:Aichi F1A
{{Short description|Japanese reconnaissance floatplane}}
| {{Infobox Aircraft Begin
| name= F1A | image= | caption= }}{{Infobox Aircraft Type | type= Reconnaissance floatplane | national origin= Empire of Japan | manufacturer= Aichi | designer= | first flight= 1936 | introduced= | retired= | status= | primary user= | more users= | produced= | number built= 2 | program cost= | unit cost= | developed from= | variants with their own articles= }} |
The Aichi F1A (designated AB-13 by its designers and manufacturers at Aichi) was a prototype Japanese floatplane of the 1930s. A single-engined biplane, the F1A was intended as a short-range observation aircraft suitable for operation off the Imperial Japanese navy's warships, but only two were built, the Mitsubishi F1M being selected instead.
Design and development
The F1A was designed by Aichi in response to a 1935 specification, issued to Aichi, Kawanishi and Mitsubishi for a replacement for the Imperial Japanese Navy's Nakajima E8N floatplanes, which were used for short-ranged reconnaissance and observation missions from the Navy's warships. Aichi at first considered a low-winged monoplane design, the AM-10, to meet this requirement, but this was rejected in favour of a more conventional biplane design, the AB-13.Mikesh and Abe 1990, p. 77.Francillon 1970, p. 358.
The AB-13 was a small single-bay biplane of mixed construction. It had wooden stressed-skin wings with plywood skinning that folded to allow easy storage aboard ship, while combat flaps were fitted as the aircraft was required to have sufficient maneuverability for air combat as well as its normal observation missions. The fuselage was of metal construction, with the pilot sitting in an open cockpit, but the observer's position being enclosed. Both float and wheeled undercarriages were designed, with the seaplane having a single main float, while the landplane version had a fixed tailwheel undercarriage. Power was provided by a single Nakajima Hikari radial engine.Mikesh and Abe 1990, pp. 77–78.
Operational history
Two prototypes of the AB-13, designated Experimental 10-Shi{{ref label|Note1|a|a}} Observation Aircraft and with the short system designation F1A were built, the first a floatplane and the second with wheeled undercarriage, both being completed in 1936. Although Mitsubishi's competing F1M1 prototypes had poor stability both on the water and in the air, they had superior performance to Aichi's design. Mitsubishi redesigned its aircraft as the F1M2, eliminating its handling problems,Francillon 1970, pp. 358–359. and it was selected for production in 1940.
Specifications (Floatplane)
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Japanese Aircraft, 1910–1941Mikesh and Abe 1990, p. 78.
|prime units?=met
|genhide=
|crew= 2
|capacity=
|length m= 9.30
|length ft= 30
|length in= 6
|length note=
|span m= 11.00
|span ft= 36
|span in= 1
|span note=
|height m= 4.10
|height ft= 13
|height in= 5
|height note=
|wing area sqm= 28.0
|wing area sqft= 301.399
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg= 1,400
|empty weight lb= 3,086
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg= 2,100
|gross weight lb= 4,629
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight kg= 2,380
|max takeoff weight lb= 5,247
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity=
|more general=
|eng1 number= 1
|eng1 name= Nakajima Hikari 1
|eng1 type= nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engine
|eng1 kw=
|eng1 hp= 820
|eng1 note=
|power original=
|thrust original=
|max speed kmh= 386
|max speed mph= 240
|max speed kts= 207.8
|max speed note= at 3,000 m (9,840 ft)
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed mph=
|stall speed kts=51.5
|stall speed note=
|range km= 1449
|range miles= 900
|range nmi= 783
|range note= at 185 km/h (100 knots, 115 mph)
|endurance= 8 hr 30 min
|ceiling m= 9275
|ceiling ft= 30,430
|ceiling note=
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude= 3,000 m (9,840 ft) in 4 min 26 s
|more performance=
|guns= 2× fixed forward firing 7.7 mm machine guns, 1 machine gun in rear cockpit
|bombs=
|rockets=
|missiles=
|hardpoints=
|hardpoint capacity=
|hardpoint rockets=
|hardpoint missiles=
|hardpoint bombs=
|hardpoint other=
|other armament=
|avionics=
}}
{{aircontent
|see also=
|related=
|similar aircraft=
|lists=
}}
References
;Footnotes
- {{note label|Note1|a|a}}In the Japanese Navy designation system, specifications were given a Shi number based on the year of the Emperor's reign it was issued. In this case 10-Shi stood for 1935, the 10th year of the Shōwa era.Mikesh and Abe 1990, pp. 2, 286.
;Citations
{{reflist|2}}
;Bibliography
{{refbegin}}
- Francillon, Ph.D., René J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1970. {{ISBN|0-370-00033-1}} (2nd edition 1979, {{ISBN|0-370-30251-6}}).
- Mikesh, Robert C. and Shorzoe Abe. Japanese Aircraft, 1910–1941. London: Putnam Aeronautical, 1990. {{ISBN|0-85177-840-2}}.
{{refend}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110119044439/http://www.geocities.co.jp/Bookend-Ohgai/3853/jnrs/jnrsC232a.htm three-way drawing]
{{Aichi aircraft}}
{{Japanese Navy short aircraft designations}}
Category:1930s Japanese military reconnaissance aircraft