Port Victoria P.V.91917 |
FIGHTER SEAPLANE | Virtual Aircraft Museum / United Kingdom / Port Victoria |
Owing much to the P.V.2, the P.V.9 single-seat fighter seaplane, first flown in December 1917, was a sesquiplane braced entirely by faired steel tubes. With a fuselage mounted between the wings, an armament of one synchronised 7.7mm machine gun and a similar-calibre weapon mounted on top of the fuselage, the P.V.9 had single-step pontoon-type floats and a 150hp Bentley B.R.I rotary engine. Protracted engine problems delayed the initiation of full-scale trials until May 1918, at which time it was alleged to be the best float-equipped single-seat fighter extant. However, lack of a suitable propeller prevented full exploitation of its performance potential and, no longer fulfilling a service requirement, its development was discontinued.
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