The Graham-White Type VII "Popular" was an early British aircraft designed by J. D. North and built by the Grahame-White Aviation company, with the intention of producing a low-cost aircraft to popularize aviation. It was initially produced with a 35 hp

Anzani 3-cylinder From 1905 to 1915, Alessandro Anzani built a number of three-cylinder fan engines and radial engines, one of which powered Louis Blériot's 1909 cross-channel flight. An Anzani three-cylinder engine that powers a Blériot XI based in England is ...

Y configuration engine and offered for sale at a price of less than £400. Despite its low price the aircraft included structural refinements such as hollow-section interplane struts. It was first flown in 1913.

Design and development

The aircraft was a pusher biplane with a square section

nacelle A nacelle ( ) is a "streamlined body, sized according to what it contains", such as an engine, fuel, or equipment on an aircraft. When attached by a pylon entirely outside the airframe, it is sometimes called a pod, in which case it is attached ...

mounted between the upper and lower wings, which were of two-spar construction, the spars being ash I-sections. To maintain the

leading edge The leading edge of an airfoil surface such as a wing is its foremost edge and is therefore the part which first meets the oncoming air.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 305. Aviation Supplies & Academics, ...

section there were half-ribs between each rib, these extending from the

to the main

spar SPAR, originally DESPAR, styled as DE SPAR, is a Dutch multinational that provides branding, supplies and support services for independently owned and operated food retail stores. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1932, by Adriaan van Well, ...

. A single horizontal tailplane with a split

elevator An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They a ...

and a

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adve ...

divided into two part, half above and half below the tailplane, were carried on ash booms behind the wing, the booms being connected by hollow wooden vertical struts and tubular steel horizontal members. The booms were spindled to an I-section except at the points of attachment of the cross-members.The 35 hp Grahame-White "Popular" Biplane

Flight Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...

1 February 1913, pp. 112–115. The upper wing was double the span of the lower and had wide-span ailerons occupying the whole trailing edge outboard of the tail booms. The wings were connected by a single pair of struts on either side, the outer section of the upper wing being braced by wires leading to inverted-V

kingposts A king post (or king-post or kingpost) is a central vertical post used in architectural or bridge designs, working in tension to support a beam below from a truss Apex (geometry), apex above (whereas a crown post, though visually similar, support ...

. The wide-track undercarriage consisted of a pair of long laminated wood skids each bearing pair of wheels on a short axle. No tailskid was fitted. The Type VII was built in both single and two seat versions and some were fitted with the

Gnome Omega The Gnome 7 Omega (commonly called the Gnome 50 hp) is a French seven-cylinder, air-cooled aero engine produced by Gnome et Rhône. It was shown at the Paris Aero Salon held in December 1908 and was first flown in 1909. It was the world's f ...

engine, which would have increased the price considerably as well as improving performance, since this engine cost around £500.

Operational history

In March 1913, the British

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

, in an attempt to boost the numerical strength of the Royal Flying Corps announced the purchase of seven aircraft from the Grahame-White company, including two Type VII Populars and one two-seat VIIc Popular Passenger Biplane (which despite the name was unrelated to the single-seat Type VII).Bruce 1982, p. 252."Some of the Government's 101 Aeroplanes"
''Flight'', 29 March 1913, p. 366. Although the purchase of two of the single-seat type VIIs was announced, it appears that only one was taken on charge. While allocated the serial number ''283'', the aircraft saw little if any use by the RFC.Bruce 1982, pp. 254–255.

Specifications

Notes

References

* Bruce, J. M. ''The Aeropanes of the Royal Flying Corps (Military Wing)''. London: Putnam, 1982. . *Lewis, P ''British Aircraft 1809-1914'' London: Putnam 1962 p. 281 {{Grahame-White aircraft Grahame-White aircraft 1910s British sport aircraft Biplanes Single-engined pusher aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1913