Royal Aircraft Factory BE2
| Royal Aircraft Factory BE2 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Reconnaissance plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
February 1, 1912 |
| Commissioning: |
1912 |
| Number of pieces: |
approx. 3500 |
The Royal Aircraft Factory BE2 was the first military aircraft used by Great Britain . Variants of this type of aircraft continued to be used under the nickname Quirk ( Macke ) by the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service throughout the First World War , although they were long out of date. The abbreviation BE stood for Blériot Experimental .
history
The BE2 was built by Geoffrey de Havilland as a further development of the RAF BE.1 with a more powerful engine and flew for the first time with de Havilland as a test pilot in February 1912. A short time later, it set a new British altitude record of 3,219 meters. The BE2 emerged as the best multipurpose aircraft from a test competition also held in 1912.
The BE2 was built as a reconnaissance aircraft and two years later three surveillance squadrons were equipped with this aircraft type. All were sent to France shortly after the outbreak of war . The main weakness of this aircraft was that it was built at a time when the stability of an aircraft in the air was overestimated, which is why models like the BE2 had poor maneuverability.
While stability was indeed the virtue of a reconnaissance machine, it made the problems of maneuvering an easy target for enemy attackers and the BE2 units suffered heavy losses. This extreme vulnerability led to the BE2 by German pilots nicknamed "cold meat" received and the British flying ace Albert Ball as bloody awful plan was called (ger .: mutatis mutandis "absolutely terrible airplane").
In 1917 a formation of six BE2 flew from St. Omer Airport . One machine crashed during the flight and three on landing, one was missing. Survivor Lieutenant ASG Lee said:
"I felt more like a villain because I didn't fall, because everyone was happy when death traps like the quirks, especially new ones, were written off."
From 1917 on, the BE2 was mostly kept away from the front , but was still used for submarine sighting , zeppelin defense and as a training aircraft. Because of its role as a Zeppelin interceptor , the BE2 also came to fame. On the night of August 3, 1916, a BE2, flown by Captain William Leefe Robinson , shot down the first airship (albeit of the Schütte-Lanz type ) over Great Britain. This earned Robinson a Victoria Cross and a reward of around 3500 English pounds.
After the start of production in 1912/13, the basic model was quickly developed into the BE2a, which was then used as the first British aircraft in France after the start of the war. It was followed by the BE2b, with which ailerons were introduced on the BE2. The next series was the BE2c, which carried the more powerful RAF-1a engine and was built in larger numbers; she was also armed for the first time. Alternative weapons equipment was examined with the subsequent BE2d and the final series BE2e.
About 3500 BE2 were produced by more than 20 different manufacturers and were the basis of an interceptor version, which however remained unsuccessful - the RAF BE.12. A small number of aircraft are kept in museums around the world, including the RAF Museum in Hendon , the Canada Aviation Museum in Ottawa, and the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace in Paris .
Military use
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Netherlands
- only one copy
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Norway
- Hærens flyvåpen
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Data BE2e
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| Year of construction (s) | 1916-1917 |
| Manufacturer | Royal Aircraft Factory, Vickers, Bristol |
| Designer (s): | Geoffrey de Havilland |
| crew | 2 |
| length | 8.31 m |
| span | 12.42 m |
| height | 3.66 m |
| Wing area | 33.50 m² |
| Empty mass | 649 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 959 kg |
| Engine | an air-cooled V8 engine RAF-1a , 90 PS (66 kW) |
| Top speed | 145 km / h near the ground |
| Summit height | 3500 m |
| Range | 320 km or 200 NM |
| Flight duration | 3:15 min |
| Armament | 2 MG 7.7 mm Lewis |
literature
- JM Bruce: The Airplanes of the Royal Flying Corps (Military Wing). Putnam, London 1982, ISBN 0-370-30084-X .
- JM Bruce: The BE2, 2a and 2b. Profile publications, London 1966.
- EF Cheesman (Ed.): Reconnaissance & Bomber Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War. Harleyford, Letchworth 1962.
- Frits Gersehen: Estonian Air Power 1918–1945. In: Air Enthusiast. No. April 18, 1982, ISSN 0143-5450 , pp. 61-76.
- Paul R. Hare: The Royal Aircraft Factory. Putnam, London 1990, ISBN 0-85177-843-7 .
- Arthur Lee: Gould No Parachute - a fighter pilot in World War I. Jarrolds, London 1968.
- Cecil Lewis: Sagittarius Rising. Peter Davis, London 1936.
- O. Thetford: British Naval Aircraft Since 1912. Putnam, London 1982, ISBN 0-370-30021-1 .
- Kenneth Munson: Bombers, Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft 1914-1919. Blandford, London 1968.
