Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.8

Royal Aircraft Factory BE.8
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 BE.8 was the last of the Bleriot Experimental types to be designed with a rotary engine. A conventional 1910s 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. An improved BE.8a in 1915 had new wings the wing warping replaced by ailerons and a revised tail unit.

Operational history

The aircraft entered service with the Royal Flying Corps and a small number served in France between 1914 and 1915 but most were used by training units.

Variants

BE.8: Production aircraft with wing warping.
BE.8a: Production aircraft with ailerons.

Operators

United Kingdom

Royal Flying Corps

Specifications (BE.8)

Data from British Aeroplanes 1914-18^[2]

General characteristics

Crew: 2 (pilot, observer)

Performance

References

^ Hare 1990, p. 171.
^ Bruce 1957, p.376.
^ BE.8a span 37 ft 8½ in (11.49 m)
^ Hare 1990, p. 175.
^ Climb to 3,000 ft (910 m) in 10 min 30 s

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), 1985, Orbis Publishing, Page 2819

[Hare_p171-1] Hare 1990, p. 171.

[Bruce_British_p376-2] Bruce 1957, p.376.

[3] BE.8a span 37 ft 8½ in (11.49 m)

[Hare_p175-4] Hare 1990, p. 175.

[5] Climb to 3,000 ft (910 m) in 10 min 30 s

[1]

[2]

v t e Royal Aircraft Factory (R.A.F.) aircraft
Armoured Experimental	A.E.1 A.E.2 A.E.3
Blériot Experimental	B.E.1 B.E.2 B.E.3 B.E.4 B.E.5 B.E.6 B.E.7 B.E.8 B.E.9 B.E.10 B.E.11 B.E.12
Blériot Scout	B.S.1 B.S.2
Coastal Experimental	C.E.1
Farman Experimental Fighting Experimental	F.E.1 F.E.2 F.E.3 F.E.4 F.E.6 F.E.7 F.E.8 F.E.9 F.E.10 F.E.11 F.E.12
Night Experimental	N.E.1
Reconnaissance Experimental	R.E.1 R.E.2/H.R.E.2 H.R.E.3 R.E.5 R.E.7 R.E.8 R.E.9
Santos Experimental Scout Experimental	S.E.1 S.E.2 S.E.3 S.E.4 a S.E.5 S.E.6 S.E.7
Tatin Experimental	T.E.1
Airships	Nulli Secundis Baby/Beta Gamma Delta Eta
Nicknames	Farnborough Ram Goldfish Harry Tate

v t e Aviation lists
General	Aircraft manufacturers civil Aircraft engines manufacturers Flight test centres‎ Test pilot schools Airlines Defunct airlines Helicopter airlines Airports Aerobatic teams Civil Aviation Authorities Gliders Museums Registration prefixes Jet airliners Rotorcraft manufacturers Timeline
Military	Air forces Experimental Missiles UAVs Weapons
Accidents / incidents	Commercial airliners by location Fatalities by death toll General aviation Military By registration
Records	Airspeed Altitude Distance Endurance Firsts Large Most-produced aircraft Most-produced rotorcraft