Boeing F2B

The Boeing F2B was an American biplane fighter aircraft of the United States Navy in the 1920s, familiar to aviation enthusiasts of the era as the craft of the Three Sea Hawks aerobatic flying team, famous for its tied-together formation flying.Swanborough, and Bowers 1976

Design and development

Initially the Boeing Model 69, it was inspired by the results of tests on the FB-6, which was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1340B Wasp radial engine. Boeing set out to use this engine in a fighter designed specifically for carrier operations, using the same welded-tubing fuselage and wooden-frame wings as for the Model 15, and adding a large spinner to reduce air drag around the engine (this was dropped in production). Armament was either two machine guns, or one .30 in and one ; the lower wing had attachments for up to four bombs, plus a fifth could be hung from the fuselage.Jones 1977, pp. 47–49.

Operational history First flight of the F2B prototype was November 3, 1926. The Navy acquired the prototype as XF2B-1, which was capable of reaching speeds of , and was sufficiently impressed to order 32 F2B-1s. In addition to omission of the large streamlined spinner cap, the production versions also had a balanced rudder. Delivery began on January 20, 1928, with some assigned to fighter squadron VF-1B and others to bomber squadron VF-2B, both operating from the carrier . Although the Navy did not order any more F2Bs, Boeing built two more, as Model 69Bs, exporting one to Brazil and the other to Japan.

U.S. Navy flight demonstration team

In 1927, Lieutenant D. W. "Tommy" Tomlinson, commanding officer of U.S. Navy squadron VF-2B, created the first U.S. Navy aerobatic team. Drawing from squadron VB-2B at Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California, the team used three Boeing F2B-1 fighters. Its first unofficial demonstration in January 1928 at San Francisco, California, gave rise to the popular nickname "Suicide Trio," although officially the team was called "Three Sea Hawks." The first public performance as an official team representing the U.S. Navy was between September 8 and 16, during National Air Races week at Mines Field (now Los Angeles International Airport) in Los Angeles, California. The Boeing F2B-1 could not fly inverted without the engine quitting; consequently, Tomlinson modified the carburetors to permit brief inverted flight. At the end of 1929, the Three Sea Hawks team disbanded when its VB-2B pilots were reassigned.van Beverhoudt, Arnold E. Jr. "U.S. Navy Blue Angels Team History." sandcastlevi.com, 28 June 2008. Retrieved: 19 June 2010.

Variants XF2B-1(Model 69) One prototype serial number A7385 F2B-1(Model 69) Single-seat fighter biplane for the U.S. Navy, serial numbers A7424 to A7455 Model 69B Two aircraft, generally similar to the F2B-1, one each to Brazil and Japan.Eden and Moeng 2002, p. 319. Model 76 F2B-1 modified with metal wings and rod aileron control.

Operators

Brazilian Naval Aviation

Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service

United States Navy

Specifications (F2B-1)

Boeing F2B

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