Originally Posted by pd1

We have a winner. The rest of the clues.

1. It first flew in 1917.
2. It was faster than the rest of it's class.
3. The engine used for the prototype became unavailable for production, which led to a number of different engines used, V12, and V8 liquid cooled and a radial aircooled.
4. After the war the plane saw quite a few variants including a two seat version , a four place cabin tourer, and a floatplane.
5. It was used by 13 countries, some used it all the way to WW II.
6. Irish Air Service- Operated one (purchased in November 1921 to allow Michael Collins to quickly escape back to Ireland in the event of a breakdown in the negotiations for the Anglo-Irish Treaty.
7. At the end of the war, the RAF decided to go with the Sopwith Snipe because it was cheaper,even though the performance was less.
8. A lot of the modifications were at the hands of the Aircraft Disposal Company.
9. Many were sold to civil owners being used as Tourers, racing aircraft and for survey and seal spotting work in Canada.
10. 100 were exported to Russia.

Martinside F4 Buzzard

Operational history

Despite the very limited production, four of the six Martinsyde F.3s ordered were issued to Home Defence squadrons of the RAF in 1918, with two being operated by No. 39 Squadron RAF on 8 July 1918[SUP][5][/SUP] and one used by 141 Squadron.[SUP][12][/SUP] The RAF received 57 F.4 Buzzards before the end of the First World War, but these did not reach operational squadrons. In the immediate post war period, two Buzzards were used as high speed communications aircraft in support of the British delegation at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, while a few other Buzzards were used at the Central Flying School.[SUP][13][/SUP][SUP][14][/SUP]
While the postwar RAF did not want the Buzzard, Martinsyde had more success selling the Buzzard overseas, with single and two-seat versions being sold to a number of air forces, including those of Spain (30 aircraft), Finland (15 aircraft) and the Soviet Union (100 aircraft).[SUP][15][/SUP] Some of these aircraft had long careers, with six of the Spanish Buzzards remaining in service at the start of the Spanish Civil War.[SUP][16][/SUP] Following the bankruptcy of Martinsyde, the Aircraft Disposal Company managed to sell eight Jaguar engined versions, the ADC.1 to Latvia, two of these remaining in service until 1938.[SUP][15][/SUP]
Many Martinsydes were sold to civil owners being used as Tourers, racing aircraft and for survey and seal spotting work in Canada.[SUP][17][/SUP]