Gloster Grebe
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Developed from the Gloster Grouse (an experimental aircraft later developed as a trainer), Gloster's Grebe was the Royal Air Force's first post World War I fighter aircraft, entering service in 1923.
It retained the same single seat biplane lay out, fabric covered wooden structure and twin Vickers machine gun armament as the Sopwith Snipes it replaced, the only real advance – a 162 mph (261 km/h) top speed - coming from the extra power of the 400 hp Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar. The Grebe was very agile, but suffered from wing flutter, which lead to all RAF aircraft being modified with additional wing struts. Grebes were attached beneath the R33 Airship for "parasite" trials. Including 2 seat trainer variants, a total of 133 Grebes were produced, all but 4 were Mark IIs. Grebes were retired from the RAF in 1929, replaced in part by the Gloster Gamecock which was in essence a developed Grebe, (Gloster fighter design, from Nighthawk to Gloster Gladiator was essentially evolutionary). A single Grebe was gifted to New Zealand by Sir Henry Wigram, and subsequently another two Grebes were acquired by the New Zealand Permanent Air Force, fore-runner of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, where they served until the mid 1930s.
Specifications (Grebe MkII)
General characteristics
- Crew: 1 pilot
- Capacity:
- Length: 6.17 m
- Wingspan: 8.94 m
- Height: 2.82 m
- Wing area: 23.60 m² (254.0 ft²)
- Empty: 780 kg (1,720 kg)
- Loaded: kg ( lb)
- Maximum takeoff: 1,189 kg (2,621 lb)
- Powerplant: Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IV, 406 hp (303 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 243 km/h (151 mi/h)
- Range: 2 h 45 min
- Service ceiling: 7,000 m (23,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: m/min ( ft/min)
- Wing loading: kg/m² ( lb/ft²)
- Power/mass:
Operators
- New Zealand, United Kingdom.
See also
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