S.XIII
SPAD S.XIII in the colors of Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker, U.S. 94th Aero Squadron
Type	biplane fighter
Manufacturer	SPAD
Designed by	Louis Béchéreau
Maiden flight	4 April 1917[1]
Primary users	Aéronautique Militaire Royal Flying Corps US Army Air Service

The SPAD S.XIII was a French biplane fighter aircraft of World War I, developed by Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés (SPAD) from the earlier highly successful SPAD S.VII. It was one of the most capable fighters of the war, and one of the most-produced, with 8,472 built and orders for around 10,000 more cancelled at the Armistice. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1000x657, 122 KB) SPAD XIII DAYTON, Ohio -- SPAD XIII at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. ... Eddie Rickenbacker (October 8, 1890 – July 27, 1973) was best known as a World War I fighter ace and Medal of Honor recipient. ... The 94th Fighter Squadron is a squadron of the United States Air Force, currently part of the 1st Operations Group of the 1st Fighter Wing, and stationed at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. ... An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, and/or spacecraft. ... SPAD S.VII SPAD was a French aircraft manufacturer. ... The Maiden flight of an aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord. ... The familiar French military aviation roundel gave rise to similar roundels for air forces all over the world, including that of the United Kingdom (RAF), which reversed the colors on the French roundel. ... For Wikipedia requests for checkuser, see WP:RFCU. // RFC, a three letter initialism, may refer to: Returned for Collection, a billing term indicating insufficient funds for an account ReliabilityFirst Corporation Reconstruction Finance Corporation, a former United States Government agency Royal Flying Corps, a branch of the British military during World... The United States Army Air Service was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. ... Hs123 biplane. ... An A-10 Thunderbolt II, F-86 Sabre, P-38 Lightning and P-51 Mustang fly in formation during an air show at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... SPAD S.VII SPAD was a French aircraft manufacturer. ... The SPAD S.VII was the first of a series of highly successful biplane fighter aircraft produced by Société Pour LAviation et ses Dérivés during the First World War. ... A white flag is traditionally used to represent a truce. ...

Design and development

The S.VII had entered service in September of 1916, but by early 1917 it had been surpassed by the latest German scouts, leading French flying ace, Georges Guynemer to lobby for an improved version. SPAD designer Louis Béchereau initially produced the S.XII, which had limited success, and finally the S.XIII. 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. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1917: Events February No. ... The Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen, perhaps the most famous ace of all. ... Georges Guynemer Georges Guynemer (December 24, 1894 - September 11, 1917) was a French aviator during World War I. Georges Marie Ludovic Jules Guynemer was born into a wealthy Compiègne family and experienced an often sickly childhood. ...

The S.XIII differed from its predecessor by incorporating a number of aerodynamic and other refinements, including larger wings and rudder, a more powerful Hispano-Suiza engine, and a second Vickers .303-cal. machine gun for added firepower. All these improvements led to greater increases in flight and combat performance. It was faster than its main contemporaries, the British Sopwith Camel and the German Fokker D.VII, and was renowned for its ruggedness and diving ability. However, its manoeuvrability was inferior, especially at low speeds. Poor gliding characteristics and a very sharp stall made it a difficult aircraft for novice pilots to land safely. Hispano-Suiza is a French engineering firm best known for their engine and weapon designs in the pre-World War II period, work that developed out of their earliest work in luxury automobile design. ... The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled . ... The Sopwith Camel Scout was a British World War I single-seat fighter aircraft that was famous for its maneuverability. ... Fokker D.VII Fokker D.VII Fokker D.VII preserved in the Deutsches Museum The Fokker D.VII was a late World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz at the Fokker company. ...

Operational history

A SPAD S.XIII of the Lafayette Escadrille.

It first flew on April 4, 1917, and the following month was already being delivered to the French Air Service. Other Allied forces were quick to adopt the new fighter as well, and nearly half of the 893 purchased for the United States Army Air Service were still in service in 1920. It was also exported to Japan, Poland, and Czechoslovakia after the war. A SPAD S.XIII biplane fighter in the livery of the Lafayette Escadrille. ... A SPAD S.XIII biplane fighter in the livery of the Lafayette Escadrille. ... A SPAD S.XIII in Lafayette Escadrille livery James Norman Hall (1887-1951) of the Lafayette Escadrille, 1917 The Lafayette Escadrille (from the French Escadrille Lafayette) was a squadron of the French Air Service, the Aéronautique militaire, during World War I composed largely of American pilots flying fighters. ... is the 94th day of the year (95th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1917: Events February No. ... The familiar French military aviation roundel gave rise to similar roundels for air forces all over the world, including that of the United Kingdom (RAF), which reversed the colors on the French roundel. ... The United States Army Air Service was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. ... This is a list of aviation-related events from 1920: // February 1 - the South African Air Force is established as an independent air arm. ...

The S.XIII was flown by famous fighter pilots such as Italy's Francesco Baracca and the United States Army Air Service's Eddie Rickenbacker, who became leading aces with 34 and 26 confirmed victories, respectively. Count Francesco Baracca, standing by his plane with the famous prancing horse logo, later to become the emblem for the Ferrari car. ... The United States Army Air Service was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. ... Eddie Rickenbacker (October 8, 1890 – July 27, 1973) was best known as a World War I fighter ace and Medal of Honor recipient. ...

Operators

Spads, 1930s magazine illustration with the French Great War fighter plane flown by all of the Allied airforces

•  Argentina (two aircraft)
•  Belgium
•  Brazil
•  Czechoslovakia (post-war)
•  France
•  Greece
•  Italy
•  Japan
•  Poland (post-war)
•  Russia
• Siam (Thailand)
• Kingdom of Spain
•  Turkey
•  United Kingdom
•  United States
•  Uruguay

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Specifications (SPAD S.XIII)

Data from ^[2]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 6.25 m (20 ft 6 in)
• Wingspan: 8.25 m (27 ft 1 in)
• Height: 2.60 m (8 ft 6.5 in)
• Wing area: 21.1 m² (227 ft²)
• Empty weight: 566 kg (1,245 lb)
• Loaded weight: 856 kg (1,888 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 845 kg (1,863 lb)
• Powerplant: 1× Hispano-Suiza 8Be 8 cylinder vee-type, 220 hp (164 kw)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 218 km/h (135 mph)
• Service ceiling: 6,650 m (21,815 ft)
• Rate of climb: 2 m/s (384 ft/min)

Armament

• 2 x .303-cal. (7.7-mm) Vickers machine guns

The distance AB is the wing span of this Aer Lingus Airbus A320. ... In aviation, the Maximum Take-Off Weight (or MTOW) is the maximum weight with which an aircraft is allowed to try to achieve flight. ... 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. ... VNO of an aircraft is the V speed which refers to the velocity of normal operation. ... In aeronautics, the service ceiling is the maximum density altitude where the best rate of climb airspeed will produce a 100 feet per minute climb(twin engine) and 50 feet(single engine) at maximum weight while in a clean configuration with maximum continuous power. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ... The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled . ...

References

• Winchester, Jim. Fighter - The World's Finest Combat Aircraft - 1913 to the Present Day. barnes & Noble Publishing, Inc. and Parragon Publishing. ISBN 0-7607-7957-0. 

External links

• Air Force Association Fact Sheet (pdf)

Related content

Related development

S.VII - S.XI - S.XII - S.XVII - S.XXI The SPAD S.VII was the first of a series of highly successful biplane fighter aircraft produced by Société Pour LAviation et ses Dérivés during the First World War. ...

Comparable aircraft

Fokker D.VII - Sopwith Camel - S.E.5a - Ansaldo Balilla Fokker D.VII Fokker D.VII Fokker D.VII preserved in the Deutsches Museum The Fokker D.VII was a late World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz at the Fokker company. ... The Sopwith Camel Scout was a British World War I single-seat fighter aircraft that was famous for its maneuverability. ... The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 was a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. ... The Ansaldo A.1, nicknamed Balilla after the Genoan folk-hero was Italys only domestically-produced fighter aircraft of World War I. Arriving too late to see any real action, it was however used by both Poland and the Soviet Union in the Polish-Soviet War. ...

Designation sequence

S.IX - S.XI - S.XII - S.XIII - S.XIV - S.XV - S.XVII

See also