Tag: Biggin Hill

SOPWITH CAMEL F1 The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company (Kingston upon Thames). It was called a Camel because of the hump-shaped protective covering over its machine guns. It became one of the best known fighter aircraft of the Great War. The Camel was powered by a single rotary engine and was armed with twin synchronized Vickers machine guns. Though proving difficult to handle, it provided for…

SOPWITH 1 1⁄2 STRUTTER The Sopwith 1 1⁄2 Strutter was a British single- or two-seat multi-role biplane aircraft of the First World War. It was significant as the first British two-seat tractor fighter and the first British aircraft to enter service with a synchronised machine gun. It was given the name 1 1⁄2 Strutter because of the long and short cabane struts that supported the top wing. Like other early Sopwith types, the 1 1⁄2 Strutter was very lightly built and its structure did not stand up very well to…

Royal Aircraft Factory BE12, 12a & 12b The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12 was a British single-seat aeroplane of The First World War designed at the Royal Aircraft Factory. It was essentially a single-seat version of the B.E.2. The B.E.12 was pressed into service as a fighter, in which role it proved disastrously inadequate, mainly due to its very poor manoeuvrability. The B.E.12 was essentially a B.E.2c with the front (observer’s) cockpit replaced by a large fuel tank, powered by the new 150 hp RAF 4a air cooled V12 engine. The…

Royal Aircraft Factory BE2 (Many variants inc. BE 2c and BE 2e) The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 was a British single-engine tractor two-seat biplane designed and developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory. Most production aircraft were constructed under contract by various private companies, both established aircraft manufacturers and firms that had not previously built aircraft. Around 3,500 were manufactured in all. The Designation B.E = Blériot Experimental (Tractor or propeller-first layout). Early versions of the B.E.2 entered squadron service with the Royal Flying Corps in 1912; the type continued to…

Royal Aircraft Factory RE7 The Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.7 was a British two-seat light bomber and reconnaissance biplane designed by the Royal Aircraft Factory and built under contracts for the Royal Flying Corps. The designation R.E. = Reconnaissance Experimental (two-seat machines) The R.E.7 was designed to carry heavy loads and also suitable for escort and reconnaissance duties. It was an-unequal span biplane with a fixed tailskid landing gear and powered by a nose-mounted 120 hp Beardmore engine driving a four-bladed propeller. The aircraft was built by a number of different…