Austin-Ball A.F.B.1
Austin Motor Company · United Kingdom · first flew 1917 · fighter
The Austin-Ball A.F.B.1 (Austin Fighting Biplane) was a British First World War fighter built by the Austin Motor Company with design input from the ace Albert Ball.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, swept |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 6.55 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Large triangular tailplane
- Small balanced rudder with no fixed vertical fin
- Vickers gun firing through a hollow propeller shaft, with a Lewis gun on the centre section
A single-seat biplane whose tail combines a large triangular tailplane with a small balanced rudder and no vertical fin.
Specifications
- The Austin-Ball A.F.B.1 has a length of 6.55 m (21 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 9.14 m (30 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 222 km/h (138 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Design work began at Austin in late 1916 under C. H. Brooks, drawing on Albert Ball's ideas for a single-seat fighter. The single prototype first flew on 27 July 1917 with a 200 hp Hispano-Suiza engine.
Variants
Only one prototype was built.
Where you'll see it
Trials were largely excellent, but the type was not produced because Austin's production capacity and the Hispano-Suiza engine were needed for the S.E.5a.
Related aircraft
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