Curtiss F9C Sparrowhawk

Curtiss-Wright · United States · first flew 1931 · fighter

The Curtiss F9C Sparrowhawk was a diminutive biplane fighter designed to be carried aloft by and launched from the US Navy's rigid airships USS Akron and Macon. It is one of the most unusual aircraft in American naval aviation history.

Recognition (WEFT)

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Spot it by:

• Tiny parasitic biplane fighter carried by airships
• Trapeze hook on upper wing for USS Akron and Macon
• One of the smallest US Navy production fighters

A very small single-seat biplane with a distinctive trapeze hook protruding upward from the upper fuselage/wing centre section, a small Wright Whirlwind radial engine, and a spatted fixed undercarriage.

Specifications

• The Curtiss F9C Sparrowhawk has a length of 6.18 m (20 ft).
• It has a wingspan of 7.75 m (25 ft).
• Its maximum speed is 283 km/h (176 mph).
• Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

The F9C was selected in 1931 to equip the airship-borne fighter flights aboard the giant helium airships Akron and Macon. The aircraft used a retractable trapeze hook on the upper wing to latch onto a lowered bar deployed from the airship's internal hangar. When both parent airships were lost in accidents in 1933 and 1935, the Sparrowhawk programme effectively ended; only eight examples were built.

Variants

Eight F9C-2 production aircraft were built; an XF9C-1 prototype preceded them.

Where you'll see it

Served aboard USS Akron (lost 1933) and USS Macon (lost 1935); one surviving example is displayed at the National Air and Space Museum.

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