Martinsyde F.4 Buzzard Biplane Fighter Aircraft (1918)
The fast Martinsyde Buzzard biplane fighter arrived to late to see operational action in World War 1.
The Martinsyde concern was established in 1908 through a joint venture between H.P. Martin and George Handasyde to create "Martin and Handasyde". During these early years, the firm developed several aircraft types (primarily monoplanes) before World War 1 arrived in the summer of 1914. From then on, the company went on to form one of the largest British aircraft manufacturers of the war. In 1915, Martin and Handasyde's last names were combined to form "Martinsyde". As a private venture initiative, George Handasyde designed a new biplane aircraft in 1917 which came otbe known as the "Martinsyde F.3". This aircraft was powered by the Rolls-Royce Falcon V12 engine which gave it strong performance figures that outclassed many fighter types of the time.
The F.3 achieved first flight in November of 1917 and formal evaluation piqued the interest of the Royal Air Force resulting in an order for six trial mounts and a further 150 production quality forms. The prototype was extremely fast by 1917 standards at 140 miles per hour and intended to make all previous fighter forms essentially obsolete. Adoption of the F.3 by the RAF presented its own problem, however, for the Rolls-Royce Falcon engines were committed elsewhere in the war effort. As such, the Hispano-Suiza 8Fb engine of 300 horsepower was substituted and this created the "F.4" designation to signify the change. The aircraft was bestowed the nickname of "Buzzard" to form the "Martinsyde F.4 Buzzard" full designation.
The Buzzard's appearance was very traditional for the time and featured a biplane layout with wing assemblies over and under the single-seat fuselage. Wing design included single bays and staggered parallel struts. The fuselage itself was made up of angled surfaces that promoted a pleasing aerodynamic shape. The forward end housed the Hispano-Suiza V-type engine spinning a two-blade propeller from an aerodynamic spinner assembly. The pilot sat immediately below and aft of the upper wing section in an open-air cockpit behind a small windscreen. The undercarriage was of the static variety and sported two wheels with a tail skid at rear. Armament was a pairing of 7.7mm Vickers-type machine guns synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades. Complete performance specifications included a top speed of 146 miles per hour, a service ceiling of 24,000 feet and an endurance of 2.5 hours.
The end of the war curtailed the possible wartime reach of the Buzzard though it did go on to appear in other modified forms and in the inventories of many foreign operators. Variants included a more pedestrian twin-seat touring aircraft, a four-seat passenger aircraft, a floatplane and long-range two-seaters. Operators of note would include Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Spain and the Soviet Union. Interestingly, the Royal Air Force lost much interest in the Buzzard after the Armistice and all outstanding contracted airframes were cancelled - only those remaining on the assembly lines were completed as planned.
Had the war gone beyond 1918, the Martinsyde Buzzard would surely have played a major role in the campaigns planned for 1919. Amazingly, a few Buzzards were still in operation in the years leading up to World War 2 (these with the Latvian Air Force). In the post-WW1 years, the Martinsyde concern focused on production of civilian motorcycles. However, a factory fire ultimately lead to its liquidation and the company was no more in 1922. Text ©2003-2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • No Reproduction Permitted
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Specifications for the
Martinsyde F.4 Buzzard
Biplane Fighter Aircraft
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Manufacturer: Martinsyde - UK
Initial Year of Service: 1918
Production: 375
Focus Model: Martinsyde F.4 Buzzard
Crew: 1
Length: 25.49ft (7.77m)
Width: 32.78ft (9.99m)
Height: 10.33ft (3.15m)
Weight (Empty): 1,711lbs (776kg)
Weight (MTOW): 2,288lbs (1,038kg)
Powerplant: 1 x Hispano-Suiza 8Fb V-8 inline piston engine developing 300 horsepower.
Maximum Speed: 145mph (233kmh; 126kts)
Maximum Range: 404miles (650km)
Service Ceiling: 25,000ft (7,620m; 4.7miles)
Rate-of-Climb: 0 feet per minute (0m/min)
Hardpoints: 0
Armament Suite:
2 x 7.7mm Vickers synchronized machine guns in fixed, forward-firing upper fuselage mounting.
Variants:
F.4 - Base Production Series Designation for single-seat fighter models.
F.4A - Base F.4 single-seat fighter models converted to two-seat touring type aircraft.
Type A.Mk I - Base F.4 single-seat models converted to two-seat long-range aircraft.
Type AS.Mk I - Based on the Type A.Mk I and fitted with floatplane landing system.
Type A.Mk II - Base F.4 single-seat fighter models converted to four-seat aircraft with cabin.
F.6 - Base F.4 single-seat fighter models converted to two-seat aircraft.
A.D.C. 1 - Single-Seat Fighter produced by the Aircraft Disposal Company; fitted with Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar radial piston engine of 395 horsepower.
A.V. 1 - Single Prototype Example for engine testing.
Nimbus Martinsyde - Single Production Example by A.D.C. (Aircraft Disposal Company); fitted with Nimbus series engine of 224 horsepower.
Operators: Belgium; Bolivia; Canada; Finland; Ireland; Japan; Latvia; Lithuania; Poland; Portugal; Spain; Soviet Union; United Kingdom
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