Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2b (1915)

"Big Fee"

Popular with its aircrews, the R.A.F. F.E.2b was a big, dependable two-seater, powered by a powerful "pusher" Beardmore engine. The pusher configuration was common among British designs of the period as no effective interruptor gear was available to allow guns to fire through the airscrew. Placing it behind the crew removed the problem, though empty cartridges needed to be collected in bags to avoid the risk of them being drawn into the prop - or, in the case of the "Fee", hitting the pilot in the face. You can see the bags in my illustration above.

The observer had an uninterrupted field of fire forward and to each side, and many "Fees" were equipped with a further gun on a post mounting that could fire over the top wing to cover the tail. The observer had to stand up to fire this, making for a precarious perch should any sudden manoeuvres be required.

Starting the massive Beardmore engine was an unnerving process as it required the A.M. to duck between the tail booms to swing the huge four-blade propeller. Then he had to duck back out - with extreme caution - from the triangular cage he now shared with four spinning knives (and copious amounts of flying gravel).

The first flight of the FE2 preceded that of the Fokker E.III by only three months. It's interesting to consider the different approaches by German and British designers.

My Picture

This illustration became something of a labour of love. The F.E.2b has long been a favourite of mine - as indeed it was with its crews. Big, dependable and robust and with an excellent field of fire, it had pleasant, vice-free handling and a decent turn of speed.

I was able to take photographs of the gigantic Beardmore engine at Brussels Air Museum, leading to a slightly obsessive level of detail in the power unit.