Curtiss F7C Seahawk
{{Infobox aircraft
|name = F7C-1 Seahawk
|image = Curtiss XF7C-1 NACA June 1929.jpg
|caption = The Curtiss XF7C-1 in June 1929
|type = Fighter
|manufacturer = Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company
|designer =
|first_flight = 28 February 1927
|introduction =
|retired = 1933
|status =
|primary_user = United States Marine Corps
|more_users =
|produced =
|number_built = 17
|unit cost =
|variants =
}}
The Curtiss F7C Seahawk is a carrier-capable biplane fighter aircraft of the United States Navy Marine Corps in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Design and development
Curtiss' Model 43 was their first aircraft designed expressly for the Navy, rather than a modified Army type. While clearly a descendant of the P-1 Hawk, its wings were constant-chord rather than tapered, and the upper wing had a slight sweepback. The engine was a {{convert|450|hp|kW|lk=in|abbr=on}} Pratt & Whitney R-1340-B Wasp radial. Entirely fabric-covered, the top wing was framed with spruce, while the fuselage was built from a combination of aluminum and steel tubing, sufficiently strong to serve as a dive bomber as well as a fighter.
Operational history
The prototype XF7C-1 first flew on 28 February 1927. After some modification demanded by the Navy (such as the wing sweepback), 17 production aircraft F7C-1 Seahawks were built, and entered service in the USMC's VF-5M at Quantico. In 1930 VF-9M organized the Marines' first aerobatic stunt team, "The Red Devils", with F7Cs featuring red painted noses.Skyways, July 2001, p. 60.Barrow 1981, p. 49. They continued in service until 1933.
Variants
- XF7C-1: Prototype aircraft; one built.
- F7C-1 Seahawk: Single-seat fighter aircraft, main production version; 17 built.
- XF7C-2: Single F7C-1 conversion for evaluation with the {{convert|575|hp|kW|abbr=on}} Wright R-1820-1 radial engine and large-span full-span flaps.
- XF7C-3: A demonstration prototype for China with an armament of four {{convert|.30|in|mm|2|abbr=on}} M1919 Browning machine guns, I-type interplane struts, and ailerons on both the upper and lower wings rather than on just the upper wing. The type was superseded by the Model 64, F11C Goshawk.
Operators
;{{USA}}
Specifications (F7C-1)
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1947{{cite book |last1=Bowers |first1=Peter M. |title=Curtiss aircraft, 1907-1947 |date=1979 |publisher=Putnam |location=London |isbn=0370100298 |pages=198–200}}
|prime units?=imp
|crew=1
|length ft=22
|length in=7.25
|length note=
|span ft=30
|span in=8
|span note=
|height ft=9
|height in=8.5
|height note=
|wing area sqft=275
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=
|empty weight lb=2053
|empty weight note=
|gross weight lb=2768
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity=
|more general=
|eng1 number=
|eng1 name=Pratt & Whitney R-1340B Wasp
|eng1 type=9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine
|eng1 hp=450
|prop blade number=2
|prop name=fixed-pitch propeller
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=
|prop dia note=
|max speed mph=155.5
|max speed note=
|cruise speed mph=150
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed mph=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed note=
|range miles=355
|range note=
|combat range miles=
|combat range note=
|ferry range miles=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=
|ceiling ft=22100
|ceiling note=
|g limits=
|roll rate=
|climb rate ftmin=1860
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|wing loading lb/sqft=
|wing loading note=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/mass=
|more performance=
|guns=2 × fixed {{convert|.30|in|mm|2|abbr=on}} Browning machine guns in the forward fuselage
}}
References
{{commons category}}
=Notes=
{{Reflist}}
=Bibliography=
{{refbegin}}
- Barrow, Jess C. WWII Marine Fighting Squadron Nine (VF-9M) (Modern Aviation Series). Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: Tab Books Inc., 1981. {{ISBN|978-0-8306-2289-4}}.
- Eden, Paul and Soph Moeng, eds. [http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/5490000/5496066.gif cover The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft.] London: Amber Books Ltd., 2002. {{ISBN|0-7607-3432-1}}.
- Jones, Lloyd S. U.S. Naval Fighters. Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers, 1977, pp. 50–52. {{ISBN|0-8168-9254-7}}.
{{refend}}
{{Curtiss aircraft}}
{{USN fighters}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curtiss F07C}}
Category:1920s United States fighter aircraft
Category:Carrier-based aircraft
Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft