Fairey Fox Floatplane

Fairey Aviation Company · United Kingdom · first flew 1928 · bomber

The Fairey Fox Floatplane was a seaplane conversion of the original Fairey Fox light bomber, demonstrating the airframe's versatility by replacing the wheeled undercarriage with twin Shorts-type floats.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	Streamlined fuselage distinguishable from contemporary floatplane biplanes
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Original British Fox biplane on twin floats
Curtiss D-12 or Rolls-Royce Kestrel nose installation
Streamlined fuselage distinguishable from contemporary floatplane biplanes

The Fox Floatplane shares the slim, streamlined fuselage of the wheeled Fox but sits on twin floats; the Curtiss or Rolls-Royce inline engine gives a narrow, pointed nose unlike contemporary radial-engined floatplane biplanes.

Specifications

The Fairey Fox Floatplane has a length of 9.5 m (31 ft).
It has a wingspan of 11.58 m (38 ft).
Its maximum speed is 255 km/h (158 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

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

History

Fairey developed the floatplane Fox to evaluate the airframe in a maritime role, fitting twin floats in place of the conventional undercarriage. The conversion was not adopted in quantity but demonstrated the Fox's structural soundness.

Variants

The British floatplane Fox preceded the Belgian Fox IIS and IIIS floatplane variants produced by Avions Fairey.

Where you'll see it

Evaluated by the Royal Navy and used for demonstration purposes; did not enter production service in the UK.

Related aircraft

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