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The Felixstowe Porte Baby was a British reconnaissance flying boat of the First World War, first flying in 1915. ==Design and development== The Porte Baby was designed by John Cyril Porte RN at the naval air station, Felixstowe where the prototype was also built; ten more were made by May, Harden and May of Southampton.〔''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985)'', 1985, Orbis Publishing, Page 1777〕 Between November 1915 and 1918 it was the largest flying boat built and flown in the United Kingdom.〔 The aircraft was an unequal-span, three-bay biplane of wood-and-fabric construction, the hull being mounted below the lower wing. The engines, normally three Rolls-Royce Eagles, (but sometimes with a 260 hp Green as the centre, pusher engine) were mounted between the wings; two in tractor configuration and the central one in pusher. The two pilots were in an enclosed cockpit, the three gunners had open stations armed with machine guns.〔Bruce 2 December 1955, p.845.〕 As the image shows, the incongruously-named Baby was used to prove the concept of a larger aircraft carrying aloft and launching a lighter aircraft (in this case a Bristol Scout), taking off carrying the Bristol and successfully releasing it on 17 May 1916,〔 a technique which came to be known variously as composite or parasitic. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Felixstowe Porte Baby」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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