Vickers F.B.16
Vickers · United Kingdom · first flew 1916 · fighter
The Vickers F.B.16 was a British single-seat fighter of the First World War. It showed good performance but only a few prototypes were built and the type never entered service.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 5.94 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Single-bay biplane with heavily staggered wings of unequal span
- Single-seat tractor fighter with the pilot above the lower wing
- Hispano-Suiza V-8 engine in the nose in the later versions
A small, strongly staggered single-bay biplane with an upper wing longer than the lower.
Specifications
- The Vickers F.B.16 has a length of 5.94 m (19 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 7.62 m (25 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 217 km/h (135 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was designed by Rex Pierson around the experimental Hart radial engine, but development of that engine was abandoned and it was re-engined with a Hispano-Suiza V-8. The prototype first flew in 1916.
Variants
The Hart-engined aircraft was followed by the F.B.16A, then the F.B.16D with a 200 hp Hispano-Suiza and modified wings.
Where you'll see it
No orders followed because the Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 was easier to maintain and already in production. The ace James McCudden recorded a speed of 136 mph in the F.B.16D.
Related aircraft
- Vickers F.B.11
- Vickers F.B.12
- Vickers F.B.14
- Vickers F.B.19
- Airco DH.5
- Albatros D.I
- Albatros D.II
- Albatros D.IV
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