Supermarine Swan

Manufacturer: Supermarine
Designed by: R. J. Mitchell
First flight: 25 March 1924
Introduced: 1926
Retired: 1927
Primary users: Imperial Airways Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment
Number built: 1
Variants: Supermarine Southampton

The Supermarine Swan was a 1920s British experimental amphibian aircraft built by Supermarine at Woolston. Only one was built and it was used for a passenger service between England and France.

Design and development

The Swan was designed by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine as an experimental wooden twin-engined biplane amphibian aircraft, in parallel with the Supermarine Scylla design for a replacement for the Royal Air Force's Felixstowe F5s.

First flown on 25 March 1924 (as serial N175), the Swan was powered by two 350 hp (261 kW) Rolls-Royce Eagle IX engines. It was re-engined with two 450 hp (336 kW) Napier Lion engines and had the landing gear removed for evaluation at the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment in August 1924. In 1926, it was registered G-EBJY and loaned to Imperial Airways as a flying boat with accommodation for 10 passengers until it was scrapped in 1927.

Operators

United Kingdom

Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment
Imperial Airways

Specifications (Swan)

Data from

General characteristics

Crew: 2
Capacity: 10 passengers
Length: 48 ft 6 in (14.78 m)
Wingspan: 68 ft 8 in (20.93 m)
Height: 18 ft 3¼ in (5.57 m)
Wing area: 1,265 ft² (117.6 m²)
Empty weight: 9,170 lb (4,168 kg)
Loaded weight: 12,832 lb (5,832 kg)
Powerplant: 2x— Napier Lion IIB engines inline piston engine, 450 hp (336 kW) each

Performance

Maximum speed: 109 mph (95 kn, 175 km/h)
Service ceiling: 10,200 ft (3,110 m)
Climb to 10,000 ft (3,050 m): 35 min 45 s

Related development

Supermarine Southampton

Andrews, C.N.; Morgan, E.B. (1987). Supermarine Aircraft since 1914 (Second edition ed.). London: Putnam. ISBN 0 85177 800 3.
A.J. Jackson, British Civil Aircraft since 1919 Volume 3, 1974, Putnam, London, ISBN 0 370 10014 X, Page 315

Living Warbirds: The best warbirds DVD series.

Source: WikiPedia