The British Aircraft B.A.IV Double Eagle was a British twin-engined six-seater monoplane designed and built by the
British Aircraft Manufacturing Company of
London Air Park, Hanworth,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
Design and development
The Double Eagle was a twin-engined high-wing monoplane with a retractable landing gear, the main gear retracting backwards into the engine nacelles.
[Jackson 1973, page 295] The first aircraft (Y-1) was powered by two 130 hp (97 kW)
de Havilland Gipsy Major
The de Havilland Gipsy Major or Gipsy IIIA is a four-cylinder, air-cooled, inverted inline engine used in a variety of light aircraft produced in the 1930s, including the famous Tiger Moth biplane. Many Gipsy Major engines still power vintag ...
engines, and it first flew from Hanworth on 3 July 1936, later registered G-ADVV. The second aircraft (G-AEIN) was fitted with two
de Havilland Gipsy VIs.
[ Three aircraft were built, although one citation is claimed to say that only two Double Eagles were produced, and that both were impressed by the RAF.
]
Operational history
In 1940, the first aircraft (G-ADVV) was impressed into the Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
as ES949,[ and was finally used as an instructional airframe by ]Armstrong-Whitworth
Sir W G Armstrong Whitworth & Co Ltd was a major British manufacturing company of the early years of the 20th century. With headquarters in Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, Armstrong Whitworth built armaments, ships, locomotives, automobiles and ...
, and later Parnall
Parnall was a British aircraft manufacturer that evolved from a wood-working company before the First World War to a significant designer of military and civil aircraft into the 1940s. It was based in the west of England and was originally known a ...
.
On 29 September 1936, the second aircraft (G-AEIN), piloted by Tommy Rose, took off in the Schlesinger Race
The Schlesinger Race, also known as the ''"Rand Race"'', the ''"Portsmouth – Johannesburg Race"'' or more commonly the 'African Air Race', took place in September 1936. The Royal Aero Club announced the race on behalf of Isidore William Sch ...
(from Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
to Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
). It was retired when it suffered damage at Almaza Airfield (Cairo), due to collapse of the undercarriage.
In 1940, it was impressed into the RAF as ES950, and ended its life in 1941 as an instructional airframe.[
The third aircraft (ZS-AIY) was sold to the Aircraft Operating Company in South Africa as an aerial surveying aircraft, and was then re-registered ZS-AOC. In 1940, it was impressed into service with 60 Squadron of the ]South African Air Force
"Through hardships to the stars"
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as serial number 1415.
Operators
;
*South African Air Force
"Through hardships to the stars"
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, one only.
;
*Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
, two.
Specifications (with Gipsy Major)
See also
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
{{British Aircraft Manufacturing aircraft
1930s British civil utility aircraft
Double Eagle
A double eagle is a gold coin of the United States with a denomination of $20. (Its gold content of 0.9675 troy oz (30.0926 grams) was worth $20 at the 1849 official price of $20.67/oz.) The coins are 34 mm x 2 mm and are made from ...
High-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1936
Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft