The initial versions were powered by the Rolls-Royce Griffon liquid-cooled piston engine which drove a four-blade Rotol-built propeller.
The aircraft also featured a large chin-mounted radiator in order to provide extra cooling for the engine.
It had a retractable undercarriage and tailwheel with the hydraulically-actuated main landing gear retracting inwards into the underside of the central section of the wing. This undercarriage arrangement was was very common and useful for carrier landings. The Firefly was also fitted with an arrestor hook mounted underneath the rear fuselage. Pilot's cockpit was located above the leading edge of the wing and the observer/radio operator/navigator's one was located aft of the wing's trailing edge. Both of those positions were optimum for better visibility when operating and landing. Both crew members were provided with separated jettisonable canopies.
The Firefly was equipped with an all-metal wing which could be folded manually with the wings ending up along the sides of the fuselage when folded in order to store them inside the aircraft carrier. When deployed in flying position, they were locked hydraulically in place. The wing itself featured square tips and large Fairey-Youngman flaps which provided relatively good handling when flying at low speeds. The Mk.I (AKA FR.1/NF.1) variants were armed with four 20 mm Hispano Mk.V cannons buried in the wings, armament which was considered as heavy for the time. According to the pilots, the general handling of the Firefly was relatively well balanced, but a level of physical strength was required to effectively execute aerobatics.
Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Firefly
2. Hall Park Books - Warpaint 28 - Fairey Firefly
3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
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