Felixstowe Fury
| Felixstowe Fury | |
|---|---|
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|
| Fury at the Seaplane Experimental Station, Felixstowe. Wreckage of a Felixstowe F.2A in the foreground. | |
| Role | Long-range flying-boat |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | Seaplane Experimental Station, Felixstowe |
| Designer | John Cyril Porte |
| First flight | 11 November 1918 |
| Retired | 11 August 1919 |
| Primary user | Royal Air Force |
| Number built | 1 |
| Developed from |
Curtiss Model T Felixstowe F.5 |
The Felixstowe F.4 Fury (serial N123), also known as the Porte Super-Baby, was a large British, five-engined triplane flying-boat designed by John Cyril Porte at the Seaplane Experimental Station, Felixstowe, inspired by the Wanamaker Triplane or Curtiss Model T. The Fury was the largest seaplane in the world, largest British aircraft at the time and the first aircraft to incorporate servo-assisted controls.
Although the test-flying programme demonstrated the aircraft's suitability for long-distance flight, on 11 August 1919 (the eve of a planned flight from England to South Africa) it stalled into the sea on take-off, killing one member of the crew and suffering irreparable damage.
The Fury was delivered to Felixstowe on 31 October 1918, its first flight taking place on 11 November with Porte at the controls. Although conceived for military purposes, its first flight on Armistice Day meant focus was paid to the aircraft's civilian capabilities.
The Fury's unstaggered wings comprised the 3-bay lower wings, mounted near to the top of the hull, and a pair of 4-bay upper wings of larger span; all were supported by pairs of vertical struts and diagonal cross-bracing. The original design specified three 600 hp (447 kW) Rolls Royce Condor engines, but these were not available and five 334 hp (249 kW) Rolls-Royce Eagle VII engines were fitted instead. These were mounted on the middle wing and supported by additional struts, configured as two outboard tandem tractor/pusher (push-pull) pairs and one central pusher. In addition to its triplane configuration, the Fury had a biplane tailplane with a triple rudder, mounted on a single vertical fin similar to the Curtiss triplane. Not unlike the Model T the Fury was initially provided with servo-motors for the main flight control surfaces, designed by Major Arthur Quilton Cooper, but these were removed later without compromising the pilot's ability to control this large aircraft. At some point the engines were replaced with the more powerful 334 hp (249 kW) Eagle VIIIs.
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