Parnall Plover

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title: "Parnall Plover" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1920s-british-fighter-aircraft", "parnall-aircraft", "carrier-based-aircraft", "single-engined-tractor-aircraft", "biplanes", "aircraft-first-flown-in-1922", "aircraft-with-fixed-conventional-landing-gear"] description: "British single-seat naval fighter aircraft" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parnall_Plover" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary British single-seat naval fighter aircraft ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox aircraft"]

Field	Value
name	Plover
image	Parnell Plover 02.jpg
type	Fighter
national_origin	United Kingdom
manufacturer	Parnall & Co
designer	Harold Bolas
first_flight	1922
introduction	1923
retired	1924
primary_user	Royal Air Force
number_built	13
variants
::

|name = Plover |image = Parnell Plover 02.jpg |caption = |type = Fighter |national_origin=United Kingdom |manufacturer = Parnall & Co |designer = Harold Bolas |first_flight = 1922 |introduction = 1923 |retired = 1924 |primary_user = Royal Air Force |more_users = |produced = |number_built = 13 |variants = The Parnall Plover was a British single-seat naval fighter aircraft of the 1920s. Designed and built by George Parnall & Co. for use on Royal Navy aircraft carriers, it was ordered into small-scale production but after extensive evaluation, the Fairey Flycatcher was preferred for large-scale service.

Development and design

The Parnall Plover was designed by Harold Bolas, chief designer of the reformed George Parnall & Co. to meet the requirements of the British Air Ministry Specification 6/22 for a single-seat fighter aircraft. The successful aircraft was to replace the Nieuport Nightjar and be powered by a Bristol Jupiter or Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar engine capable of being operated from aircraft carriers or as a floatplane. The Plover was a single-bay biplane of wood-and-fabric construction, fitted with full-span flaps and could be fitted with a conventional wheeled undercarriage or floats (with wheels protruding through the bottom of the floats). The first prototype flew in late 1922, powered by a Bristol Jupiter. Two more prototypes followed, with the second a floatplane, also powered by a Jupiter and the third a landplane powered by a Jaguar engine. The first two prototypes were inferior to the competing Fairey Flycatcher, but the third prototype, to a substantially improved design, performed as well if not slightly better. Small orders were placed for both types, including ten for the Plover, to allow more detailed operational evaluation.

Operational history

Six Plovers entered service with 403 and 404 Fleet Fighter Flights of the Royal Air Force in 1923, allowing the type to be evaluated in service against the Flycatcher and the Nightjar, which both types were planned to replace. The Flycatcher was preferred, being a more popular aircraft to fly as well as being easier to rig, replacing the Plover in 1924. One aircraft was entered on the civil register as G-EBON and was flown in the 1919 King's Cup Air Race, the Plover retired from the race due to fuel flow problems. G-EBON crashed and was destroyed in January 1929.

Operators

;

• Royal Air Force
• Royal Navy – operational evaluation

Specifications (Plover)

|ref=The Complete Book of Fighters |prime units?=imp General characteristics

|crew=1 |length ft=23 |length in=0 |length note= |span ft=29 |span in=0 |span note= |height ft=12 |height in=0 |height note= |wing area sqft=306 |wing area note= |aspect ratio= |airfoil= |empty weight lb=2035 |empty weight note= |gross weight lb=2984 |gross weight note= |max takeoff weight lb= |max takeoff weight note= |fuel capacity= |more general= Powerplant

|eng1 number= |eng1 name=Bristol Jupiter III |eng1 type=9-cylinder air-cooled radial pistone engine |eng1 hp=436 |eng1 note=

|prop blade number=2 |prop name=fixed-pitch propeller |prop dia ft= |prop dia in= |prop dia note= Performance

|max speed mph=142 |max speed note= |cruise speed mph= |cruise speed note= |stall speed mph= |stall speed note= |never exceed speed mph= |never exceed speed note= |range miles= |range note= |combat range miles= |combat range note= |ferry range miles= |ferry range note= |endurance= |ceiling ft=23000 |ceiling note= |climb rate ftmin= |climb rate note= |time to altitude=20000 ft in 25 minutes 12 seconds |lift to drag= |wing loading lb/sqft=9.75 |wing loading note= |fuel consumption lb/mi= |power/mass=0.15 hp/lb |more performance= Armament

|guns=2x fixed forward-firing .303 in Vickers machine guns

References

References

1. Mason, Francis K.. (1992). "The British Fighter since 1912". Naval Institute Press.
2. Willis, Matthew. (2012). "The Flycatcher's Rival".
3. Thetford, Owen. (1994). "British Naval Aircraft since 1912". Putnam.
4. [http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/HistoricalMaterial/G-EBON.pdf United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority – Aircraft Register G-EBON]
5. Green, W. (1994). "The Complete Book of Fighters". Smithmark.

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