Not the most aesthetically pleasing aeroplane in the world but seems rather ahead of its time for 1912 . Enjoy . -Rob M.Goodall, A.Tagg British Aircraft before the Great War (Schiffer) P.Lewis British Aircraft 1809-1914 (Putnam) Janes All The World Aircraft 1913 FLANDERS B.2 biplane The ABC engine intended for the biplane built for the Military Trials of August 1912, was not ready in time to be fitted, so the machine was towed, without its power unit to Larkhill. The undercarriage of the machine, No. 14 in the trials, was damaged on the way. After repairs, the aircraft took part in the assembly test and subsequently the engine was fitted. After a brief test, mechanical trouble developed, described as a tied-up camshaft caused by a stripped timing gear, and the aircraft was withdrawn. The bottom of the fuselage was basically of triangular section with a full-length keel, changing to rectangular in the forward area, to a position behind the rear cockpit, where the bottom longerons joined to the central keel. A rounded decking ran the full length of the top. The wings were of two bays with top wing overhang, braced by cables to kingposts above the outer interplane struts. The front inboard struts were of strong ash to carry the loads from the undercarriage, which was mounted immediately below. The axle was sprung and moved in slots in the vertical members, being restrained by a tubular member with a pivot on a vee strut below the engine, which also served to mount a long curved central skid. Lateral control by warping of both top and bottom wings was operated by cables and pulleys. A conventional tail unit included an aerodynamically balanced rudder of comma shape. Subsequently a 40hp ABC was installed and the machine flew with this for the first time on 22 December 1912, piloted by Raynham, and later also with two passengers in its capacious fuselage. On 29 December 1912 the aircraft was damaged and the wings were then replaced with ones of slightly less span and altered tip shape. A split rudder to serve as an air brake was tried in the spring of 1913, but was soon discarded. In October 1913 a 60hp Isaacson radial replaced the ABC and an improved performance resulted. A further engine change was made in June 1914, after it was reported that Lt. R.E.B. Hunt RN had bought the machine, with the fitting of a 70hp Gnome in a circular cowling, with cutaway lower portion. A fin and new rudder were also fitted. The Flanders biplane was taken over by the Admiralty at the outbreak of war, becoming serial No.918 in the RNAS until deleted in January 1915. Power: (1) 100hp ABC eight-cylinder, water-cooled vee driving a 8ft 6in dia Regy propeller. (2) 40hp ABC four-cylinder inline, water-cooled. (3) 60hp Isaacson seven-cylinder, air-cooled radial driving a 8ft 6in dia Lang propeller (4) 70hp Gnome seven-cylinder, air-cooled rotary. Data Version (1) (2) (3) (4) Span top 43ft 43ft 41ft 40ft Span bottom 27ft 27ft 27ft 27ft Chord top 6ft 7in 6ft 7in 6ft 7in 6ft 7in Chord bottom 5ft 1in 5ft 1in 5ft 1in 5ft 1in Area wings 400 sq ft 400 sq ft 400 sq ft 400 sq ft Area tailplane 28 sq ft 28 sq ft 28 sq ft Area elevators 14 sq ft 14 sq ft 14 sq ft Length 31ft 6in* 31ft 6in 31ft 10in 31ft Weight 1,250 lb 670 lb 1,000 lb 1,050 lb Weight allup 2,000 lb 1,100lb 1,571lb 1,650 lb Speed (mph) 65 (est.) 38-56 40-65 40-68 * The Aero reported 30ft 6in
Posted on: Fri, 17 Oct 2014 16:22:48 +0000
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