Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.8: Difference between revisions
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==Operational history== |
==Operational history== |
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The aircraft entered service with the [[Royal Flying Corps]] and a small number served in [[France]] |
The aircraft entered service with the [[Royal Flying Corps]] and a small number served in [[France]] in 1914 and early 1915 but most were used by training units. <ref>Hare, 1990 p. 174</ref> |
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==Variants== |
==Variants== |
Revision as of 04:03, 17 December 2012
Royal Aircraft Factory BE.8 | |
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Role | Two-seat scout biplane |
First flight | 1913 |
Primary user | Royal Flying Corps |
Number built | approx 70 |
The Royal Aircraft Factory BE.8 was a British two-seat single-engined scout biplane of the First World War, designed by John Kenworthy at the Royal Aircraft Factory in 1913.[1] Small numbers were used by the Royal Flying Corps over the Western Front in the first year of the war, with the type being used as a trainer until 1916.
Development and design
The B.E.8 was the definitive development of the earlier B.E 3 type, and the last of the B.E. series to be designed with a rotary engine. A conventional tractor biplane with a fixed tailskid landing gear, it also had a pair of skids mounted forward to prevent the aircraft nosing over on rough ground. Three prototypes were built at Farnborough with a single long cockpit for both crew members. The production aircraft had two separate cockpits and were built by sub-contractors. The improved B.E.8a of 1915 had new wings, featuring ailerons instead of the wing warping and a revised tail unit.
Operational history
The aircraft entered service with the Royal Flying Corps and a small number served in France in 1914 and early 1915 but most were used by training units. [2]
Variants
- BE.8
- Production aircraft with wing warping.
- BE.8a
- Production aircraft with ailerons.
Operators
Specifications (BE.8)
Data from British Aeroplanes 1914-18[3]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2 (pilot, observer)
Performance
See also
Related lists
References
- Angelucci, Enzo. The Rand McNally Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft, 1914-1980. San Diego, California: The Military Press, 1983. ISBN 0-517-41021-4.
- Bruce, J.M. British Aeroplanes 1914-18. London: Putnam, 1957.
- Bruce, J.M. The Aircraft of the Royal Flying Corps (Military Wing) . London: Putnam, 1982. ISBN 0-370-30084-X.
- Hare, Paul R. The Royal Aircraft Factory. London:Putnam, 1990. ISBN 0-85177-843-7.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). London: Orbis Publishing, 1985, p. 2819.