Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Two-seat light day bomber

Power Plant:

One 336 kw (450 hp) Curtiss D-12 twelve-cylinder VEE liquid-cooled engine

Specifications:

Armament:

One 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Vickers fixed machine gun firing forward; one 7.7 mm (0.303 in) Lewis machine gun on high-speed mount in rear cockpit; max bomb load on underwing carriers 209 kg (460 lb)

History:

The Fairey Fox revolutionised the design of aircraft in the 1920s and was very successful in its role as a light-bomber for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Charles Richard Fairey, founder and chief designer of Fairey Aviation Company at Hayes, Middlesex, designed the Fox, having in 1924 gone to the United States of America to obtain rights to build the Curtiss D-12 engine to power the new aircraft. This engine, in its licence-built version, was to be known as the Fairey Felix. In fact the engine was never licence-built in Britain and sufficient American engines were imported.

The prototype Fox was first flown on 3 January 1925 by Captain Norman Macmillan at Northolt, London. Specification 21/25 was issued for production aircraft and the first production batch was for 18 Mk Is (serials J7941 to J7958) with the 321 kw (430 hp) Felix I engine. Two more batches were ordered, one of five (J8423 to J8427) and one of four (J9025 to J9028), these all being Mk Is, the latter batch being fitted with Rolls Royce Kestrel engines and becoming known as the Mk IA.

The first Mk IA (J9026) was flown for the first time on 29 August 1927. Deck landing trials were carried out on ‘HMS Furious’, even though no arresting gear was available, and the aircraft had no brakes. Subsequently, Fairey Aviation was invited to tender for further aircraft and the Fox Mk II was built but the Hawker Hart was ordered.

The Fox served with No 12 Squadron RAF, and a few were attached to other units. However, Fairey Aviati0n re-designed the Fox and developed the Fox Mk IIM, which was of metal construction with a steel tube fuselage and wing spars of high tensile steel strip, whereas the earlier variants had been of wooden construction. Flown for the first time in 1929 as a single-seater, the first Fox Mk IIM (F1138) was converted to two-seat configuration in 1931 and the second machine (F1139) was demonstrated to the Belgian Air Staff which placed an order, these aircraft to be fitted with the supercharged Rolls Royce Kestrel IIS engine, this providing a maximum speed of 304 km/h (189 mph) at 4,999 m (16,400 ft). Deliveries commenced in January 1932, and one was entered in the International Circuit of the Alps on 8 July 1932, completing the 369 km (229 miles) course in 85 minutes at 259 km/h (161 mph).

Subsequently further batches of aircraft were delivered, and a total of 28 was built in Belgium at the Societe Anonyme des Avions Fairey facility at Gosselies, the first being delivered on 21 April 1933 and the last in November that year. The last machine was used to test the Fairey Prince engine and was brought up to Fox Mk VIC standard. The parent company built the Fox III with a 269 kw (360 hp) Armstrong Siddeley Serval radial engine and this was demonstrated to Belgian authorities.

In 1933 a further variant with a 485 kw (650 hp) Hispano Suiza 12Ybrs engine appeared as the Fox IVM, this later becoming the Fox VIR with a 642 kw (860 hp) Hispano Suiza 12Ydrs engine. The last variant was the Fox VIII, of which 12 were built at Gosselies, bringing total production there to 186 machines. However, by May 1940, when the type was hurriedly scrambled to meet opposing German Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Bf 109s, they were very much obsolete and a number were shot down, the others mostly being destroyed on the ground.

After retirement from RAF service a few examples appeared on the British Civil Aircraft Register, two of these with an Australian connection. Two were entered in the October 1934 MacRoberton Race from England to Australia, this race being planned at the instigation of the millionaire chocolate manufacturer, Sir MacPherson Robertson, to mark the centenary of the establishment of the City of Melbourne, VIC with a prize of £10,000 ($20,000) for the winner. Well known Papua New Guinea pilot, Raymond Parer, purchased an ex-RAF Fox Mk I with a spare engine for £200 ($400) with a group of goldfield identities, forming the New Guinea Centenary Flight Syndicate.

This aircraft G-ACXO (ex J7950 – Race No 35) was flown by Ray Parer with Geoff Hemsworth as co-pilot. It is interesting to note Sir Richard Fairey did not approve the use of the Fox in the race, saying that the aircraft was unsuitable for the long flight, and fearing for the reputation of his Company should there be any problems. The story of this epic journey has been told many times. The aircraft was fitted with extra fuel tanks, larger wheels, and extra instrumentation. It left Mildenhall in Suffolk at the start of the race, taking 116 days to reach Melbourne, where it arrived on 13 February 1935. In fact, the Fox was stranded at Le Bourget Aerodrome in Paris at the time Scott and Black reached Australia in the winning de Havlland DH.88 Comet.

The aircraft was overhauled and flown to Papua New Guinea where it was registered as VH-UTR (c/n F.586 ex J7950) on 27 February 1936 to R J P Parer of Salamaua. It was flown by Parer, entering service with Pacific Aerial Transport Company with the name ‘Morobe Goldfields New Guinea’painted on the nose. It saw some use carrying freight in the Morobe Goldfields. However, due to its poor condition, the Certificate of Airworthiness was suspended in November 1936 and it was withdrawn from service and broken up.

The other Fox with an Australian connection, a Mk IA (G-ACXX – ex J8424), which was owned by Mrs Victor Bruce, was flown by Flying Off H D Gilman and J K C Baines but suffered some problems with its engine in Athens in Greece which caused a delay of two months. It eventually continued but crashed on 20 October 1934, killing both crew members.

Another Fox was placed on the British civil register as G-ACAS (c/n F.35756), being operated by C W A Scott Air Displays in 1933. Owned by the Luxury Air Tours Group it was damaged beyond repair at Ford Aerodrome, West Sussex during a display on 14 July 1933.