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Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.8

1916 WORLD WAR 1

Royal Aircraft Factory F.E. Level 8

The Royal Aircraft Factory FE 8 ("FE" = "Fighter Experimental") recorded its maiden flight in September 1915 and entered service with the Royal Flying Corps on 2 August 1916. British military machinery has two long-term servicemen dedicated to total war in Europe, and aircraft design is only one part of a very complex formula for victory.

The FE 8 largely follows the design philosophy of the earlier FE 2 model, continuing with a layout with the engine sitting behind the sole pilot.

Since the British still lacked a viable "interrupter" device when their machine gun was mounted behind the rotating propeller blades, it was necessary to simply mount the engine behind the pilot. This forces a "propeller" arrangement, where the propeller spins behind the engine itself.

The main advantage of this is that the front of the aircraft is now clear of the pilot's field of view and firing angle, and it is positioned further away than his aircraft's center of gravity.

Unlike the earlier R.E. 2 of September 1915, which had two crew members to handle the workload, the F.E. 8 forced one crew member to manage the aircraft's functions and weapons. That means the pilot has to keep his plane in the air, scout for targets, and strike accurately while remaining calm under fire.

The problems with this arrangement were further exacerbated when the machine gun inevitably jammed, requiring the pilot to concentrate on the machine gun now.

In addition to giving the pilot excellent visibility, the overall design of the aircraft led to some very lethal results in some cases, as the aircraft required special training to recover from rotation. Although the FE 8 proved to be a more maneuverable and lighter aircraft design than the previous FE 2 series, it was immediately overtaken by the German Albatros D.I and D.II biplanes, leaving most FE 8s at a major disadvantage in direct combat . The famous German "Red Baron" Baron von Richthofen and his party shot down no less than nine FE8s in one sortie, which shows the excellence of this type.

The F.E. 8 was introduced in August 1916 and remained in service until mid-1917, when total production dropped to 295. By comparison, from 1914 to 1918 (the last year of the war), nearly 2,000 R.E. 2 prototypes were built. In addition to the Royal Aircraft Factory (RAF), Darracq Motor Engineering and Vickers were also involved in the manufacture of the FE 8.

Operators include 5th, 29th, 40th and 41st Squadrons of the Royal Flying Corps. The type is not exported.

The FE 8 has an overall length of 23.7 feet, a wingspan of 31.5 feet, and a height of 9 feet. The curb weight is 960 pounds, while the fully loaded weight is 1,470 pounds. Power comes from a French-made Le Rhone 9-cylinder rotary piston engine, air-cooled, producing 110 hp and driving a two-bladed wooden propeller. Top speed is over 93 mph and service is capped at 14,500 feet.

The task duration is approximately 2.5 hours. Beyond his singleness. 303 Lewis Gun (on a trainable stand above the nose), the aircraft can carry a small number of dropped bombs. The wing main aircraft is of equal span and features two cabins with parallel struts.

The main landing gear element is located under the center mass, and the skid assembly is located under the tail. The tail is attached to the main wing aircraft by thin cantilevers.