AD Flying Boat
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| Air Department Flying Boat | |
|---|---|
| Type | Flying boat |
| Manufacturer | Pemberton-Billing Ltd. |
| Designed by | Linton Hope |
| Maiden flight | 1916 |
| Number built | 27 |
The AD Flying Boat was designed by the British Admiralty's Air Department to serve as a patrol aircraft that could operate in conjunction with Royal Navy warships. Intended for use during World War I, production of the aircraft was terminated as the end of the war came into sight, and the type saw little operational use.
Designed by Lieutenant Linton Hope, the aircraft was of conventional biplane flying-boat configuration, and also featured a biplane tail with twin rudders. The pilot and observer sat in tandem in the nose, with the engine and pusher propeller mounted behind them, between the wings. The wings could be folded forwards to facilitate shipboard stowage.
Two prototypes were constructed in 1915 by Pemberton-Billing Ltd. (later to become Supermarine Aviation), and these were followed by twenty-seven production machines out of an original order for eighty-five.
Following the Armistice, Supermarine purchased nineteen of these aircraft back to remanufacture for the civil market as the Supermarine Channel, either as the Channel Mk I with 119-kW (160-hp) Beardmore engines, or the Channel Mk II powered with 179-kW (240-hp) Armstrong Siddeley Puma engines. The reconfigured flying-boats provided accommodation for a pilot and three passengers in three open cockpits.
[edit] Specifications (AD Flying Boat)
General characteristics
- Crew: two, pilot and observer
- Length: 30 ft 7 in (9.32 m)
- Wingspan: 50 ft 4 in (15.34 m)
- Height: 13 ft 1 in (4 m)
- Wing area: 479 ft² (44.5 m²)
- Empty weight: 2,508 lb (1,138 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 3,567 lb (1,618 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Hispano-Suiza inline engine, 200 hp (149 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 100 mph (160 km/h)
- Range: 450 miles (720 km)
- Service ceiling: 11,000 ft (3,355 m)
Armament
- 1 x .303 Lewis gun on flexible mount for observer
[edit] Related content
Designation sequence
- Air Department: AD Scout - AD Boat - AD Navyplane - AD Type 1000
- Supermarine: AD Boat - Supermarine Nighthawk - AD Navyplane - Supermarine Sealion
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