Firefly Mk.1 (FR1) by Tamarrion
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Description
I guess I shouldn't be surprised how fast my previous pic was ID'ed. It was indeed a Fairey Firefly: an FR MkI. Next time I try a quiz, it will be more of a challenge!
This is PP462, one of 236 FR1 variants built for the RN. She was one of 12 Fireflys given to Canada as part of Britain's war claim settlement, and assigned to 825 Sqn. aboard the carrier HMCS Warrior. She later served aboard HMCS Magnificent, before being sold to Ethiopia in 1954.
It's not known how long she remained in service in Ethiopia, but she and 4 other airframes were found in the desert in 1993. The two best-surviving airframes were donated to Canada. PP462 is under restoration at the Shearwater Aviation Museum. Once she's airworthy, she will be one of only two FR1's capable of flying in the world! I'm hoping she's ready in time for the Nova Scotia International Airshow, in September.
Nuts & bolts (thanks to Wiki):
General characteristics
Crew: Two (pilot & observer)
Length: 37 ft 7¼ in (11.46 m)
Wingspan: 44 ft 6 in (13.57 m)
Height: 13 ft 7 in (4.14 m)
Wing area: 328 ft² (30.5 m²)
Empty weight: 9,750 lb (4,432 kg)
Loaded weight: 14,020 lb (6,373 kg)
Powerplant: 1× Rolls-Royce Griffon IIB liquid-cooled V12 engine, 1,730 hp (1,290 kW)
Performance
Maximum speed: 316 mph (275 kn, 509 km/h) at 14,000 ft (4,300 m)
Range: 1,300 mi (1,130 nmi, 2,090 km)
Service ceiling: 28,000 ft (8,530 m)
Climb to 10,000 ft (3,050 m): 5 min 45 sec
Armament
4 × 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannons
2 × 1,000 lb (454 kg) bomb or 8 × 60 lb (27 kg) rockets
Comments (3)
Mousson
Great image!
bmac62
I apologize...I missed this completely. I just read a complete magazine article on an ongoing restoration of a Fairey Firefly. If I go back and check the article, it was probably about this same aircraft (how many can there be, right?). Well done.
debbielove
That would be really cool.... Great photo opportunities looming there, i suspect? Good snap mate! Rob.