Fairey Ferret
Fairey Aviation Company · United Kingdom · first flew 1925 · reconnaissance aircraft
The Fairey Ferret was a British general-purpose biplane designed and built by the Fairey Aviation Company. It performed well in trials but was not ordered into production.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Fixed forward-firing Vickers gun on the starboard side of the fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Two-seat general-purpose biplane
- Single radial engine
- Fixed forward-firing Vickers gun on the starboard side of the fuselage
An all-metal biplane with a Bristol Jupiter radial engine, one fixed forward-firing gun and a gun mounting in the rear cockpit.
Specifications
- The Fairey Ferret has a length of 8.99 m (29 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 12.37 m (41 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 217 km/h (135 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was designed to a Fleet Air Arm reconnaissance requirement and was the company's first all-metal design. The first prototype first flew in June 1925 with an Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IV radial engine.
Variants
Three prototypes were built: the Mk I and Mk II were three-seaters, and the Mk III was a two-seater. The Mk II and Mk III had a Bristol Jupiter radial engine and a nine-inch longer wingspan.
Where you'll see it
It performed well at RAF Martlesham Heath but was not ordered into production. The Mk III had a high-speed gun mounting in the rear cockpit.
Related aircraft
- Fairey Firefly I
- Fairey Fremantle
- Fairey IIIF
- Fairey N.4
- Aichi Experimental Type 15-Ko Reconnaissance Seaplane
- Albatros L 65
- Ansaldo A.120
- Armstrong Whitworth Atlas
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