence of Norway

The Norwegian Armed Forces is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Norway. It consists of four branches, the Norwegian Army, the Royal Norwegian Navy, which includes the Coast Guard, the Royal Norwegian Air Force, and the Home Guard, as well as several joint departments.

World War I 1914–1918 global war starting in Europe

World War I, also known as the First World War or the Great War, was a global war originating in Europe that lasted from 28 July 1914 to 11 November 1918. Contemporaneously described as "the war to end all wars", it led to the mobilisation of more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, making it one of the largest wars in history. It is also one of the deadliest conflicts in history, with an estimated nine million combatants and seven million civilian deaths as a direct result of the war, while resulting genocides and the resulting 1918 influenza pandemic caused another 50 to 100 million deaths worldwide.

Production

Two examples of the M.F.2 were delivered from the Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk in the summer of 1916, with the numerals F.10 and F.12. A third example, F.10 (II), was delivered in March 1918, replacing the original F.10, which had crashed at Karljohansvern naval base on 21 April 1917 after a total of 22 hours flying time. [2] [3]

Karljohansvern

Karjohansvern at Horten was the main base for the Royal Norwegian Navy from 1819 to 1963.

Service

The M.F.2s were employed for neutrality protection patrols, in addition to being used for student pilots taking their certificates. The M.F.2s were based at the Royal Norwegian Navy's main naval base at Karljohansvern in Horten until July 1918, when F.10 (II) and F.12 were redeployed to the newly established naval station at Kristiansand. [4] The M.F.2s were part of the First Aerial Group prior to the move to Kristiansand. [5] At Kristiansand the two M.F.2s served together with three Sopwith Baby seaplane fighters, and were housed in two aircraft sheds. [6]

Pilot licensing or certification refers to permits on how to operate aircraft that are issued by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in each country, establishing that the holder has met a specific set of knowledge and experience requirements. This includes taking a flying test. The certified pilot can then exercise a specific set of privileges in that nation's airspace. Despite attempts to harmonize the requirements between nations, the differences in certification practices and standards from place to place serve to limit full international validity of the national qualifications. In addition, U.S. pilots are certified, not licensed, although the word license is still commonly used informally. Legally, pilot certificates can be revoked by administrative action, whereas licensing requires intervention by the judiciary system.

Royal Norwegian Navy branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations

The Royal Norwegian Navy is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of the state of Norway. As of 2008, the RNoN consists of approximately 3,700 personnel and 70 vessels, including 4 heavy frigates, 6 submarines, 14 patrol boats, 4 minesweepers, 4 minehunters, 1 mine detection vessel, 4 support vessels and 2 training vessels. The navy also includes the Coast Guard.

Horten Municipality in Vestfold, Norway

Horten (help·info) is a town and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway—located along the Oslofjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Horten. The municipality also includes the town of Åsgårdstrand and the villages of Borre, Skoppum, and Nykirke.

The M.F.2 type served with the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service until 2 October 1924, when F.12 was written off after 95 hours and 30 minutes of flying time. F.10 (II) had been wrecked during takeoff from Kristiansand naval air station on 22 July 1919. [3]

The engine of the M.F.2 was a 150 hp Sunbeam V8. The aircraft was equipped with a radio transmitter. It was armed with a fixed Madsen machine gun and could carry a bomb load of 2 x 50 kg, in the form of two small bombs or mines. [1] [2] The M.F.2 was the first aircraft operated by the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service that had permanent armament, or could carry a bomb load. The preceding Rumpler Etrich Taube, Maurice Farman MF.7 and Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.1 types had only been able to carry carbines and pistols. [7]

Horsepower Unit of power

Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions being used today are the mechanical horsepower, which is about 745.7 watts, and the metric horsepower, which is approximately 735.5 watts.

Sunbeam Motor Car Company automotive and engineering manufacturer

Sunbeam Motor Car Company Limited was a British motor car manufacturer with its works at Moorfields in Blakenhall, a suburb of Wolverhampton in the county of Staffordshire, now West Midlands. Its Sunbeam name had been registered by John Marston in 1888 for his bicycle manufacturing business. Sunbeam motor car manufacture began in 1901. The motor business was sold to a newly incorporated Sunbeam Motor Car Company Limited in 1905 to separate it from Marston's pedal bicycle business; Sunbeam motorcycles were not made until 1912.

V8 engine piston engine with eight cylinders in vee configuration

A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder V configuration engine with the cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two sets of four, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft. Most banks are set at a right angle (90°) to each other, some at a narrower angle, with 45°, 60°, and 72° most common.

The wings of the M.F.2 were shorter than those of the M.F.1, and the tail section of the M.F.2 was completely different from its predecessor and included a new elevators and rudders. [2]

Specifications

Data from Marinens Flygevåpen 1912–1944 [3]

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

|power main=150–160 hp

Related Research Articles

Heinkel He 115 torpedo bomber and maritime reconnaissance floatplane

The Heinkel He 115 was a three-seat World War II Luftwaffe seaplane. It was used as a torpedo bomber and performed general seaplane duties, such as reconnaissance and minelaying. The aircraft was powered by two 960 PS BMW 132K nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engines. Some later models could seat four, had different engines or used different weapon arrangements.

HNoMS <i>Uller</i> (1876) ship

HNoMS Uller was a Vale-class Rendel gunboat constructed for the Royal Norwegian Navy at Karljohansverns Verft Naval Yard in Horten in 1874-1876 and had yard build number 55. She was one of a class of five gunboats - the other ships in the class were Vale, Brage, Nor and Vidar.

Oskar Omdal Norwegian naval officer

Oskar Omdal was a lieutenant and pilot in the Royal Norwegian Navy.

HNoMS <i>Kjell</i> ship

HNoMS Kjell was the final ship of twenty-seven 2nd class torpedo boats built for the Royal Norwegian Navy, launched at the Royal Norwegian Navy's shipyard in Horten on 12 March 1912 with build number 106. Kjell saw more than 32 years of service, the first 28 years in the Royal Norwegian Navy during the First World War and in the interwar period, the last four in the Kriegsmarine, having been captured in the first days of the 1940 Norwegian Campaign. After being rebuilt as a minesweeper by the Germans, she was sunk by Royal Air Force de Havilland Mosquito fighter bombers on 28 September 1944. Divers rediscovered the shipwreck in 2006.

Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.11 maritime reconnaissance floatplane

The Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.11 was a three-seat, single-engined biplane used by the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service for maritime reconnaissance in the decade before the Second World War.

HNoMS <i>Gyller</i> (1938)

HNoMS Gyller was a Sleipner-class destroyer commissioned into the Royal Norwegian Navy in 1938. Along with the other Sleipner-class vessels in commission at that time, she took part in protecting Norwegian neutrality during the Second World War. After initially serving in the far north during the Finno-Soviet Winter War, she was redeployed to Southern Norway, escorting ships through Norwegian territorial waters. When the Germans invaded Norway on 9 April 1940, she was docked at Kristiansand. After taking part in the defence of the port city, she was captured intact by the invading Germans. Renamed Löwe, she sailed with Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for the duration of the war.

Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.12

The Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.12 was a seaplane built in Norway in 1939 as a military trainer aircraft to replace the Norwegian Navy's aging fleet of M.F.8 trainers. Only a single prototype was constructed before Germany's invasion of Norway in 1940. The prototype, M.F.12 F.14 (V), was the last trainer built for the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service (RNNAS).

Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.8

The Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk MF.8 was a military training seaplane built in Norway in the 1920s.

Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.9

The Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.9 Høverjager, also known as the Høver M.F.9 after its designer, was a fighter seaplane built in Norway in the 1920s.The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft. London: Aerospace Publishing. p. 2144.

Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.10

The Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.10 was a military trainer seaplane built in Norway in 1929.

Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.1

The Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.1 was a two-seat biplane floatplane, the first aircraft produced by the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service's aircraft factory Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk in Horten, built after Maurice Farman's MF.7 design. The construction began in the summer of 1915, with plans borrowed from the Norwegian Army Air Service's aircraft factory at Kjeller.

The Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.3 was a reconnaissance floatplane built by the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service aircraft factory Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk in 1917. The aircraft was financed by extraordinary appropriations during the First World War and served until October 1924.

Kristian August Østby was a Norwegian naval aviator.

The Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.4 was a biplane floatplane built by the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service aircraft factory Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk from 1918. The aircraft was the first purpose-built trainer aircraft in Norwegian service and served until retired in October 1924.

The Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.5 was a two-seat biplane floatplane built by the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service aircraft factory Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk from 1918. The M.F.5 was the first tractor configuration aircraft designed and built in Norway. During almost eight years of service the M.F.5 was mainly used as a reconnaissance aircraft, although one example saw service as a trainer.

The Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.7 was a two-seat biplane floatplane built by the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service aircraft factory Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk in 1923. The M.F.7 was designed and employed as a trainer aircraft, and functioned as a temporary solution until a better aircraft was designed. Soon after it entered service, the aircraft factory's experience with the M.F.7 led to the construction of the Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.8, which remained in service as the main trainer aircraft of the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service until the German invasion of Norway in 1940.

The Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.6 was a two-seat biplane floatplane built by the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service aircraft factory Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk in 1921. The M.F.6 was designed and employed as a trainer aircraft. The type was the last pusher configuration aircraft in service with the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service. The M.F.6 functioned as a makeshift solution until a more modern tractor configuration aircraft could be built. The type was retired once a more permanent solution to the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service's training needs was found in mid-1920s.

Kristiansand Naval Air Station

Kristiansand Naval Air Station was a water military air base operated by the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service between 1919 and 1940. Situated at Tangen in the city center of Kristiansand, Norway, it consisted of three hangars. The station was to house both reconnaissance and fighter aircraft.

Kristiansand Airport, Kongsgårdbukta

Kristiansand Airport, Kongsgårdbukta was a water airport serving Kristiansand, Norway, from 1934 to 1939. Situated at Kongsgårdbukta, it consisted of a floating dock and a small terminal building. Widerøe served the airport the first year, thereafter flights were carried out by Norwegian Air Lines. The airport was closed for the opening of Kristiansand Airport, Kjevik.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Henriksen 1994: 64–66
  2. 1 2 3 4 Hafsten 2003: 20
  3. 1 2 3 Hafsten 2003: 209
  4. ↑ Hafsten 2003: 20–21
  5. ↑ Hafsten 2003: 21
  6. ↑ Hafsten 2003: 38
  7. ↑ Hafsten 2003: 207–209

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.