Gloster Gamecock
| Gamecock | |
|---|---|
| |
| Gloster Gamecock operated by the Finnish Air Force | |
| Role | Fighter aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Gloster |
| First flight | February 1925 |
| Status | Retired from service |
| Primary users | Royal Air Force Finnish Air Force |
| Number built | 108 |
| Developed from | Gloster Grebe |
The Gloster Gamecock was a biplane fighter of the Royal Air Force, a development of the Mk III Grebe, that first flew in February 1925. It differed from the Grebe primarily by way of its Bristol Jupiter engine, which replaced the unreliable Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar. Other changes included improved ailerons, refined fuselage contours, and internally mounted machine guns.
The Gamecock had a fairly short RAF service life, partly because of its high accident rate - of the 90 operated by the RAF, 22 were lost in landing or spin accidents. These faults were remedied in the Mk. II version, by means of a longer upper wing and a modified tail unit.
Variants
- Gamecock Mk I : Single-seat fighter aircraft for the RAF. 90 built.[1]
- Gamecock Mk II : Single-seat fighter aircraft with revised wing and tail. One new built for RAF with another Mk I converted to Mk II standard.[2] Three were three exported to Finland in 1928, with a further 15 built under licence in Finland from 1929-1930 as the Kukko.[3]
- Gamecock Mk III : One RAF Gamecock Mk II modified with lengthened fuselage for spin trials.[4]
Operators
- Royal Air Force
- No. 3 Squadron RAF
- No. 17 Squadron RAF
- No. 19 Squadron RAF
- No. 23 Squadron RAF
- No. 32 Squadron RAF
- No. 43 Squadron RAF
- No. 2 Flying Training School
- No. 3 Flying Training School
- Central Flying School RAF
- RAF College, Cranwell
- Home Communications Flight
Specifications (Mk. I)
Data from The Era-Ending Gamecock [5]
General characteristics
- Crew: one, pilot
Performance
- Climb to 10,000 ft (3050 m): 7.6 min
- Endurance: 2.5 hours
Armament
- Guns: 2×0.303 inch (7.7mm) Vickers machine guns
See also
Related development
Related lists
References
Notes
Bibliography
- Green, William and Swanborough, Gordon. "The Era-Ending Gamecock". Air Enthusiast, Number 21, April-July 1983.Bromley, Kent:Pilot Press. p. 1-8, 58-62. ISSN 0143-5450.
- James, Derek N. Gloster Aircraft since 1917. London: Putnam, 1971. ISBN 0 370 00084 6.
- James, Derek N. Gloster Aircraft since 1917. London: Putnam and Company Ltd., 1987. ISBN 0-85177-807-0.
- Taylor, M.J.H. (editor) Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London:Bracken, 1989. ISBN 1 85170 324 1.
- Thetford, Owen. Aircraft of the Royal Air Force 1918-57. London:Putnam, First edition 1957.
- British Aircraft Directory accessed 21 February 2008