BF2C Goshawk

The Curtiss Model 67 BF2C-1 Goshawk & Model 68 Hawk III were United States 1930s naval biplane aircraft that saw limited success but were part of a long line of Hawk Series airplanes made by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company for the American military, and for export. The United States Navy and Curtiss felt the F11C-2 possessed development potential. The Navy decided to procure a variant with retractable landing gear. This variant, which sti... more

The Curtiss Model 67 BF2C-1 Goshawk & Model 68 Hawk III were United States 1930s naval biplane aircraft that saw limited success but were part of a long line of Hawk Series airplanes made by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company for the American military, and for export. The United States Navy and Curtiss felt the F11C-2 possessed development potential. The Navy decided to procure a variant with retractable landing gear. This variant, which still had the F11C-2's classic "Hawk" wood wing with its flat-bottomed Clark Y airfoil, was designated XF11C-3 by the Navy and Model 67 by Curtiss. The gear retraction system was inspired by the Grumman XFF-1 prototype, and was manually operated. The XF11C-3 was delivered to the USN in May 1933, with a Wright R-1820-80 radial engine rated at 700 hp (522 kW). Trials revealed a 17 mph (28 km/h) increase in speed over the F11C-2, and the extra weight caused a decrease in maneuverability. The Navy felt the handling degradation was more than offset by... less