Fairey N.4

Fairey Aviation Company · United Kingdom · first flew 1923 · reconnaissance aircraft

The Fairey N.4 was a British five-seat long-range reconnaissance flying boat of the 1920s. When it first flew in 1923 it was the world's largest flying boat.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	4 × piston, wing-mounted
F — Fuselage	20.12 m fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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

Spot it by:

Large biplane flying boat with a single hull
Four engines mounted as two push-pull pairs between the upper and lower wings
Each engine drives a four-bladed propeller

A very large biplane flying boat with four engines grouped in two push-pull pairs on struts between the wings, each driving a four-bladed propeller.

Specifications

The Fairey N.4 has a length of 20.12 m (66 ft).
It has a wingspan of 42.37 m (139 ft).
Its maximum speed is 185 km/h (115 mph).
Typical crew: 5.

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

History

The Admiralty issued Specification N.4 in 1917 for a four-engined long-range reconnaissance flying boat and ordered two aircraft from Fairey and one from Phoenix Dynamo. The second aircraft first flew on 4 July 1923 with four 650 hp Rolls-Royce Condor IA engines.

Variants

The N.4 Mk.I was named Atalanta. The third aircraft, the N.4 Mk.II Titania, had improvements and Condor III engines, and first flew on 24 July 1925.

Where you'll see it

Three were built. The first was used only for flotation tests and was scrapped unflown, while the other two flew trials with the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment until 1928. The service lost interest in such large flying boats.

Related aircraft

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 8,606 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.