Gloster Gloster Nightjar Aircraft

Production Details

Design Company:

Gloucestershire Aircraft Company, Cheltenham

First Flight:

May 1922

Mars X Nightjar:

22 - Gloucestershire (Converted from Nieuport Nighthawk)

Type Specification

Applies to:

Gloster Mars X Nightjar

Type:

Single-seat deck-landing fighter developed from Nieuport Nighthawk

Wing:

Two bay biplane with staggered, unswept equal span wings of wooden structure with fabric covering. Ailerons on all four wings

Fuselage:

Round section fuselage mounted on lower wing. Wooden structure with fabric covering

Tail Unit:

Braced monoplane tail with split elevators together with single swept fin and balanced rudder

Landing Gear:

Crossaxle type main gear with legs attached to fuselage lower longeron. Tail skid

Power Plant:

One 230 hp Bentley B.R.2 nine-cylinder rotary engine in the nose driving a two bladed propeller

Accommodation:

Single seat for pilot in open cockpit aft of wing

Armament:

Two Vickers machine guns in nose

Span:

28 ft

Length:

18 ft 4 in

Height:

9 ft

Wing Area:

270 sq ft

Empty:

1,765 lb

Loaded:

2,165 lb

Max Speed:

120 mph at sea level

Climb:

15,000 ft in 23 min

Service Ceiling:

19,000 ft

Preserved in British Museums

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