Naval Aircraft Factory TF

Last updated
TF
Role Flying boat escort fighter
National originUnited States
Manufacturer Naval Aircraft Factory
First flight13 October 1920
StatusCanceled 11 January 1923
Number built4

The Naval Aircraft Factory TF (Tandem Fighter) was an American twin-engine flying-boat escort fighter first flown in October 1920. [1] The aircraft originated from requirements drafted by the British Technical Committee in April 1918, after discussion approved the development of a long-range seaborne fighter capable of escorting Allied maritime reconnaissance sorties over the North Sea and Atlantic regions.

Contents

Development

Following the armistice, the incentives to produce a fighter eventually deviated toward evaluating the prospective applications of a highly unique concept. Upon review of numerous proposals, the Aeronautics Division of the U.S. Bureau of Engineering referred recommendations to the Chief of Naval Operations in which to finalize approval of a submission by the Naval Aircraft Factory (NAF) with which to produce a pre-production series of four prototypes at an estimated construction cost of $84,680.

Accordingly, the NAF proposal consisted of a twin-engine flying boat which featured a hull design identical to that of the Curtiss NC-1, an armament of four flexible mounting Lewis machine guns, and four crew members. An egg-like nacelle atop the upper wing housed an additional pilot/gunner's position. Initially designated as Twin Fighter (TF), a review of the aircraft's dimensions showed that the wingspan was insufficient for a conventional two-engine layout. Thus, the Bureau of Engineering revised the engine configuration into a tractor/pusher combination mounted on the aircraft centerline. This change altered the designation from Twin to Tandem fighter. The TF was designed to incorporate two Curtiss-built 400  hp (300  kW ) Kirkham inline engines, however mechanical problems hindered the development of these power plants, so two 300 hp (220 kW) Hispano Suiza engines were adopted instead.

Operational history

Flight testing

Construction of the four prototypes (serial numbers A-5576, A-5577, A-5578, and A-5579) began in August 1919. The first TF was completed on October 1, 1920, with the first flight taking place 12 days later. However, high throttle settings caused the engines to overheat, thus obliging the pilot to undertake an emergency landing at the mouth of the Delaware River. After a brief waiting period to allow the engines to cool, the aircraft was damaged upon collision with an ocean liner's wake during another takeoff attempt. Other problems noted during initial testing were stiff and erratic rudder control while the ailerons exhibited a tendency to roll in directions opposite to that of rudder control. While subsequent modifications to the tail section remedied the stability problems, the propensity of the engines to overheat at high RPM settings remained an ongoing hindrance to the testing procedure, not only causing several premature landings, but ultimately providing the most decisive factor in the TF's subsequent cancellation.

Cancellation

In June 1921, the Trial Board appealed to the U.S. Navy Department for immediate termination of the project, arguing that:

The power plant defects in this plane can be overcome, but not those pertaining to its air worthiness and sea worthiness, unless the plane is largely redesigned. In view of the numerous defects in this plane, and its questionable utility, even though these defects were remedied, it is recommended that further experimental work on this plane be discontinued.

The Navy Department dismissed the recommendations as premature, arguing that plans to retrofit the second and third prototypes with enlarged radiators in conjunction with alternate engine types might elicit a more successful outcome. However, the specialized radiators failed to arrive for several months, thereby postponing the completion of both types to the midpoint of 1922. Furthermore, the test flight of the third prototype (A-5578) in July ended in another mechanical failure which destroyed the primary water tank, the resulting fragments of which in turn damaged the hull section and shattered the forward propeller. With little hope for any significant improvements in the allotted evaluation phase, the Trial Board issued another plea to the Navy Department on December 29, to which the latter immediately complied, issuing its formal cancellation of the TF project on January 11, 1923.

Specifications (A-5576)

Sideview of TF. Note the inclusion of the upper-wing nacelle Side-view of Naval Aircraft Factory TF.jpg
Sideview of TF. Note the inclusion of the upper-wing nacelle

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

Summary of Flight Trials (A-5576) - Oct. 1920 - Mar. 1921

No.DateTypeDurationCrew (pilot, observer)Notes
110/13/20Generic Flight Trial30 min.Comm. Richardson, Lt. FlemingN/A
210/13/20Speed Run20 min.Comm. Richardson, Lt. FlemingN/A
310/13/20Speed Run45 min.Lt. Fleming, Lt. FellersEngines overheated
410/13/20Speed Run0 min.Lt. Fellers, Lt. FlemingBoth bottom wings and pontoons destroyed on take-off
510/21/20Speed Run1 hr. 5 min.Comm. Richardson, Lt. FlemingEngine head cowl installed
610/22/20Speed Run20 min.Comm. Richardson, Lt. FlemingEngine head cowl removed
711/15/20Fully Loaded Test15 min.Lt. Fleming, Lt. FellersSlightly nose heavy at high speed
811/18/20Speed Run35 min.Lt. Fleming, Mach. WestN/A
91/19/21Evaluation of New Tail Section10 min.Comm. Richardson, Lt. FlemingImproved stability and control characteristics
102/4/21Propeller Test15 min.Lt. Fleming, Mach. WestN/A
112/4/21Propeller Test20 min.Lt. Fleming, Mach. WestN/A
122/7/21Propeller Test5 min.Lt. Fleming, Mach. WestSpinner on rear engine shattered, damaging port beam of tail.
132/25/21Propeller Test20 min.Lt. Fleming, Mach. WestN/A
143/1/21Propeller Test10 min.Lt. Fleming, Mach. WestN/A
153/2/21Propeller Test20 min.Lt. Fleming, Mach. WestN/A
163/5/21Propeller Test25 min.Cdr. Richardson, Lt. MacKennaN/A
N/A3/5/21N/A0 min.N/AGasoline line to forward engine ruptured

RPM/Speed Readings Obtained During Flight Trials on Oct. 13, 1920 (A-5576)

RPM (Tractor Engine)RPM (Pusher Engine)Air Speed (knots)
1350130058
1250126053
1100110043
1490149069
1200111046
1500149070


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grumman F2F</span> US Navy biplane

The Grumman F2F was a single-engine, biplane fighter aircraft with retractable undercarriage, serving as the standard fighter for the United States Navy between 1936 and 1940. It was designed for both carrier- and land-based operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Aircraft Factory SBN</span> Type of aircraft

The Naval Aircraft Factory SBN was a United States three-seat mid-wing monoplane scout bomber/torpedo aircraft designed by the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation and built under license by the Naval Aircraft Factory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The landing gear was similar to that on the Brewster F2A Buffalo fighter aircraft. The SBN had non-folding wings with perforated flaps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Focke-Wulf Fw 57</span> German fighter-bomber prototypes

The Focke-Wulf Fw 57 was a prototype German heavy fighter and fighter-bomber. Prototypes were built in 1936 but never entered production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Aircraft Factory TS</span> Type of aircraft

The Naval Aircraft Factory TS-1 was an early biplane fighter aircraft of the United States Navy, serving from 1922 to 1929.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nieuport-Delage NiD 52</span> Type of aircraft

The Nieuport-Delage NiD 52 was a French fighter aircraft of the 1920s. A single-engined sesquiplane, it served with the Spanish Air Force, being operated by both sides of the Spanish Civil War.

The Arsenal VB 10 was a French fighter-interceptor aircraft developed during and shortly after World War II. It was a low-wing monoplane with retractable tailwheel undercarriage and of largely orthodox configuration. The ultimate product of a design that began with the Arsenal VG 10 prior to the war, the VB 10 added a second engine behind the cockpit which drove a second propeller, coaxial with and contra-rotating to the propeller driven by the engine in the nose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nieuport-Delage NiD 62</span> Type of aircraft

The Nieuport-Delage NiD.62 was a French sesquiplane fighter from the early 1930s. This machine was a descendant of a long line of Nieuport-Delage fighters that were designed and built during the years immediately after World War I. The NiD.62 was built in 1931 as a fighter for the Armée de l'Air. It served until the late 1930s, when it was replaced by more modern monoplane fighters. By the time of the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, all of the NiD.62s had been withdrawn from front-line fighter escadrilles but were used as trainers in French flight schools. A few aircraft were employed as target tugs. After the French German Armistice and German occupation of North and West part of France in June 1940, the German Luftwaffe had no interest in the NiD.62s and they were scrapped. None survived the war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loening M-8</span> Type of aircraft

The Loening M-8 was a 1910s American fighter monoplane designed by Grover Loening and built by his Loening Aeronautical Engineering Company. An order of 5000 for the United States Army Air Corps was canceled when the First World War ended.

The Renard Epervier was a Belgian prototype single-seat all-metal fighter monoplane designed by Alfred Renard at the Societé Anonyme Avions et Moteurs Renard for a government-sponsored design contest in 1928. The Epervier Type 2 was built and flown in 1928, by Belgian aircraft manufacturer Stampe et Vertongen. It carried an armament of two synchronised 7.7mm guns and was lost in September 1928 after failing to recover from a flat spin. A second prototype, the Epervier Type 2bis, introduced revised streamlined fairings for the cantilever mainwheel legs, mainwheel spats and cylinder aft-fairings and was built by SABCA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eberhart XFG</span> American fighter aircraft

The Eberhart XFG was an American single-seat experimental ship-borne biplane fighter aircraft developed for the United States Navy in 1927 by the Eberhart Aeroplane and Motor Company. The sole prototype was rebuilt into the XF2G with the addition of a single float and a different engine, but the aircraft was destroyed in a crash in 1928, and the type did not enter production.

The Chu XP-0, also known as the Chu (AFAMF) XP-0, was a Chinese fighter prototype in the Second World War.

The Beardmore W.B.II was a British biplane fighter prototype of the 1910s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fokker D.IX</span> Type of aircraft

The Fokker D.IX was a Dutch single seat, single engine fighter aircraft, the final, more powerful evolution of the Fokker D.VII World War I success, flown in 1921. The sole example was purchased by the US Army Air Service but not developed further.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vickers F.B.16</span> Type of aircraft

The Vickers F.B.16 was a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the First World War. It was originally designed to be powered by an experimental radial engine, development of which was abandoned. When re-engined with more powerful and reliable water-cooled V-8 engines, the F.B.16 demonstrated good performance, but only a few prototypes were built, the type not entering service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SNCAO 200</span> Type of aircraft

The SNCAO 200, sometimes written CAO.200, was a prototype French single seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s. It was a single engined monoplane intended to compete with the Dewoitine D.520, but was unsuccessful, only a single example being built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nieuport-Delage NiD-120</span> Type of aircraft

The Nieuport-Delage NiD 120 series was a series of French single-seat parasol monoplane fighter aircraft of the 1930s. It was built in a number of versions, fitted with various types of engines, with six aircraft designated NiD 123 being sold to Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Aircraft Factory NO</span> Type of aircraft

Naval Aircraft Factory NO was an American short-range reconnaissance/gun spotting aircraft of the 1920s. A single-engined three-seat biplane with alternative floats or wheels, six were built for the U.S. Navy.

The Mitsubishi Ka-8 or Mitsubishi Experimental 8-Shi Two-seat Fighter was a prototype Japanese two-seat carrier-based fighter aircraft of the 1930s. Two were built, but no production followed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SNCAC NC-600</span> Type of aircraft

The SNCAC NC-600 was a prototype French twin-engined long-range fighter aircraft, developed by SNCAC from the earlier Hanriot H.220 fighter. The type never entered service, with development being ended by the French surrender in June 1940.

The Potez 230 was a French lightweight single-seat, single-engined fighter aircraft. One prototype was built and flew in 1940, but no production followed, with the prototype being captured and shipped to Germany for study.

References

Notes

  1. Green & Swanborough 1994, p.429

Bibliography

  • Green, W; Swanborough, G (1994). The Complete Book of Fighters. Smithmark. p. 429. ISBN   0-8317-3939-8.
  • RNAF-Z-17, General correspondence of Bureau of Construction and Repair in matters pertaining to Naval Aircraft Factory TF, Record Group 72.2.3, U.S. National Archives, Washington D.C.
  • Z-17-736-8-DA-25, General correspondence of Bureau of Engineering in matters pertaining to Naval Aircraft Factory TF, Record Group 72.2.1, U.S. National Archives, Washington D.C.
  • OS-Z-7, Records of Bureau of Aeronautics related to Naval Aircraft Factory TF, Record Group 72, U.S. National Archives, Washington D.C.