F-class blimp

The F-class was a single United States Navy blimp, the F-1, built by Goodyear during the First World War as one of a group of three small blimps offered to the government, alongside the Navy E-1 and the Army A-1. It was classed as an experimental engine testing dirigible and had the same envelope size as the E-1, but a tractor-mounted 125 horsepower Union engine gave it different performance, including a top speed of 52 miles per hour and a much longer endurance. The F-1 spent its entire career at Hampton Roads, near Norfolk, Virginia, and was flown with the engine in both tractor and pusher configurations. It may also have flown with a Curtiss OXX engine. It was removed from the inventory in November 1923.