Hawker Hawfinch

History

The Hawker Hawfinch fighter aircraft was designed in 1925 as a replacement for both the Armstrong-Whitworth Siskin and the Gloster Gamecock fighters. It was a competition, together with other aircraft manufacturers, that included nine different designs. The contract was finally awarded to the Bristol Bulldog, because of its slightly higher maximum speed. The Hawfinch first flew in March 1927. Only one prototype was built.

Description

Twe Hawfinch was a two bay biplane with staggered wings. The structure was the patented Hawker metal tube & "fishplate" system, with fabric covering. The powerplant was initially a Bristol Jupiter VI engine, but this was changed to a Jupiter VII (450 hp) before the performance trials. The armament consisted of two Vickers machine guns synchronised to fire through the propeller.

Specification

• Span - 33 ft 6 in (10.21 m)
• Length - 23 ft 8 in (7.21 m)
• Height - 9 ft 4 in (2.84 m)
• Wing area - 294 sq ft (29.31 sq-m)
• Wt Empty - 1925 lb (873 kg)
• Wt Loaded - 2910 lb (1320 kg)
• Max Speed - 171 mph at 9850 ft (275 km/h at 3002 m)
• Service Ceiling - 24000 ft (7315 m)

Reference

• "Hawker Aircraft since 1920" by Francis K Mason - pub by Putnam, 1961