F.E.8
The Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.8 was a British single-seat fighter of the First World War designed at the Royal Aircraft Factory. It could not escape the drag penalty imposed by its tail structure and was no match for the Albatros fighters of late 1916. Design and development Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.8 The F.E.8 was an early British "scout" aircraft, designed from the outset as a single-seat fighter. In the absence of a synchronization gear to provide a forward firing machine gun for a tractor scout such as the S.E.2, it was given a pusher layout. On the whole the new design, produced by a team led by John Kenworthy followed the conventional "Farman" layout, as did the competing Airco DH.2 designed by Geoffrey de Havilland, who had also previously worked at the Royal Aircraft Factory – but it had some novel features. The nacelle was an all-metal structure – being framed in steel tube and covered with duralumin. The prototypes were fitted with large streamlined spi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Edwin Benbow
Captain Edwin Louis Benbow (10 December 1895 – 30 May 1918) was an English flying ace during the First World War, credited with eight victories, comprising six destroyed and one shared destroyed, and one 'out of control'. He was the only pilot to gain 'ace' status flying the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.8 exclusively. Family His father Joseph was the head gardener for the Ilchester Estate in Abbotsbury, having been born on 6 March 1864 in Ombersley, Worcestershire. Joseph married German-born British subject Jane Caroline Brommer in 1886, in Nice, France, and their first child William was born in Cannes, in 1889. William died in Abbotsbury in 1918, and is buried in the churchyard there. Edwin was born in 1895 in Abbotsbury where his father is listed as 'Head Gardener (Not Domestic)' in the 1901 Census. Wartime career Benbow joined the Royal Field Artillery in February 1915, and served for a yearGuttman & Dempsey (2009), p.63. being commissioned a second lieutenant on 27 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Manfred Von Richthofen
Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (; 2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), known in English as Baron von Richthofen or the Red Baron, was a fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of the war, being officially credited with 80 air combat victories. Originally a cavalryman, Richthofen transferred to the Air Service in 1915, becoming one of the first members of fighter squadron ''Jagdstaffel 2'' in 1916. He quickly distinguished himself as a fighter pilot, and during 1917 became the leader of ''Jasta 11''. Later he led the larger fighter wing '' Jagdgeschwader I'', better known as "The Flying Circus" or "Richthofen's Circus" because of the bright colours of its aircraft, and perhaps also because of the way the unit was transferred from one area of Allied air activity to another – moving like a travelling circus, and frequently setting up in tents on improvised airfields. By 1918, Richthofen was regarded as a nati ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Royal Flying Corps
"Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations = , battle_honours = , battles_label = Wars , battles = First World War , disbanded = merged with RNAS to become Royal Air Force (RAF), 1918 , current_commander = , current_commander_label = , ceremonial_chief = , ceremonial_chief_label = , colonel_of_the_regiment = , colonel_of_the_regiment_label = , notable_commanders = Sir David HendersonHugh Trenchard , identification_symbol = , identification_symbol_label = Roundel , identification_symbol_2 = , identification_symbol_2_label = Flag , aircraft_attack = , aircraft_bomber = , aircraft_el ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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John Kenworthy
John Kenworthy B.Sc., F.R.Aes (1883–1940) was an English aviation engineer and aircraft designer. John Kenworthy appears in the 1901 Census of Darlington, aged 17, living with four sisters, one brother and his parents George and Ellen Kenworthy at 65 Greenbank Road, Darlington, County Durham. His father was listed as a Schoolmaster. In his early years he was a design assistant at the Royal Aircraft Factory formed out of the HM Balloon factory in 1911 at Farnborough, Hampshire. His first design in 1912 was the B.E.3 (Blériot Experimental), also known as the Goldfish because of its horizontal tail fin. He also designed the H.R.E.2 (Hydro Reconnaissance Experimental), a floatplane version of the earlier B.E.2 designed by Geoffrey de Havilland. Following closely in 1912 was the ( B.E.4, B.E.7 and in 1913 the B.E.8) After the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) needed fighter and reconnaissance aircraft from the Royal Aircraft Factory and Kenwo ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Royal Aircraft Establishment
The Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) was a British research establishment, known by several different names during its history, that eventually came under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), before finally losing its identity in mergers with other institutions. The first site was at Farnborough Airfield ("RAE Farnborough") in Hampshire to which was added a second site RAE Bedford (Bedfordshire) in 1946. In 1988 it was renamed the Royal Aerospace Establishment (RAE) before merging with other research entities to become part of the new Defence Research Agency in 1991. History In 1904–1906 the Army Balloon Factory, which was part of the Army School of Ballooning, under the command of Colonel James Templer (balloon aviator), James Templer, relocated from Aldershot to the edge of Farnborough Common in order to have enough space to inflate the new "dirigible balloon" or airship which was then under construction.Walker, P; Early Avi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Le Rhône 9C
The Le Rhône 9C is a nine-cylinder rotary aircraft engine produced in France by '' Société des Moteurs Le Rhône'' / Gnome et Rhône. Also known as the Le Rhône 80 hp in a reference to its nominal power rating, the engine was fitted to a number of military aircraft types of the First World War. Le Rhône 9C engines were also produced under license in Germany, Sweden and Great Britain by various companies,Lumsden 2003, p. 160. and in the United States. The Swedish version built by AB Thulinverken was designated Thulin A. German production and development was carried out by Oberursel Moterwerken as the UR.I. Design and development In common with other Le Rhône series engines, the 9C featured copper induction pipes and used a single push-pull rod to operate its two overhead valves. Unlike later engines, these were located on the front of the engine. Examples of Le Rhône 9C engines are on view in aviation museums either installed in aircraft exhibits or as stan ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gnome Monosoupape
The ''Monosoupape'' ( French for single-valve), was a rotary engine design first introduced in 1913 by Gnome Engine Company (renamed Gnome et Rhône in 1915). It used a clever arrangement of internal transfer ports and a single pushrod-operated exhaust valve to replace the many moving parts found on more conventional rotary engines, and made the ''Monosoupape'' engines some of the most reliable of the era. British aircraft designer Thomas Sopwith described the ''Monosoupape'' as "one of the greatest single advances in aviation". Produced under license in both seven and nine-cylinder versions in large numbers in most industrialized countries including Germany (by Oberursel), Russia, Italy, Britain and the US. Two differing nine-cylinder versions were produced, the 9B-2 and 9N, with differing displacements giving the larger displacement 9N version a nearly-cylindrical shaped crankcase, with the 9N also adopting a dual ignition system for increased flight safety. 2,188 units wer ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Geoffrey De Havilland
Captain Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, (27 July 1882 – 21 May 1965) was an English aviation pioneer and aerospace engineer. The aircraft company he founded produced the Mosquito, which has been considered the most versatile warplane ever built,Davenport-Hines, Richard. "Havilland, Sir Geoffrey de (1882–1965)." ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''. Ed. H.C.G. Matthew and Brian Harrison. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004Oxford University and his Comet was the first jet airliner to go into production. Early life Born at Magdala House, Terriers, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, de Havilland was the second son of The Reverend Charles de Havilland (1854–1920) and his first wife, Alice Jeannette (née Saunders) (1854–1911). He was educated at Nuneaton Grammar School, St Edward's School, Oxford and the Crystal Palace School of Engineering (from 1900 to 1903). Upon graduating from engineering training, de Havilland pursued a career in automotive engineering, building ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Flying Ace
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually considered to be five or more. The concept of the "ace" emerged in 1915 during World War I, at the same time as aerial dogfighting. It was a propaganda term intended to provide the home front with a cult of the hero in what was otherwise a war of attrition. The individual actions of aces were widely reported and the image was disseminated of the ace as a chivalrous knight reminiscent of a bygone era. For a brief early period when air-to-air combat was just being invented, the exceptionally skilled pilot could shape the battle in the skies. For most of the war, however, the image of the ace had little to do with the reality of air warfare, in which fighters fought in formation and air superiority depended heavily on the relative availability ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Frederick Powell
Frederick James Powell, (13 August 1895 – May 1992) was a British flying ace of the First World War, credited with six confirmed and nine unconfirmed aerial victories. He remained in the Royal Air Force post-war, serving until 1927, then returned to military service during the Second World War. Early life Powell was born in Patricroft, Manchester, in 1895, but by 1901 was living in Great Crosby, Lancashire. His 1915 Aviators' Certificate lists his address as The Vicarage, South Shore, Blackpool. First World War Powell began his military service in August 1913, when he joined the Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry, a unit of the Territorial Force. On 21 September 1914, soon after the outbreak of the war, he transferred to the 18th (Service) Battalion (3rd City) of the Manchester Regiment, part of the New Army, as a second lieutenant. He then promptly volunteered for service in the Royal Flying Corps, and was transferred in November. Powell trained as a pilot at Farnborough, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Abeele
Abele (also spelled Abeele) is a small village or hamlet in the city of Poperinge, in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The village is located on the territory of Poperinge proper and its "deelgemeente" Watou, but is also partly located on French territory. Abele has about 600 inhabitants, of whom about 100 are French. The main street coincides with the border between Belgium and France, so houses located on different sides of the street are located in a different country. The church of Abele is located on French territory, but the services are organized by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bruges. The of Watou and the local authorities of Boeschepe are responsible for its maintenance. Abele used to be an import border crossing. In 1713, a tollhouse was set up, but it disappeared during the French Revolution. The old Belgian customs office was renovated and now serves as a retro-café with a small exhibition. Abeele Aerodrome Military Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemet ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hugh Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Hugh Montague Trenchard, 1st Viscount Trenchard, (3 February 1873 – 10 February 1956) was a British officer who was instrumental in establishing the Royal Air Force. He has been described as the "Father of the Royal Air Force." During his formative years, Trenchard struggled academically, failing many examinations and only just succeeding in meeting the minimum standard for commissioned service in the British Army. As a young infantry officer, Trenchard served in India and with the outbreak of the Boer War, he volunteered for service in South Africa. While fighting the Boers, Trenchard was critically wounded and as a result of his injury, he lost a lung, was partially paralysed and returned to Great Britain. On medical advice, Trenchard travelled to Switzerland to recuperate and boredom saw him taking up bobsleighing. After a heavy crash, Trenchard found that his paralysis was gone and that he could walk unaided. Following further recuperation, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |