Saturday, October 17, 2009

Warplane #6-Albatros D.I














Role : Fighter
Manufacturer : Albatros Flugzeugwerke
Designed by : Robert Thelen
Introduced : 1916
Primary user : Germany
Number built : 50

Description :
               The Albatros D.I was a German fighter aircraft used during World War I. Although its operational career was short, it was the first of the Albatros D types which formed the bulk of the German and Austrian fighter squadrons for the last two years of the war.

Development :  
                 The D.I was designed by Robert Thelen, R. Schubert and Gnädig, as an answer to the latest Allied fighters, such as the Nieuport 11 Bébé and the Airco D.H.2, which had proved superior to the Fokker Eindecker and other early German fighters, and established a general Allied air superiority. It was ordered in June 1916 and introduced into squadron service that August.

The D.I used a paneled plywood semi-monocoque fuselage, which was lighter and stronger than the fabric-skinned box-type fuselage then in common use, as well being easier to give an aerodynamically clean shape. On the other hand it was less costly to manufacture than a "full monocoque" fuselage. It was powered by either a 110 kW (150 hp) Benz Bz.III or a 120 kW (160 hp) Mercedes D.III six-cylinder watercooled inline engine. The D.I thus became the most powerful fighter aircraft yet introduced by the Luftstreitkräfte. The additional power enabled twin fixed Spandau machineguns to be fitted without any loss in performance.
The D.I had a relatively high wing loading for its time, and was not particularly manoeuvrable. This was compensated by its superior speed and firepower, and it quickly proved the best all-round fighter available.





Specifications(Albatros D.I)
General characteristics
  • Crew: one pilot
  • Length: 7.40 m (23 ft 3.5 in)
  • Wingspan: 8.50 m (27 ft 11 in)
  • Height: 2.95 m (9 ft 8 in)
  • Wing area: 22.9 m² (247 ft²)
  • Empty weight: 645 kg (1,422 lb)
  • Gross weight: 898 kg (1,809 lb)
Performance :

  •  Maximum speed: 175 km/h (110 mph)
  • Endurance: 1.5 hours
  • Service ceiling: 3,000 m (9,840 ft)
  • Rate of climb: 2.8 m/s (547 ft/min)
 Armament :
  • 2 × forward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) LMG 08/15 machine guns

Operations :
A total of 50 pre-series and series D.I aircraft were in service by November 1916, replacing the early Fokker and Halberstadt D types, giving real "teeth" to the Luftstreitkräfte's new Jagdstaffeln (fighter squadrons). 

When Jasta 6 was re-equipped with the D.I in the fall of 1916, Vizefeldwebel Carl Holler was noticeable impressed:
"Its rate of climb was excellent. Because of its heavy in-line engine, it had a tremendous diving speed which gave us great advantage when attacking the enemy flying below. Now we did not have to wait very long to obtain a few victories. In short order, one after another, two of my comrades obtained a victory."

Despite poor visibility to the front and above, Oswald Boelcke used this plane to achieve 11 victories in 16 days. The Albatros D.I reestablished German air superiority and made the British "pusher" designs obsolete.
Further production of D.Is was not undertaken, however; instead, a reduction in the gap between the top and bottom planes in order to improve the pilot's forward and upward vision resulted in the otherwise identical Albatros D.II, which became Albatros' first major production fighter.

other blogs :

Warplane #5-Fokker Dr.I









 



Role : Fighter
Manufacturer : Fokker-Flugzeugwerke
Designed by : Reinhold Platz
First flight : 5 July 1917
Primary user : Luftstreitkräfte
Number built 320


Description :
                                The Fokker Dr.I Dreidecker (triplane) was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918. It became renowned as the aircraft in which Manfred von Richthofen gained his last 20 victories, and in which he was killed on 21 April 1918.

Development : 
                 In February 1917, the Sopwith Triplane began to appear over the Western Front. The Sopwith swiftly proved itself superior to the Albatros fighters then in use by the Luftstreitkräfte.Fokker-Flugzeugwerke responded by converting an unfinished biplane prototype into the V.4, a small, rotary-powered triplane with a steel tube fuselage and thick cantilever wings, first developed during Fokker's government-mandated collaboration with Hugo Junkers. Initial tests revealed that the V.4 had unacceptably high control forces resulting from the use of unbalanced ailerons and elevators.

Instead of submitting the V.4 for a type test, Fokker produced a revised prototype designated V.5. The most notable changes were the introduction of horn-balanced ailerons and elevators, as well as longer-span wings. The V.5 also featured interplane struts, which were not necessary from a structural standpoint, but which minimized wing flexing. On 14 July 1917, Idflieg issued an order for 20 pre-production aircraft. The V.5 prototype, serial 101/17, was tested to destruction at Adlershof on 11 August 1917.

Markings :
         The typical Dr.1 was painted in a streaky olive-brown camouflage, over the a factory-finish light blue. To this, the Jastas added their distinctive unit markings, typically on the tail and spinner. Jasta 11 triplanes featured red spinner, wheels, struts, and tail. Jasta 2 "Boelcke" painted the spinner and wheels black, with white tails. Jasta 12 featured white spinners and black tails, with the struts left in factory blue, and the fuselage and wheels in olive-brown.
 

















Specifications(Fokker Dr.I)
General characteristics :
  •  Crew: One
  • Length: 5.77 m (18 ft 11 in)
  • Wingspan: 7.20 m (23 ft 7 in)
  • Height: 2.95 m (9 ft 8 in)
  • Wing area: 18.70 m² (201 ft²)
  • Empty weight: 406 kg (895 lb)
  • Loaded weight: 586 kg (1,292 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1× Oberursel Ur.II 9-cylinder rotary engine, 82 kW (110 hp)
  • Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0323
  • Drag area: 0.62 m² (6.69 ft²)
  • Aspect ratio: 4.04
Performance :
  • Maximum speed: 185 km/h (115 mph)
  • Stall speed: 72 km/h (45 mph)
  • Range: 300 km (185 mi)
  • Service ceiling: 6,095 m (20,000 ft)
  • Rate of climb: 5.7 m/s (1,130 ft/min)
  • Lift-to-drag ratio: 8.0
Armament :
  • 2 × 7.92 mm (.312 in) "Spandau" LMG 08/15 machine guns.
Operations :
Fokker produced two pre-production triplanes, designated F.I, which could be distinguished from production Dr.I aircraft by a slight curve to the tailplane leading edge. These aircraft, serials 102/17 and 103/17, were the only machines to receive the F.I designation. They were sent to Jastas 10 and 11 for combat evaluation, arriving at Markebeeke, Belgium on 28 August 1917. Richthofen first flew 102/17 on 1 September 1917 and shot down two enemy aircraft in the next two days. He reported to the Kogenluft (Kommandierender General der Luftstreitkräfte) that the F.I was superior to the Sopwith Triplane. Richthofen recommended that fighter squadrons be reequipped with the new aircraft as soon as possible. The combat evaluation came to an abrupt conclusion when Oberleutnant Kurt Wolff, Staffelführer of Jasta 11, was shot down in 102/17 on 15 September, and Leutnant Werner Voss, Staffelführer of Jasta 10, was killed in 103/17 on 23 September.

The remaining pre-production aircraft, designated Dr.I, were delivered to Jasta 11. Idflieg issued a production order for 100 triplanes in September, followed by an order for 200 in November. These aircraft were identical to the F.I except for the addition of wingtip skids, which proved necessary because the aircraft was tricky to land and prone to ground looping. In October, Fokker began delivering the Dr.I to squadrons within Richthofen's Jagdgeschwader. I.

Compared to the Albatros and Pfalz fighters, the Dr.I offered exceptional maneuverability. Though the ailerons were not very effective, the rudder and elevator controls were light and powerful. Rapid turns, especially to the right, were facilitated by the triplane's marked directional instability. Vizefeldwebel Franz Hemer of Jasta 6 said, "The triplane was my favorite fighting machine because it had such wonderful flying qualities. I could let myself stunt — looping and rolling — and could avoid an enemy by diving with perfect safety. The triplane had to be given up because although it was very maneuverable, it was no longer fast enough."
As Hemer noted, the Dr.I was considerably slower than contemporary Allied fighters in level flight and in a dive. While initial rate of climb was excellent, performance fell off dramatically at higher altitudes due to the low compression of the Oberursel Ur.II, a clone of the Le Rhône 9J rotary engine. As the war continued, chronic shortages of castor oil made rotary operation increasingly difficult. The poor quality of German ersatz lubricant resulted in many engine failures, particularly during the summer of 1918.

The Dr.I suffered other deficiencies. The cockpit was cramped and furnished with materials of inferior quality. View from the cockpit was poor during takeoff and landing. Furthermore, the proximity of the gun butts to the cockpit, combined with inadequate crash padding, left the pilot vulnerable to serious head injury in the event of a crash landing.

Wing Failures : 
           On 29 October 1917, Leutnant der Reserve Heinrich Gontermann, Staffelführer of Jasta 15, was performing aerobatics when his triplane broke up. Gontermann was fatally injured in the ensuing crash landing. Leutnant der Reserve Günther Pastor of Jasta 11 was killed two days later when his triplane broke up in level flight. Inspection of the wrecked aircraft showed that the wings had been poorly constructed. Examination of other high-time Dr.Is confirmed these findings. On 2 November, Idflieg grounded all remaining triplanes pending an inquiry. Idflieg convened a Sturzkommission (crash commission) which concluded that poor construction and lack of waterproofing had allowed moisture to destroy the wing. This caused the wing ribs to disintegrate and the ailerons to break away in flight.

In response to the crash investigation, Fokker improved quality control on the production line, particularly varnishing of the wing spars and ribs, to combat moisture. Fokker also strengthened the rib structures and the attachment of the auxiliary spars to the ribs. Existing triplanes were modified at Fokker's expense. After testing a modified wing at Adlershof, Idflieg authorized the triplane's return to service on 28 November 1917. Production resumed in early December. By January 1918, Jastas 6 and 11 were fully equipped with the triplane. Only 14 squadrons used the Dr.I as their primary equipment. Most of these units were part of Jagdgeschwadern I, II, or III. Frontline inventory peaked in late April 1918, with 171 aircraft in service on the Western Front.
Despite corrective measures, the Dr.I continued to suffer from wing failures. On 3 February 1918, Leutnant Hans Joachim Wolff of Jasta 11 successfully landed after suffering a failure of the upper wing leading edge and ribs. On 18 March 1918, Lothar von Richthofen, Staffelführer of Jasta 11, suffered a failure of the upper wing leading edge during combat with Sopwith Camels of No. 73 Squadron and Bristol F.2Bs of No. 62 Squadron. Richthofen was seriously injured in the ensuing crash landing.

Postwar research revealed that poor workmanship was not the only cause of the triplane's structural failures. In 1929, National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) investigations found that the upper wing carried a higher lift coefficient than the lower wing — at high speeds it could be 2.55 times as much.
The triplane's chronic structural problems destroyed any prospect of large-scale orders. Production eventually ended in May 1918, by which time only 320 had been manufactured. The Dr.I was withdrawn from frontline service as the Fokker D.VII entered widespread service in June and July. Jasta 19 was the last squadron to be fully equipped with the Dr.I.
Surviving triplanes were distributed to training and home defense units. Several training aircraft were reengined with the 75 kW (100 hp) Goebel Goe.II. At the time of the Armistice, many remaining triplanes were assigned to fighter training schools at Nivelles, Belgium, and Valenciennes, France. Allied pilots tested several of these triplanes and found their handling qualities to be impressive.

Survivors :
         Very few triplanes survived the Armistice. Serial 528/17 was retained as a testbed by the Deutschen Versuchsanstalt für Luftfahrt (German Aviation Research Institute) at Adlershof. After being used in the filming of two movies, 528/17 is believed to have crashed sometime in the late 1930s. Serial 152/17, in which Manfred von Richthofen obtained three victories, was displayed at the Zeughaus museum in Berlin. The triplane was destroyed by an Allied bombing raid during World War II. Today, only a few original Dr.I artifacts survive in museums.
Replicas :     

While no Dr.I airframes survive, large numbers of flying and static reproductions have been built. In 1932, Fokker built a replica Dr.I from the spare parts of various aircraft. The replica appeared in the 1939 movie D III 88. Bitz Flugzeugbau GmbH built two Dr.I replicas for use in Twentieth Century Fox’s 1966 movie The Blue Max.
Today, the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre in Blenheim, New Zealand, maintains four flyable aircraft, while the Great War Flying Museum in Brampton, Ontario operates two more. Two well-known examples are displayed at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome in Rhinebeck, New York. Due to the expense and scarcity of authentic rotary engines, most airworthy reproductions are powered by a Warner Scarab, Continental R-670, Siemens-Halske Sh 14, or a similar radial engine. A few reproductions, however, feature vintage Le Rhône 9 engines.
  
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Sunday, October 11, 2009

Warplane #4-S.E.5a

















Role :  Single-Seat Fighter
Designed by : Henry Folland/J.Kenworthy/Major F.W.Goodden
First Flight : 22 November 1916
Introduced : March 1917
Primary Users : Royal Flying corps
                              United States Army Air Service
                               Royal Canadian Airforce
Number Built : 5,205

Description :
                  The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 was a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. Although the first examples reached the Western Front before the Sopwith Camel, and it had a much better overall performance, problems with its Hispano-Suiza engine meant that there was a chronic shortage of S.E.5s until well into 1918 and fewer squadrons were equipped with the type than with the Sopwith fighter. Together with the Camel, the S.E.5 was instrumental in regaining allied air superiority in the summer of 1917 - and maintaining this for the rest of the war - ensuring there was no repetition of "Bloody April" 1917, when losses in the Royal Flying Corps were much heavier than in the Luftstreitkräfte.

 Development :                                

                          The S.E.5 (Scout Experimental 5) was designed by Henry P. Folland, J. Kenworthy and Major F.W. Goodden of the Royal Aircraft Factory, in Farnborough. It was built around the new 150 hp (112 kW) Hispano-Suiza 8a V8 engine which, while it provided excellent performance, was initially under-developed and unreliable. The first of three prototypes flew on 22 November 1916. The first two prototypes were lost in crashes (the first killing one of its designers, Major F.W. Goodden, on 28 January 1917) due to a weakness in their wing design. The third prototype underwent modification before production commenced - the S.E.5 was known in service as an exceptionally strong aircraft which could be dived at very high speed, so these changes were certainly effective.

Like the other significant Royal Aircraft Factory aircraft of the war (B.E.2, F.E.2 and R.E.8) the S.E.5 was inherently stable, making it an excellent gunnery platform, but it was also quite manoeverable. It was one of the fastest aircraft of the war, at 138 mph (222 km/h) equal at least in speed to the SPAD S.XIII, and faster than any standard German type of the period. The S.E.5 was not as effective in a dog fight as the Camel, as it was less agile, but it was easier and safer to fly, particularly for novice pilots.

The S.E.5 had only one synchronised .303-in Vickers machine gun to the Camel's two. However it did have a wing-mounted Lewis gun on a Foster mounting, which enabled the pilot to fire at an enemy aircraft from below, as well as forward. This was much appreciated by the pilots of the first S.E.5 squadrons, as the new "C.C." synchronising gear for the Vickers was unreliable at first. The Vickers gun was mounted on the left side of the fuselage with the breech inside the cockpit. The cockpit was set amidships, making it difficult to see over the long front fuselage, but otherwise visibility was good. Perhaps its greatest advantage over the Camel was its superior performance at altitude - so that (unlike most Allied fighters) it was not outclassed by the Fokker D.VII when that fighter arrived at the front.

S.E.5a

Only 77 original S.E.5 aircraft were built before production settled on the improved S.E.5a. The S.E.5a differed from late production examples of the S.E.5 only in the type of engine installed - a geared 200 hp Hispano-Suiza 8b, often turning a large clockwise-rotation four bladed propeller, replacing the 150 hp model. In total 5,265 S.E.5s were built by six manufacturers: Austin Motors (1,650), Air Navigation and Engineering Company (560), Curtiss (1), Martinsyde (258), the Royal Aircraft Factory (200), Vickers (2,164) and Wolseley Motor Company (431).

A few were converted as two-seat trainers and there were plans for Curtiss to build 1,000 S.E.5s in the United States but only one was completed before the end of the war. At first, airframe construction outstripped the very limited supply of French-built Hispano-Suiza engines, and squadrons earmarked to receive the new fighter had to soldier on with Airco DH 5s and Nieuport 24s until early 1918.

The introduction of the 200 hp (149 kW) Wolseley Viper, a high-compression version of the Hispano-Suiza made under licence by the Wolseley Motor Company, resolved the S.E.5a's engine problems, and was adopted as the standard powerplant.
About 38 of the Austin-built S.E.5as were assigned to the American Expeditionary Force with the 25th Aero Squadron getting its aircraft, mostly armed only with the fuselage-mounted Vickers gun, at the very end of the war.


















Specifications(S.E.5a)

General characteristics : 
  • Crew: One
  • Length: 20 ft 11 in (6.38 m)
  • Wingspan: 26 ft 7 in (8.11 m)
  • Height: 9 ft 6 in (2.89 m)
  • Wing area: 444 ft² (22.67 m²)
  • Empty weight: 1,410 lb (639 kg)
  • Loaded weight: 1,935 lb (880 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 1,988 lb (902 kg)
Performance :
  • Maximum speed: 138 mph (222 km/h)
  • Range: 300 miles (483 km)
  • Service ceiling: 17,000 ft (5,185 m)
  • Wing loading: lb/ft² (kg/m²)
Armament :
  • 1x 0.303 in (7.7 mm) forward-firing Vickers machine gun with Constantinesco interrupter gear
  • 1x .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun on Foster mounting on upper wing
  • 4x 18kg Cooper bombs, two under each lower wing, to be dropped in 2, 3, 4, 1 order.
Operations :
                           
The S.E.5 entered service with No. 56 Squadron RFC in March 1917 although the squadron did not deploy to the Western Front until the following month, among other reasons so that the very large "greenhouse" windscreens, unpopular with pilots, could be replaced with small rectangular screens of conventional design. The squadron flew its first patrol with the S.E.5 on 22 April. While pilots, some of whom were initially disappointed with the S.E.5, quickly came to appreciate its strength and fine flying qualities, it was universally held to be under-powered, and the more powerful S.E.5a began to replace the S.E.5 in June. At this time 56 squadron was still the only unit flying the new fighter; in fact it was the only operational unit to use the initial 150 hp S.E.5 - all other S.E.5 squadrons used the 200 hp S.E.5a from the outset.

In spite of the initial very slow build up of new S.E.5a squadrons, due to a shortage of the type that lasted well into 1918, by the end of the war the type equipped 21 British Empire squadrons as well as two U.S. squadrons. Many of the top Allied aces flew this fighter, including Billy Bishop, Cecil Lewis, Edward Mannock and James McCudden. Legendary British ace Albert Ball was initially disparaging of the S.E.5 but in the end claimed 17 of his 44 victories flying it. McCudden wrote of the S.E.5 "It was very fine to be in a machine that was faster than the Huns, and to know that one could run away just as things got too hot."
Sholto Douglas, who commanded No. 84 Squadron RFC which was initially equipped with the S.E.5a, listed the type's qualities as:
  • Comfortable, with a good all-round view.
  • Retaining its performance and manoeuvrability at high level
  • Steady and quick to gather speed in the dive.
  • Capable of a very fine zoom.
  • Useful in both offence and defence.
  • Strong in design and construction.
  • Possessing a reliable engine.
Survivors :
                         
An original flying S.E.5a may be seen in the Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden, England, UK. This aircraft was originally serial F904 of No. 84 Squadron RAF, then flew as G-EBIA from September 1923 to February 1932. It was restored and passed to the Shuttleworth Collection. Re-registered as G-EBIA, it was first painted as D7000, then as F904.
Another four original airframes are statically displayed at: the Science Museum, London, UK; Royal Air Force Museum, London, UK; South African National Museum of Military History, Johannesburg, South Africa; and the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, Australia.

Three very faithful reproductions (designated Se.5a-1) were built by The Vintage Aviator Limited in New Zealand, and these fly from Hood Aerodrome, Masterton. Another SE5a project was started in the UK in the 1980s by John Tetley and "Bill" Sneesby. The machine, built using original plans, was transferred to The Memorial Flight, (based at La Ferte Alais, in France) to be completed and flown. Some parts are original, such as the engine, instruments and fuel tank, and the machine is painted in the colours of Lt. H. J. 'Hank' Burden of 56 Squadron as of April 1918.
 

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Warplane #3-Sopwith Camel


















Role : Biplane Fighter
Manufacturer : Sopwith Aviation company
First Flight : 22 December 1916
Introduction : June 1917
Primary Users : RFC(RAF)
                         RNAS,AAF
Number Built : 5,490

Description : 
                   The Sopwith Camel was a British World War I single-seat fighter biplane introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It had a combination of a short-coupled fuselage, heavy, powerful rotary engine and concentrated fire from twin synchronized machine guns. The Camel was credited with shooting down 1,294 enemy aircraft, more than any other Allied fighter in the First World War. But it had wicked torque and killed a lot of novice British pilots.

Development :  
                      Intended as a replacement for the Sopwith Pup, the Camel prototype first flew on 22 December 1916, powered by a 110 hp Clerget 9Z. Known as the "Big Pup" early on in its development, the biplane design was evolutionary more than revolutionary, featuring a box-like fuselage structure, the design also used a aluminium engine cowling, plywood-covered panels around the cockpit, and fabric-covered fuselage, wings and tail. The two .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine guns mounted directly in front of the cockpit, fired forward through the propeller disc with the fairing over the gun breeches creating a "hump" that led to the name Camel. The bottom wing had dihedral but not the top, so that the gap between the wings was less at the tips than at the roots. Approximately 5,490 units were ultimately produced.
 

Unlike the preceding Pup and Triplane, the Camel was not considered pleasant to fly. The Camel owed both its extreme manoeuvrability and its difficult handling characteristics to grouping the engine, pilot, guns and fuel tank within the first seven feet of the aircraft, coupled with the strong gyroscopic effect of the rotary engine. The Camel soon gained an unfortunate reputation with student pilots. The Clerget engine was particularly sensitive to fuel mixture control, and incorrect settings often caused the engine to choke and cut out during takeoff. Many crashed due to mishandling on takeoff when a full fuel tank affected the center of gravity. In level flight, the Camel was markedly tail-heavy. Unlike the Triplane, the Camel lacked a variable incidence tailplane, so that the pilot had to apply constant forward pressure on the control stick to maintain a level attitude at low altitude. However the machine could also be rigged in such a way that at higher altitudes it could be flown "hands off." A stall immediately resulted in a spin and the Camel was particularly noted for its vicious spinning characteristics.




Specifications(F1.Camel)

General Characteristics : 
  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 18 ft 9 in (5.71 m)
  • Wingspan: 26 ft 11 in (8.53 m)
  • Height: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
  • Wing area: 231 ft² (21.46 m²)
  • Empty weight: 930 lb (420 kg)
  • Loaded weight: 1,455 lb (660 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1× Clerget 9B 9-cylinder Rotary engine, 130 hp (97 kW)
  • Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0378
  • Drag area: 8.73 ft² (0.81 m²)
  • Aspect ratio: 4.11
Performance : 
  • Maximum speed: 115 mph (185 km/h)
  • Stall speed: 48 mph (77 km/h)
  • Range: 300 mi ferry (485 km)
  • Service ceiling: 21,000 ft (6,400 m)
  • Rate of climb: 1,085 ft/min (5.5 m/s)
  • Wing loading: 6.3 lb/ft² (30.8 kg/m²)
  • Power/mass: 0.09 hp/lb (150 W/kg)
  • Lift-to-drag ratio: 7.7
Armament :
  • Guns: 2× 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine guns

 Operations :
                              
                         The type entered squadron service in June 1917 with No. 4 Squadron of the Royal Naval Air Service, near Dunkirk. The following month, it became operational with No. 70 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. By February 1918, 13 squadrons were fully equipped with the Camel.


The Camel proved to be a superlative fighter, and offered heavier armament and better performance than the Pup and Triplane. In the hands of an experienced pilot, its manoeuvrability was unmatched by any contemporary type. Its controls were light and sensitive. The Camel turned rather slowly to the left which resulted in a nose up attitude due to the torque of the rotary engine. But the engine torque also resulted in the ability to turn to the right in half the time of other fighters, although that resulted in more of a tendency towards a nose down attitude from the turn. Because of the faster turning capability to the right, to change heading 90° to the left, many pilots preferred to do it by turning 270° to the right. Agility in combat made the Camel one of the best-remembered Allied aircraft of the First World War. It was said to offer a choice between a "wooden cross, red cross and Victoria Cross." Together with the S.E.5a, the Camel helped to wrest aerial superiority away from the German Albatros fighters.

Major William Barker's Sopwith Camel (serial no. B6313, the aircraft in which the majority of his victories were scored,) became the most successful fighter aircraft in the history of the RAF, shooting down 46 aircraft and balloons from September 1917 to September 1918 in 404 operational hours flying. It was dismantled in October 1918. Barker kept the clock as a memento, but was asked to return it the following day.
By mid-1918 the Camel was becoming limited by its slow speed and comparatively poor performance at altitudes over 12,000 ft (3,650 m). However, it was then used as a ground-attack and infantry support aircraft. During the German offensive of March 1918, flights of Camels harassed the advancing German Army, inflicting high losses (and suffering high losses in turn) through the dropping of 25lb (11 kg) Cooper bombs and ultra-low-level strafing. The protracted development of the Camel's replacement, the Sopwith Snipe, meant that the Camel remained in service until the Armistice.
In summer 1918 a 2F.1 Camel (N6814) was used in trials as a parasite fighter under Airship R23.


Surviviors :


                    There are only seven authentic Sopwith Camels left in the world.
  • One is in the Aerospace Education Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. 
  • One, restored to near-flying condition, is at the Brussels Air Museum Restoration Society (BAMRS) in Brussels, Belgium.
  • A model F.1 (s/n B 7280) can be found at the Polish Aviation Museum. This Camel first flew in Royal Naval Air Service and then in the Royal Flying Corps. Two pilots who flew this aircraft shot down 11 German planes in total.
  • N6812, a William & Beardmore built 2F1 Camel, was flown by Flight Sub Lieutenant Stuart Culley on 11 August 1918 when he shot down Zeppelin L 53, it is on display at the Imperial War Museum in London.
  • N8156 (RAF) is currently on display at the Canadian Aviation Museum. Manufactured in 1918 by Hooper and Company Ltd., Great Britain, it was purchased by the RCAF in 1924 and last flew in 1967. It is currently on static display. 
  • A Boulton & Paul built F1 F6314 is on display at the Milestone of Flight exhibition at the Royal Air Force Museum, London. Painted to represent an aircraft coded B of No. 65 Squadron RAF.
Replicas :

  • A replica Sopwith F.1 Camel is on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. This aircraft was built by Air Force Museum personnel from original WWI factory drawings and was completed in 1974. It is painted and marked as the Camel flown by Lt. George A. Vaughn Jr. while flying with the 17th Aero Squadron.
  • A replica is currently under construction by the Northern Aeroplane Workshops for the Shuttleworth Collection, and another is under construction at the Great War Flying Museum.
  • In 1969 Slingsby built a flyable Type T.57 Sopwith Camel Replica powered by a 145hp Warner Scarab engine for use in a Biggles film. This aircraft is now on display at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton painted as B6401.
  • Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome flies a reproduction that was completed in 1992 with a Le Rhone rotary.

Warplane #2-Avro 504















Role : Trainer,Fighter,Bomber
Manufacturer : Avro
First Flight : 18th september 1913
Introduced : 1913
Retired : 1934
Primary users : Royal Flying Corps
                                Royal Naval Air Service
Produced : 1913 - 1932
Number Built : 8970

Description :

         The Avro 504 was a World War I biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the War totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind that served in World War I, in any military capacity, during that conflict. Over 10,000 would be built from 1913 to the time production ended in 1932.

Development : 

       Produced by Alliott Verdon Roe, Britain's great pioneering aircraft designer, the Avro 504 trained nearly every British pilot in the Great War; over 8,000 were built. Especially suitable for the purpose of training pilots, it was the standard training machine of the Royal Air Force.  The plane's diagnostic feature is the the big wing skid, hanging down between the wheels; it served to protect the prop if landing with the tail too high.


      Roe began building planes in 1906, he became the first Englishman to fly, at Brooklands in July 1908. 


      After considerable experimentation with biplanes and triplanes, Roe produced the E500 biplane in 1912 that met with War Department approval; 12 were ordered within a year. The Avro 504 developed directly from the E500 machine. It moved rapidly into production, first flying in July, 1913. A graceful, two-seater biplane, it's equal-span wings balanced the fuselage, whose box-girder body blended into to the circular housing for the 80 HP Gnome rotary engine. The 504 took fourth place in the Second Aerial Derby on September 20, flying at 66.5 MPH.
As war loomed in 1914, the War Department ordered twelve Avro 504s and even more after hostilities started. A 504 achieved the unenviable distinction of being the first English aircraft shot down in combat, when Lt. V. Waterfall of No. 5 Squadron, flying an Avro 504 over Belgium went down under infantry fire.

 

Specifications(Avro 504)

General Characteristics :
  • Crew: 2
  • Length: 29 ft 5 in (8.97 m)
  • Wingspan: 36 ft (10.97 m)
  • Height: 10 ft 5 in (3.17 m)
  • Wing area: 330 ft² (30.7 m²)
  • Empty weight: 1,231 lb (558 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 1,829 lb (830 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1× Le Rhône Rotary, 110 hp (82 kW)
Performance :
  • Maximum speed: 90 mph (145 km/h)
  • Cruise speed: 75 mph (126 km/h)
  • Range: 250 mi (402 km)
  • Service ceiling: 16,000 ft (4,875 m)
  • Rate of climb: 700 ft/min (3.6 m/s)
  • Wing loading: 5.54 lb/ft² (18.2 kg/m²)
  • Power/mass: 0.06 hp/lb (0.099 kW/kg)
  • Climb to 3,500 ft (1,065 m) in 5 min

Operations :

     
      Small numbers of early aircraft were purchased both by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) prior to the start of World War I, and were taken to France when the war started. One of the RFC aircraft was the first British aircraft to be shot down by the Germans, on 22 August 1914. The RNAS used four 504s to form a special flight in order to bomb the Zeppelin works at Friedrichshafen on the shores of Lake Constance. Three set out from Belfort in north-eastern France on 21 November 1914, carrying four 20 lb (9 kg) bombs each. While one aircraft was shot down, the raid was successful, with several direct hits on the airship sheds and destroying the hydrogen plant.

Soon obsolete as a front-line aircraft, it came into its own as a trainer, with thousands being built in the war, with major production types being the 504J and the mass production 504K, which was designed with modified engine bearers to accommodate a range of engines, in order to cope with engine shortages. 8,340 Avro 504s had been produced by the end of 1918.
       
In the winter of 1917-18, it was decided to use converted 504Js and 504Ks to equip Home Defence squadrons of the RFC, replacing ageing B.E.2cs, which had poor altitude performance. These aircraft were modified as single-seaters, armed with a Lewis gun above the wing on a Foster mounting, and powered by 100 hp (75 kW) Gnome or 110 hp (80 kW) Le Rhône engines. 274 converted Avro 504Js and Ks were issued to eight home defence squadrons in 1918, with 226 still being used as fighters at the end of World War I.

Following the end of the war, while the type continued in service as the standard trainer of the RAF, large numbers of surplus aircraft were available for sale, both for civil and military use. More than 300 504Ks were placed on the civil register in Britain. Being used for training, pleasure flying and banner towing, civil 504s continued flying in large numbers until well into the 1930s.
Although Avro 504s sold to China were training versions, they participated in battles among warlords by acting as bombers with pilot dropping hand grenades and modified mortar shells.

The improved, redesigned and radial engined 504N was produced by Avro in 1925. After evaluation of two prototypes powered by Bristol Lucifer and Armstrong-Siddeley Lynx engines respectively, the Lynx powered aircraft was selected by the RAF to replace the 504K. 592 were built between 1925 and 1932, equipping the RAF's five flying training schools, while also being used as communication aircraft. The 504N was also exported to the militaries of Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Denmark, Greece, Thailand and South Africa, with licenced production taking place in Denmark, Belgium, Canada and Japan.             
The 504N was finally replaced in 1933 by the Avro Tutor in RAF service, with small numbers continuing in civilian use until 1940, when seven were impressed into RAF service, where they were used for target- and glider-towing.

The 504 was the first airplane to strafe troops on the ground as well as the first to make a bombing raid over Germany. It was also the first Allied airplane to be downed by enemy anti-aircraft fire and was Billy Bishop's first army aircraft.
The 504 is easily recognisable because of the single skid between the wheels.

The Friedrichshafen Raid
    Avro 504 biplanes participated in a more successful event on Nov. 21, 1914 when Sqn. Cdr. E.F. Briggs, Flt Lt. S.V. Sippe, and Flt. Cdr J.T. Babbington led some RNAS machines on a bombing raid on the Zeppelin sheds at Lake Constance.  At 09:30 AM, three brand-new, untested Manchester-built machines, flown by Briggs (in a/c number 874), Babington (873) and Sippé (875), took off from Belfort, France.  Avro 504 piloted by Flt Sub-Lt R P Cannon broke its tailskid and was forced to abort. Flying around neutral Switzerland, the three machines flew over Lake Constance to Friedrichshafen, a distance of 125 miles, and caught the Germans completely unawares, dropping 20-lb pounds. 
 
I imagine the "guy in back" tossing them over the side like deadly grapefruits. It was a sensational raid, although the Germans were secretive about the damage they suffered. Briggs was shot down when flying low over the sheds; he was taken prisoner and managed to escape two year later. His companions completed the round trip in about four hours. All three pilots were awarded the Distinguished Service Order, Gazetted on 1 January 1915.
Like the story of any aircraft, the story of the Avro 504 is the story of its development through many letter-denoted variants: 504A through 504R. (The plain "504" signified the 1914 protoype and first production version.)  The 504K was the main production version, with thousands built.



Warplane #1-Ansaldo SVA


Role: Reconnaissance aircraft
Manufacturer: Gio. Ansaldo & C.  
Designed by:  Umberto Savoia and Rodolfo Verduzio
First Flight: 1917
Number Built: 1,245


Description:                      
                  The Ansaldo SVA (named for Savoia-Verduzio-Ansaldo) was a family of Italian reconnaissancebiplane aircraft of World War I and the decade after. Originally conceived as a fighter, the SVA was found inadequate for that role. Nevertheless, its impressive speed, range and operational ceiling, with its top speed making it one of the fastest (if not the fastest) of all Allied combat aircraft in World War I, gave it the right properties to be an excellent reconnaissance aircraft and even light bomber. Production of the aircraft continued well after the war, with the final examples delivered in 1928. Two minor variants were produced, one with reconnaissance cameras, the other without cameras but extra fuel tanks.

            The SVA was a conventionally-laid out unequal-span biplane, featuring Warren Truss-style struts, and therefore having no transverse (spanwise) bracing wires. The plywood-skinned fuselage had the typical Ansaldo triangular rear cross-section behind the cockpit, transitioning to a rectangular cross section going forwards through the rear cockpit area, with a full rectangular cross section forward of the cockpit.





Specifications(SVA.5)

General characteristics :
  • Crew: one pilot
  • Length: 8.10 m (26 ft 7 in)
  • Wingspan: 9.10 m (29 ft 10 in)
  • Height: 2.65 m (8 ft 8 in)
  • Wing area: 24.2 m² (260 ft²)
  • Empty weight: 680 kg (1,500 lb)
  • Gross weight: 1,050 kg (2,320 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × SPA 6A, 150 kW (200 hp)
Performance :
  • Maximum speed: 230 km/h (140 mph)
  • Endurance: 3 hours
  • Service ceiling: 6,000 m (19,700 ft)
  • Rate of climb: 5 m/s (980 ft/min)
Armament :
  • 2 × syncrhonised .303 Vickers machine gun
  • up to 90 kg (200 lb) of bombs

 Development:
            Early Italian biplanes, such as the Savola-Pomillo, were unsuccessful. In 1916, designers Umberto Savola,  Rodolfo Verduzio, and Celestino Rosatelli started from scratch, and laid out a new aircraft. Societa Ansaldo of Genoa and Turin, "Ansaldo," got the contract to build the planes and started in the prototype in December, 1916. After modifications to the radiator and the tail, the Ansaldo's workers at the Borzoli Mare factory, under director Brezzi, finished the first machine in March, 1917.

          Sgt. Mario Stoppani must have been a brave man, for on March 19, 1917, he test-flew the prototype SVA at Grosseto. Without modern testing and development procedures and simulations, he must have simply started up the engine, taxied down the field, and took off, hoping for the best. Presumably his first flight was a short one, and in months that followed, more flights identified defects, even while the Ansaldo plants at  Borzoli and Bolzaneto delivered more planes. In 1917, pilots in fighter training schools and the front line found the SVA to have poor maneuverability, but faster than other biplanes like the Hanriot HD.1 and SPAD VII pursuit planes. Thus, in early 1918 it was decided to use the SVA on reconnaissance and bombing missions, but not as a dogfighter. With plenty of lift (for extra fuel) and the speed to evade Austrian fighters, the SVA was well-suited to long-distance observation work. 





Operations :

             On February 28, 1918, four SVAs from the Italian Prima Sezione (First Section) took off from Ponter San Pietro. They included three airplanes carrying two 25-kg (55-1b) bombs each and one equipped with aerial cameras. Pilots Capts. Palli and Palma di Cesnola, Lieut. Orsini and Sgt. Arrigoni flew 250-km (155-miles) over the Alps, reaching Innsbruck, where they dropped their bombs and shot up the train yards. After three hours' flight they were back at their base.

             A dedicated aerial reconnnaissance unit, the Venice-based 87a Squadriglia, 'La Serenissima,'  displaying the Lion of St. Mark on its SVA's, was established in early 1918. This squadron undertook many other long flights  along Alpine valleys: Val di Non, Val d'Adige, Passo della Mendola and Valsugana. On May 21, 1918, Two SVAs piloted by Arturo Ferrarin and Antonio Locatelli  flew to the German Zeppelin base at Friedrichshafen on Lake Constance, photographed the hangars and returned safely to their base, a distance of 440 miles. In the next month, Locatelli made a 562-mile round trip to Zagreb.

             The most famous SVA raid took place in August, when eight S.V.A.s flew to Vienna and back, a journey of 625 miles. The raid was the brainchild of Gabriele d'Annunzio, a rather extravagant, self-styled warrior-poet. Originally, d'Annunzio favored three-engine Caproni heavy bombers, but the Italian high command was unwilling to risk the large aircraft on such a Quixotic misson. SVA two-seaters, another possibility, did not have the endurance for a seven hour flight. But the one-seater SVA 5's did have the range and d'Annunzio organized the raid around them. One two-seater SVA 9, was fitted with an extra 66-gallon fuel tank.  Eleven modified SVAs took off from San Pelagio early on August 9, 1918. Eight airplanes, piloted by Palli (with d'Annunzio in back), Locatelli, Massoni, Allegri, Censi, Sarti, Granzarolo and Finzi, made it to Vienna. Sarti was forced to make an emergency landing in enemy territory, while the others went on to take reconnaissance photographs of Vienna and to toss out propaganda leaflets which d'Annunzio had written in his customary high-flown prose.

            On the morning of the 9th, at 5:50, from the airfield at Saint Pelagio (Treviso) eleven machines took off: a two-seater with the pilot Captain Palli and Gabriel d' Annunzio, and ten single-seaters, with Locatelli, Allegros, Censi, Finzi, Massone, Granzarolo, Sarti, Ferrarin, Masprone and Contratti. Ferrarin, Masprone and Contratti had to land soon after take-off.
Sarti was forced to land in enemy country, near Wiener-Neustadt. The other seven reached on Vienna at 9:20 and dropped 50,000 pamphlets, written by d'Annunzio himself:




           On this August morning, the fourth year of your hopeless convulsion has ended and the luminous year of our full power begins. The Italian tricolour appears to you suddenly as an indication that destiny has turned.

          Destiny is turned. It is turned toward us with one iron certainty. Late is the hour that Germany  drags you down, humiliates you and infects you. ... As our faith was strong, here our aviation predominates and predominates until to the end. The victors of the Piave, the victors of the Marl, feel it and know it, with a spirit that multiplies the suddenness of our strike. But, if suddenness were not enough, the number would be enough; and this said for those who are used to fight ten against one.The Atlantic e' one via that gia' it is closed; and  one heroic way, as they demonstrate the newest pursuers that have colored the Ourcq with German blood.

 
         On the wind of victory that rises from the rivers of liberty, we have not come, if not for the joy of the boldness. We have not come if not for the contest that we will dare when we want, in the hour that we choose.The rumble of the young Italian wing not somiglia to that one of the funeral bronze, in the sky early riser.
 However lieta the audacity suspends between Santo Stefano and Graben the irrevocable sentence, Viennese.
Viva Italia!

Gabriel d' Annunzio