Berliner-Joyce XF2J

The Berliner-Joyce XF2J was the company's second biplane fighter for the United States Navy. The XF2J was ordered on 30 June 1931 and although designated as a two-seat fighter, it was used as an observation aircraft.

XF2J-1
Role Two-seat carrier-based fighter
National origin United States
Manufacturer Berliner-Joyce
First flight 1933
Primary user United States Navy
Number built 1[1]
Developed from Berliner-Joyce XFJ

Design and development

The XF2J's construction was all-metal with a fabric covered rudder. The upper wing was "gulled", with a short, sharply upward-angled section, with the remainder of the wing with a slight dihedral. The lower wing span was shorter than the upper wing, and was braced with "N" struts and wires. A .30 calibre machine gun was located in each of the gulled sections of the upper wing and were synchronized to fire through the propeller arc.[2]

The tightly-cowled 9-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-1690C Hornet was the engine originally specified, but was changed to the 625 hp (466 kW) 14-cylinder Wright SR-1510-92 Whirlwind before the aircraft flew. The propeller was a metal constant speed two-blade design.[2]

The original open cockpits were modified to sliding canopies shortly after delivery to the navy.[2]

Operational history

The XF2J-1 suffered from the same faults as the P-16, resulting in an unfavourable service trial of the one prototype, which had appeared two years late due to a protracted development phase, exacerbated by financial difficulties that eventually led to the demise of the company [3] The poor visibility over the nose and the landing characteristics doomed the XF2J-1, especially in light of the availability of the superior Grumman FF-1.

Specifications (XF2J-1)

Data from Forgotten Fighters/1

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • Length: 28 ft 10 in (8.79 m)
  • Upper wingspan: 36 ft 0 in (10.97 m)
  • Wing area: 303.5 sq ft (28.20 m2)
  • Empty weight: 3,210 lb (1,456 kg)
  • Gross weight: 4,539 lb (2,059 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 4,539 lb (2,059 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Wright SR-1510-92 Whirlwind 14-cylinder air-cooled supercharged two-row radial piston engine, 600 hp (450 kW)

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 170 kn (196 mph, 315 km/h)

Armament

  • Guns: two .30 caliber machine guns mounted in the upper wing root area

See also

Related development

References

Notes
  1. http://www.aerofiles.com/_berlin.html
  2. Forgotten Fighters p 56
  3. Baugher, Joe. "Berliner-Joyce P-16/PB-1." Archived January 30, 2008, at the Wayback Machine USAAC/USAAF/USAF Fighter and Pursuit Aircraft, 7 June 1998. Retrieved: 22 June 2007.

Bibliography
  • Bowers, Peter M, Forgotten Fighters/1 US Navy, 1918–1941 ARCO Publishing, New York, 1971, ISBN 0-668-02404-6
  • W.Green, D.Swanborough The Complete Book of Fighters, 2000
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