Curtiss BF2C Goshawk
- Thread starter De1ay
- Start date
It is a Curtiss F11C Goshawk also marked as BF2C. The one in your picture is the Curtiss BF2C-1 BuNo. 9586. According to the net , the plane c/n. 83 was the first production kite of this fighter. The aircraft made its maiden flight on September 13, 1934, and was delivered to the US Navy on October 7 of the same year. The Hawk seems to be assigned to Squadron VB-5B aboard the USS Ranger. It was withdrawn from service shortly after due to severe in-flight wing vibration issues.
Here below the better shots of her ...
The Chinese AF used the fighter bi-planes marked as Curtiss Model 68 Hawk III and Curtiss Model 67 Hawk II with the fixed landing gear.
the pic source:
Curtiss Hawk III - China
p40hawksnest.com
Curtiss BF2C Goshawk
p40hawksnest.com
Count de Bastrop
Airman 1st Class
- 115
- Dec 14, 2004
That final photo is a Hawk II (not a Hawk III which is equivalent to a BF2C-1). The Hawk III in Chinese service differed slightly from the BF2C-1 in having wooden wing structure instead of all-metal - this relieved the wing vibration problems that plagued the USNavy version (BF2C-1).It is a Curtiss F11C Goshawk also marked as BF2C. The one in your picture is the Curtiss BF2C-1 BuNo. 9586. According to the net , the plane c/n. 83 was the first production kite of this fighter. The aircraft made its maiden flight on September 13, 1934, and was delivered to the US Navy on October 7 of the same year. The Hawk seems to be assigned to Squadron VB-5B aboard the USS Ranger. It was withdrawn from service shortly after due to severe in-flight wing vibration issues.
Here below the better shots of her ...
View attachment 888304
View attachment 888315
View attachment 888316
The Chinese AF used the fighter bi-planes marked as Curtiss Model 68 Hawk III and Curtiss Model 67 Hawk II with the fixed landing gear.
View attachment 888312
View attachment 888307
View attachment 888308
View attachment 888309
View attachment 888306
the pic source:
Curtiss Hawk III - China
Curtiss BF2C Goshawk
I agree. Just mentioned that in my comment to these images there. For the reason I attached the pic as the last one.
Count de Bastrop
Airman 1st Class
- 115
- Dec 14, 2004
I guess I need to start reading more carefully! 
- Thread starter
- #6
It is a Curtiss F11C Goshawk also marked as BF2C. The one in your picture is the Curtiss BF2C-1 BuNo. 9586. According to the net , the plane c/n. 83 was the first production kite of this fighter. The aircraft made its maiden flight on September 13, 1934, and was delivered to the US Navy on October 7 of the same year. The Hawk seems to be assigned to Squadron VB-5B aboard the USS Ranger. It was withdrawn from service shortly after due to severe in-flight wing vibration issues.
Here below the better shots of her ...
View attachment 888304
View attachment 888315
View attachment 888316
The Chinese AF used the fighter bi-planes marked as Curtiss Model 68 Hawk III and Curtiss Model 67 Hawk II with the fixed landing gear.
View attachment 888312
View attachment 888307
View attachment 888308
View attachment 888309
View attachment 888306
the pic source:
Curtiss Hawk III - China
Curtiss BF2C Goshawk
Thanks a lot for the information!
There seems to be a lot of misinformation in this thread. The Cyclone powered Hawks are a confusing bunch, yes. First off, the F11C. This went into production as the F11C-2. This was a fixed gear, R-1820 powered fighter for the Navy. During flight test, it was found that the aircraft performed better as a dive bomber than it did a fighter. The Navy reclassified it as a "bomber-fighter" in early 1934, redesignating it as the BFC-2. About the same time as the redesignation, a retrofit kit was supplied, and the aircraft received a raised turtledeck and "semi-cabin" canopy. The export variant of the F11C came in two flavors, the Model 35 and Model 65. These could be fitted with landing gear or floats. Export versions went to Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Turkiye, Cuba, Siam, China and Ernst Udet.
While bearing a resemblance to the F11C-2/BFC-2, the Navy's BF2C was significantly different from the earlier fixed gear Hawk. The prototype of course, was the fifth F11C-2 off the production line. It was redesignated as the XF11C-3, but eventually became the XBF2C-1. The production BF2C-1 was purchased by the Navy and equipped only one Squadron, VB-5B. They were withdrawn from service after one year due to vibration issues rooted in the natural frequencies of the engine and the aluminum wing structure. During testing, when carrying a bomb or aux tank, the aircraft vibration caused fatigue issues that eventually caused the aircraft to be withdrawn. One fix was to install a "ring vane" when carrying a ventral external load. This helped, but not enough.
The BF2C-1 was exported as the Model 68/Hawk III. Hawk IIIs were purchased by China, Thailand and Argentina plus a Turkish demonstrator. There was a single Model 79/Hawk IV with a fully enclosed canopy. This was acquired by Argentina and was destroyed on 10/26/37 when the bomb it was carrying detonated in flight.
Rich
While bearing a resemblance to the F11C-2/BFC-2, the Navy's BF2C was significantly different from the earlier fixed gear Hawk. The prototype of course, was the fifth F11C-2 off the production line. It was redesignated as the XF11C-3, but eventually became the XBF2C-1. The production BF2C-1 was purchased by the Navy and equipped only one Squadron, VB-5B. They were withdrawn from service after one year due to vibration issues rooted in the natural frequencies of the engine and the aluminum wing structure. During testing, when carrying a bomb or aux tank, the aircraft vibration caused fatigue issues that eventually caused the aircraft to be withdrawn. One fix was to install a "ring vane" when carrying a ventral external load. This helped, but not enough.
The BF2C-1 was exported as the Model 68/Hawk III. Hawk IIIs were purchased by China, Thailand and Argentina plus a Turkish demonstrator. There was a single Model 79/Hawk IV with a fully enclosed canopy. This was acquired by Argentina and was destroyed on 10/26/37 when the bomb it was carrying detonated in flight.
Rich
MIflyer
Captain
The vibration was found to be due to the use of aluminum rather than wood in the wings. The earlier version used the same engine and much the same airframe, but with wooden wings and fixed landing gear.
Given the experience of the USN versions, the export models went back to wooden wings.
