Martinsyde G.100 “Elephant” The Martinsyde G.100 “Elephant” and the G.102 were British fighter bomber aircraft of the First World War built by Martinsyde. The type gained the name “Elephant” from its relatively large size and lack of manoeuvrability. The G.102 differed from the G.100 only in having a more powerful engine. An unusually large aircraft by contemporary standards for a single-seater, the Elephant two-bay equal span staggered biplane was designed by A A Fletcher of the Martinsyde Company, a prototype powered by a 120 hp Austro-Daimler engine entering test in…
Tag: WW1
Bristol Scout
Bristol Scout The Bristol Scout was a single-seat rotary-engined biplane originally designed as a racing aircraft. Like similar fast, light aircraft of the period it was used by the RNAS and the RFC as a “scout”, or fast reconnaissance type. It was one of the first single-seaters to be used as a fighter aircraft, although it was not possible to fit it with an effective forward-firing armament until the first British-designed gun synchronizers became available later in 1916, by which time the Scout was obsolescent. Single-seat fighters continued to be…
Airco DH.4
Airco DH.4 The Airco DH.4 was a British two-seat biplane day bomber of the First World War. It was designed by Geoffrey de Havilland (hence “DH”) for Airco, and was the first British two-seat light day-bomber to have an effective defensive armament. The DH.4 was developed as a light two-seat combat aircraft, intended to perform both aerial reconnaissance and day bomber missions. One of the early aims of the design was for it to be powered by the newly-developed Beardmore Halford Pullinger (BHP) engine, capable of generating up to 160…
AIRCO DH.2
Airco DH.2 The Airco DH.2 was a single-seat biplane “pusher” aircraft which operated as a fighter during the First World War. It was the second pusher design by aeronautical engineer Geoffrey de Havilland for Airco, based on his earlier DH.1 two-seater. The design of DH.2 was greatly influenced by the technologies available at the time, as the Britain had not yet developed a synchronisation gear to match the German system, this had compelled British fighters to adopt the pushed configuration, such as the DH.2 and the F.E.2b. Development of the…
Avro 504
Avro 504 The Avro 504 was a First World War 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 the First World War, in any military capacity, during that conflict. Small numbers of early aircraft were purchased by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) prior to the start of the First World War, and were taken to…
Aircraft Project – Week 6
Selection of WW1 Heavy Bombers from all Nations World War I Heavy Bombers The first heavy bomber was designed as an airliner. The Russian aircraft designer, Igor Sikorsky designed the Sikorsky Ilya Muromets to fly between his birthplace 9poland) and his new home (St Petersburg). It did so briefly until August 1914, when the Russo-Balt wagon factory converted to a bomber version, with British Sunbeam Crusader V8 engines. By December 1914 a squadron of 10 was bombing German positions on the Eastern Front and by summer 1916 there were twenty.…
Private AG Sales
Killed in Action Private A.G. Sales, of the 3rd Monmouth, who enlisted on August 30th, 1914, went to the Front on May 11th 1915, and in the engagement at Ypres was badly wounded, sustaining fractured ribs. After being treated in hospital in France, he was sent to Herne Bay, and on becoming convalescent was at his home in Dartford in June for a fortnight’s furlough. He returned to France in August, 1915, and met his death on December 29th, being killed by a shell. His widow, who lives at 6…
Lloyd 40.08 Luftkreuzer (Sky Cruiser)
Lloyd L 1/11 or 40.08 – Austro-Hungarian The Lloyd 40.08 Luftkreuzer (Sky Cruiser) was a three engine triplane bomber type built during World War I. The design was proven to be ineffective and development did not proceed past the prototype stage. In August 1915, the Austro-Hungarian Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops (Luftfahrttruppen) awarded funding to Lloyd for construction of a new heavy bomber that could carry a 200 kg (440 lb) bomb-load and have endurance of at least 6 hours. The aircraft was to be powered by one powerful engine…
Private Herbert Bramwell Rook
Private Rook served with the 6th Royal Went Kent Regiment during the first world war. He was educated in Orpington and was a ‘zealous and useful’ member of the Baptist Church at Green-Street-Green. In January 1916, it was reported in the local newspaper (Bromley Times) that he had been severely wounded at La Bassee, making it necessary to amputate the right leg just below the knee. The newspaper reports reads: Private Herbert Bramwell Rook is the son of Mrs Rook, of 3 Chelsfield Terrace, Green-Street-Green. As a lad he went to…
Aircraft Project – Week 4
Selection of WW1 French aircraft At the start of the First World War, France led the world in an aircraft design. In 1914 it had some 132 operational machines and 21 escadrilles. Initially the Aéronautique Militaire (French Airforce) concentrated on reconnaissance with aircraft like the Blériot XI. On 8 October, it was expanded to a massive expansion to 65 escadrilles. Furthermore, it was proposed that four types of aircraft could be used for four different tasks: Morane-Saulnier Ls would be used as scouts, Voisin IIIs as bombers, Farman MF.11s as…