The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 was a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. Like the Hurricane compared to the Spitfire in the Second World War, the S.E.5 was not as glamorous as the Sopwith Camel, nor did it achieve the same iconic status, but it was one of the most important and influential aircraft of the war. The S.E.5 was instrumental in ensuring that the period of German dominance known as Bloody April 1917 was not repeated. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Hs123 biplane. ... A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for attacking other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed to attack ground targets, primarily by dropping bombs. ... Combatants Entente Powers Central Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties > 5 million military deaths > 3 million military deaths World War I, also known as the First World War and (before 1939) the Great War, the War of the Nations, War to End All Wars was a world conflict... The Hawker Hurricane is a fighter design from the 1930s which was used extensively by the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain. ... Spitfire in action The Supermarine Spitfire was a single-seat fighter used by the RAF and many Allied countries in World War II. The Spitfires elliptical wings gave it a very distinctive look; their thin cross-section gave it speed; the brilliant design of Chief Designer R.J. Mitchell... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... The Sopwith Camel Scout was a British World War I single-seat fighter aircraft that was famous for its manoeuvrability. ... During the First World War, the month of April 1917 was known as Bloody April by the Allied air forces. ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...

The S.E.5 (Scout Experimental 5) was designed by H.P. Folland and J. Kenworthy of the Royal Aircraft Factory in Farnborough. It was built around the new 150-hp (112 kW) Hispano-Suiza 8a V8 engine which, while it provided excellent performance, was under-developed and unreliable. The first of three prototypes flew on 22 November 1916. The first two prototypes were lost in crashes and the third underwent modification before production commenced. This article needs cleanup. ... Farnborough is a town in the Rushmoor borough of Hampshire in South East England. ... The Hispano-Suiza 8 was a water-cooled V8 aero engine introduced by Hispano-Suiza in 1914 and used by a number of Allied fighter aircraft during the First World War. ... The Liberty V8 aircraft engine clearly shows the configuration :See also V8 (beverage) A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders. ... November 22 is the 326th day (327th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1916: Events January January 12 - German aces Max Immelmann and Oswald Boelcke, with 8 kills, are the first pilots awarded with Pour le Mérite (the Blue Max) January 29 - the second and last Zeppelin raid on Paris inflicts 54 casualties. ...

Only 77 original S.E.5s were built before the improved S.E.5a model took over. In total 5205 S.E.5s were built by six manufacturers including Austin Motors and Vickers. A few were converted as two-seat trainers and there were plans for Curtiss to build 1000 S.E.5s in the United States but only one was completed before the end of the war. The Austin Motor Company was founded in Longbridge, Birmingham by Herbert Austin, the former manager of the Wolseley Tool and Motor Car Company in 1905. ... Vickers Armstrong (Aircraft) company logo Vickers, founded as the Vickers Company in 1828, was a British manufacturer, primarily of military equipment, traditionally based in Barrow-in-Furness. ... A trainer is a training aircraft used to develop piloting, navigational or weapon-aiming skills in flight crew. ... Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company was an American aircraft manufacturer that went public in 1916 with Glenn Curtiss as president. ...

A squadron of S.E.5s.

The introduction of the 200-hp (149 kW) Hispano-Suiza or Wolseley Viper (a high-compression version of the Hispano-Suiza) resolved the engine problems and added nearly 30 mph (45 km/h) to the S.E.5s top speed. Download high resolution version (960x650, 151 KB)Squadron of Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a aircraft. ... Download high resolution version (960x650, 151 KB)Squadron of Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a aircraft. ...

Like the other significant Royal Aircraft Factory aircraft of the war (B.E.2, F.E.2 and R.E.8) the S.E.5 was inherently stable, making it an excellent gunnery platform. It was also one of the fastest aircraft of the war, at 138 mph (222 km/h) equal in speed to the SPAD S.XIII. The S.E.5 was not a great dog fighter, lacking the agility of the Camel, but was a benign aircraft that did not bite novice pilots the way the Camel was known to. The Royal Aircraft Factory BE.2 (Blériot Experimental) was the first military aircraft put into service by Britain. ... F.E.2b in profile. ... A Siddeley-Deasy-built R.E.8 The Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 was a British two-seat biplane reconnaissance and bomber aircraft of the First World War. ... A SPAD S.XIII of the Lafayette Escadrille. ... Dog fight is a common term used to describe close-range aerial combat between military aircraft. ...

The S.E.5 had only one synchronised .303-in Vickers machine gun to the Camel's two however it did have a wing-mounted Lewis gun which enabled the pilot to fire at an enemy aircraft from below. The Vickers gun was mounted on the left side of the fuselage with the breech inside the cockpit. The cockpit was set amidships, making it difficult to see over the long front fuselage, but otherwise visibility was good. The interrupter gear, more properly (and correctly) known as a synchronisation gear, was a triggering device attached to a fighter aircrafts machine gun so that it would fire only at certain times. ... .303 cartridge The . ... The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled . ... The Lewis Gun was a pre-WWI era American design of machine gun most widely used by the British and Imperial armies that continued to see service all the way through to WWII. It is visually distinctive because of the wide tubular cooling shroud around the barrel, and the top... In an aircraft, the fuselage is the main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. ... Cockpit of a light aircraft, showing instrumentation dials and dual control yokes. ...

The S.E.5 entered service with No. 56 Squadron RFC in March 1917 although the squadron did not deploy to the Western Front until the following month, flying its first patrol with the S.E.5 on 22 April. The S.E.5a entered service in June 1917. Number 56 (R) Squadron is one of the oldest and most successful squadrons in the RAF, with battle honours from many of the significant air campaigns of both world wars. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1917: Events February No. ... Western Front was a term used during the First and Second World Wars to describe the contested armed frontier between lands controlled by Germany to the East and the Allies to the West. ... April 22 is the 112th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (113th in leap years). ...

By 1918 the S.E.5 equipped 21 British (or Dominion) squadrons as well as two American squadrons. Many of the top Allied aces flew the S.E.5 including Billy Bishop, Raymond Collishaw, Edward Mannock and James McCudden. Legendary British ace Albert Ball was initially disparaging of the S.E.5 but in the end scored 34 of his 44 victories flying it. McCudden wrote of the S.E.5 "It was very fine to be in a machine that was faster than the Huns, and to know that one could run away just as things got too hot." 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... A flying ace is a military aviator who has shot down five or more enemy aircraft. ... Billy Bishop William Avery Billy Bishop VC, CB, DSO & Bar, MC, DFC, ED (February 8, 1894 – September 11, 1956) was a Canadian World War I flying ace, officially credited with 72 victories, the highest number for a British Empire pilot. ... Air Vice-Marshal Raymond Collishaw (November 22, 1893 - September 28, 1976) was the highest scoring Royal Naval Air Service flying ace and the second highest scoring Canadian pilot of World War I. Raymond Collishaw was born at Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada on 22nd November 1893. ... Major Edward Corringham Mick Mannock (VC, DSO and 2 bars, MC and bar) (24 May 1887–26 July 1918) was an English First World War flying ace and posthumous recipient of the Victoria Cross. ... McCuddens grave. ... Albert Ball, standing in front of his Nieuport 11. ...

Albert Ball in the cockpit of his S.E.5a

Sholto Douglas, who commanded No. 84 Squadron RFC which was initially equiped with the S.E.5, listed the plane's qualities as: Download high resolution version (900x697, 286 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (900x697, 286 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Albert Ball, standing in front of his Nieuport 11. ... Air Marshal William Sholto Douglas (1893 - 1969) was educated at Tonbridge and Oxford. ...

• Comfortable, with a good all-round view.
• Retaining its performance and manoeuvrability at high level
• Steady and quick to gather speed in the dive.
• Capable of a very fine zoom.
• Useful in both offence and defence.
• Strong in design and construction.
• Possessing a reliable engine.

Specifications (S.E.5a)

General Characteristics

• Crew: one, pilot
• Length: 20 ft 11 in (6.38 m)
• Wingspan: 26 ft 7 in (8.11 m)
• Height: 9 ft 6 in (2.89 m)
• Wing area: 444 ft² (22.67 m²)
• Empty: 1,410 lb (639 kg)
• Loaded: 1,935 lb ( 880 kg)
• Maximum takeoff: 1,988 lb (902 kg)
• Powerplant: 1x Wolseley Viper V8 engine, 200-hp (149 kW)

The Liberty V8 aircraft engine clearly shows the configuration A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders. ...

Performance

SE5 - Australian War Memorial

• Maximum speed: 138 mph (222 km/h)
• Range: 300 miles (483 km)
• Service ceiling: 17,000 ft (5,185 m)
• Rate of climb:
• Wing loading: lb/ft² ( kg/m²)

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1059, 301 KB) SE5 - Australian War Memorial, Canberra File links The following pages link to this file: Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1059, 301 KB) SE5 - Australian War Memorial, Canberra File links The following pages link to this file: Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 ... ANZAC Day Dawn Service at AWM, 25 April 2005, 90th anniversary The War Memorial is set amongst parkland The Australian War Memorial is Australias national memorial to the members of all its armed forces and supporting organizations who have died in the wars of the modern state of Australia. ...

Armament

• 1x .303 in (7.7 mm) forward-firing Vickers machine gun with Constantinesco interrupter gear
• 1x .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun on Foster mount on upper wing

.303 cartridge The . ... The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled . ... The interrupter gear, more properly (and correctly) known as a synchronisation gear, was a triggering device attached to a fighter aircrafts machine gun so that it would fire only at certain times. ... The Lewis Gun was a pre-WWI era American design of machine gun most widely used by the British and Imperial armies that continued to see service all the way through to WWII. It is visually distinctive because of the wide tubular cooling shroud around the barrel, and the top...

Operators

• Australia (AFC, RAAF), Canada, Poland, South Africa, United Kingdom (RAF, RFC), United States,

Related content

Related development: none

Comparable aircraft: SPAD S.XIII A SPAD S.XIII of the Lafayette Escadrille. ...

Designation sequence: S.E.2 - S.E.4 - S.E.5

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5