- Design and development
- Operational history
- Variants
- Operators
- Specifications (Pintail III)
- See also
- References
- External links
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}{{Use British English|date=December 2016}}| name = Pintail | image = FaireyPintail mkIII-1.jpg | caption = Fairey Pintail Mk III }}{{Infobox Aircraft Type | type = Fighter Reconnaissance | national origin=United Kingdom | manufacturer = Fairey Aviation | designer = F. Duncanson | first flight = 7 July 1920 | introduced = | introduction= | retired = | status = | primary user = Japan | more users = | produced = | number built = 6 | unit cost = | developed from = | variants with their own articles =
}} |
The Fairey Pintail was a British single-engine floatplane fighter of the 1920s. While it was developed by Fairey as a reconnaissance fighter for the Royal Air Force, the only orders placed were for three for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Design and developmentThe Pintail was designed by F. Duncanson of Fairey Aviation to meet the requirements of the RAF Type XXI Specification, which was issued in 1919 for an amphibian reconnaissance fighter, competing with the Parnall Puffin.[1] The Pintail was a two-bay biplane, fitted with twin floats, and with the upper wing in line with the pilot's eye line. In order to give a clear upwards field of view for the crew, the Pintail was fitted with an unusual tail unit, with the tailplane lying across the top of the rear fuselage and the rudder below the tailplane. The first prototype, the Pintail Mark I, flew on 7 July 1920.[2] The second prototype, the Pintail Mark II had a lengthened fuselage, while the third prototype, the Pintail Mark III had non-retractable wheels within the floats. While the Pintail was more capable as a fighter than the Possum, offering an excellent upwards field of view for the crew, it had poor downwards view for the pilot during landing. Operational historyWhile the Pintail was not adopted by the RAF, three examples, similar to the Mark III, were sold to the Imperial Japanese Navy. These aircraft, known as the Pintail IV had an increased wing gap so the upper wing was situated above the fuselage, improving the downwards view for the pilot. The first Pintail IV flew on 20 August 1924. Variants- Pintail I
First prototype. - Pintail II
Second prototype with lengthened fuselage. - Pintail III
Third prototype with non-retractable wheels within the floats. - Pintail IV
Short series with increased wing gap and the upper wing above the fuselage, 3 built. Operators- {{JPN}}
- Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service
Specifications (Pintail III){{Aircraft specs
|ref=The British Fighter since 1912 [2]
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|length ft=32
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|span ft=40
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|height ft=11
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|wing area sqft=400
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|gross weight lb=4700
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|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Napier Lion
|eng1 type=W-12 water-cooled broad arrow engine
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|eng1 hp=475
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|max speed mph=125
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|time to altitude=5 minutes 8 seconds to {{convert|5000|ft|m|abbr=on}}[3]
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|guns=
- 1 × fixed, forward-firing .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun
- 1 or 2 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Gun on Scarff ring in rear cockpit
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|lists=- List of seaplanes and amphibious aircraft
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}}References1. ^Taylor 1974, p. 90.
2. ^Mason 1992, pp. 150–151.
3. ^1 Green and Swanborough 1994, p. 197
- {{cite book |last= Green|first= W |author2=Swanborough, G |title= The Complete Book of Fighters |edition= |year= 1994|publisher= Smithmark |location=New York|isbn= 0-8317-3939-8}}
- {{Cite book|author=Mason, Francis K|title=The British Fighter since 1912|publisher=Naval Institute Press|year=1992|location=Annapolis|pages=150–151|isbn= 1-55750-082-7}}
- {{cite book|last=Taylor|first=H.A|title=Fairey Aircraft since 1915|year=1974|publisher=Putnam|location=London|isbn=0-370-00065-X}}
External links{{commons category|Fairey Pintail}}{{Fairey aircraft}} 6 : British fighter aircraft 1920–1929|Floatplanes|Fairey aircraft|Biplanes|Single-engined tractor aircraft|Aircraft first flown in 1920 |