Fairey Delta 2

Fairey Delta 2
World speed record holder WG774
Role	high-speed research aircraft Type of aircraft
National origin	United Kingdom
Manufacturer	Fairey Aviation Company
First flight	6 October 1954
Introduction	Experimental
Retired	1966 (WG777), 1973 (WG774)
Status	On public display
Primary user	Royal Aircraft Establishment
Number built	2

The Fairey Delta 2 or FD2 (internal designation Type V within Fairey) is a British supersonic research aircraft that was produced by the Fairey Aviation Company in response to a specification from the Ministry of Supply for a specialised aircraft for conducting investigations into flight and control at transonic and supersonic speeds. Features included a delta wing and a drooped nose. On 6 October 1954, the Delta 2 made its maiden flight, flown by Fairey test pilot Peter Twiss; two aircraft would be produced. The Delta 2 was the final aircraft to be produced by Fairey as an independent manufacturer.^[1]

The Fairey Delta 2 was the first jet aircraft to exceed 1,000 miles per hour (1,600 km/h) in level flight.^[2] On 10 March 1956, it set a new world speed record of 1,132 mph (1,822 km/h), exceeding the previous official record by 310 mph (500 km/h).^{[note 1]} The Delta 2 held the absolute World Air Speed Record for over a year. It continued to be used for flight testing, and was allocated to the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) in 1958.

A testbed aircraft was required to verify design calculations and wind tunnel results for the Concorde "ogee delta" wing design so one of the aircraft was extensively rebuilt as the BAC 221. On 1 May 1964, the modified aircraft performed its first flight. The FD2 was also used as the basis for Fairey's submissions to the Ministry for advanced all-weather interceptor designs, culminating in the proposed Fairey Delta 3 to meet the F.155 specification; however, the FD3 never got past the drawing-board stage.

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