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Fairey Firefly FR. 1

The Firefly was one of the most successful British carrier based aircraft designs of the Second World War. The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) used the Firefly in addition to the Supermarine Seafire and Hawker Sea Fury onboard its carriers HMCS Warrior and HMCS Magnificent during the early post war period. The Firefly FR 1 served as a fighter reconnaissance and training aircraft and later versions were used as antisubmarine aircraft. The RCN acquired more powerful Mk. 4 versions which were eventually upgraded with new equipment to become the Mk 5. The Firefly was retired from RCN service in 1951 and all serviceable aircraft were later sold to the Ethiopian, Danish and Dutch armed forces.

During the Second World War, the Firefly saw action mainly in the Far East and Pacific theatres. Its first operations however were carried out in Europe where it made armed reconnaissance flights and anti-shipping strikes along the Norwegian coast. The Firefly also participated in Fleet Air Arm attacks on the German battleship Tirpitz, and aided in its eventual destruction. The Firefly joined the British Pacific Fleet and carried out attacks on oil refineries and airfields, and gained fame when it became the first British designed and built aircraft to overfly Tokyo. The Fleet Air Arm again used the Firefly during the Korean war in support of land operations.

Museum Example

The Museum aircraft was manufactured by General Aircraft Limited for the Royal Navy in 1945. In 1946 it was taken on strength by 825 Sqn RCN for service on the carrier, HMCS Warrior. From 1947 to 1951 it served with 826 Sqn, on board HMCS Warrior and operated from shore stations and the RCN’s second carrier HMCS Magnificent. In 1954 it was sold to the Ethiopian Air Force. In June of 1993, the aircraft was donated by the government of Eritrea to the Canada Aviation Museum and was transported to Rockcliffe in October of 1993.

Specifications

Wing Span:
13.5 m (44 ft 6 in); 4 m (13 ft 3 in) with wings folded
Length:
1.5 m (37 ft 7 in1)
Height:
3.8 m (12 ft 7 in)
Weight, Empty:
4,048 kg (8,925 lb)
Weight, Gross:
6,026 kg (13,284 lb)
Cruising Speed:
Unknown
Max Speed:
513 km/h (319 mph)
Rate of Climb:
4,570 m (15,000 ft) / 9.6 min
Service Ceiling:
8,595 m (28,200 ft)
Range:
1,750 km (1,088 mi)
Power Plant:
One 1,735 hp Rolls-Royce Griffon IIB or 1,990 hp Griffon XII

Additional Photographs

The Canada Aviation Museum’s Image Bank contains additional photographs of this aircraft. Images are provided for non-commercial study or research purposes only and may not be reproduced or published without the prior consent of the Canada Aviation Museum.

Find out more about our Image bank here.