Parnall Scout

Parnall Scout
The Parnall Scout nearing completion in 1916.
General information
Type	Fighter
National origin	United Kingdom
Manufacturer	Parnall
Designer	A. Camden-Pratt
Number built	1
History
First flight	1916

The Parnall Scout, unofficially nicknamed the Zeppelin Chaser, was a British fighter prototype of the 1910s. It was the first fighter design from Parnall.

Development

Parnall began work on a single-seat anti-airship fighter aircraft in 1916 based on the designs of A. Camden-Pratt, initially intended to meet an aircraft specification from the Admiralty. A large, wooden two-bay staggered biplane, it was finished and initially tested in late 1916.

Operational history

The Scout reportedly flew twice in late 1916 under Admiralty testing; however, it was found to be heavy, slow, and unsafe. As such it was returned to Parnall in the same year and no further development progressed.

Specifications (Scout - estimated)

Data from

General characteristics

• Crew: one
• Upper wingspan: 44 ft (13 m)
• Lower wingspan: 40 ft (12 m)
• Wing area: 516 sq ft (47.9 m²)
• Fuel capacity: 36 imp gal (164 L)
• Powerplant: 1 × Sunbeam Maori II V-12 water-cooled piston engine, 250 hp (190 kW)
• Propellers: two-bladed wooden propeller

Performance

• Maximum speed: 113.5 mph (182.7 km/h, 98.6 kn) at sealevel
  

101.5 mph (163 km/h) at 10,000 ft (3,048 m)

Armament

• Guns: 1x fixed 0.303 in (8 mm) Lewis machine-gun offset to starboard at 45° elevation.

References

• Wixey, Kenneth E. (1990). Parnall Aircraft since 1914. London: Putnam & Company Ltd. ISBN 1-55750-930-1.

Further reading

• Green, William; Gordon Swanborough. The Complete Book of Fighters. Godalming, UK: Salamander Books. p. 463.