R.A.F. F.E. 8
| Manufacturer: | Royal Aircraft Factory. |
| Power Plant: | 100 h.p. Gnôme Monosoupape rotary motor. |
| Span: | 31 ft. 6 ins. |
| Length: | 31 ft. 6 ins. |
| Height: | 9 ft. 2 ins. |
| Chord: | 4 ft. 0 ins. |
| Stagger: | none. |
| Gap: | 4 ft. 6 ins. |
| Performance: @ 6500ft: @ 10000ft: |
89 mph. 82 mph. |
| Ceiling: | 10,000ft. |
| Armament: | 1 Lewis gun on pivot mount in front of cockpit. |
 Designed
to fulfil the same purpose as the somewhat similar D.H. 2, the F.E. 8 first flew in
October, 1915.Reputed to be a nice
machine to fly and light on the controls, it had reasonable success at the Front before
the inherent disadvantages of the pusher design were realized and the type fell out of
favour with the introduction of the tractor scouts. Due to the high-aspect ratio control
surfaces which were a prominent feature of all Factory-built products, the F.E. 8 was
stiffer to handle than the D.H. 2, but was more stable during the approach when the torque
effects of the rotary motor were generally unpleasant. The F.E. 8 was the
last pusher scout in service and survived the D.H. 2 by a few weeks. |
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