The Norman Thompson N.T.4 was a twin-engined British

flying boat A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...

of the First World War. Although less well known than similar Curtiss and Felixstowe flying boats, 50 were ordered for Britain's

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

Development and design

The White and Thompson company was formed by Norman Thompson and Douglas White in 1912 at Bognor Regis,

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

to design and build aircraft.Goodall 1995, pp. 7–8. It built several models of aircraft in small numbers, before being renamed the

Norman Thompson Flight Company The Norman Thompson Flight Company was a British aircraft manufacturer specialising in the construction of flying boats. It was formed as the White and Thompson Company in 1912, and designed and built the Norman Thompson NT.4 patrol aircraft a ...

in September 1915. The first aircraft to be produced by the renamed company was a twin-engined patrol flying boat, the Norman Thompson N.T.4. This was a three bay

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

Hispano-Suiza Hispano-Suiza () is a Spanish automotive–engineering company. It was founded in 1904 by Marc Birkigt and Damian Mateu as an automobile manufacturer and eventually had several factories in Spain and France that produced luxury cars, aircraft en ...

engines mounted between the wings and was fitted with an enclosed, heavily glazed cockpit for its four-man crew. An initial order for ten aircraft for the

was placed in December 1915, with the first prototype flying in October 1916.Goodall 1995, pp.44–45. Further orders were placed in 1917 bringing the total ordered to 50. Production continued through 1917, but in 1918, following a change in policy on anti-submarine aircraft, the final contract for 20 aircraft was cancelled.Goodall 1995, p.49. Total production was 26 aircraft, continuing until June 1918.Goodall 1995, pp.49,53. Norman Thompson produced a revised design to meet the requirements of Admiralty Specification N.2C, to replace the N.T.4. This type, designated the Norman Thompson N.2C used the wings of the N.T.4 but with a new hull resembling that of the Porte/Felixstowe boats. Power was by two 200 hp (149 kW)

Sunbeam Arab The Sunbeam Arab was a British First World War era aero engine. Design and development By 1916 the demand for aero-engines was placing huge demands on manufacturing. To help ease the pressure the War Office standardised on engines of about ; ...

engines. The first prototype attempted to fly on 1 August 1918, but required changes to the hull before it was capable of take-off. Water handling remained poor, and the aircraft was tail heavy in flight. It was abandoned following the end of the war.London 2003, pp.39–40.

Operational history

The N.T.4 entered service with the RNAS in 1916, being operated on anti-submarine patrols over the North Sea and English Channel but were mainly used for training, as larger aircraft were more suitable for patrol purposes.Goodall 1995, p.47. Many of the aircraft produced in 1918 were delivered straight to storage and were never used.Goodall 1995, p.49. Owing to its similarity in size to the

Curtiss H-4 The Curtiss Model H was a family of classes of early long-range flying boats, the first two of which were developed directly on commission in the United States in response to the £10,000 prize challenge issued in 1913 by the London newspaper, ...

, it shared the Curtiss flying boat's nickname of ''America'', being renamed ''Small America'' when the larger

Curtiss H-12 The Curtiss Model H was a family of classes of early long-range flying boats, the first two of which were developed directly on commission in the United States in response to the £10,000 prize challenge issued in 1913 by the London newspaper, t ...

(known as ''Large America'') and

Felixstowe F.2 The Felixstowe F.2 was a 1917 British flying boat class designed and developed by Lieutenant Commander John Cyril Porte RN at the naval air station, Felixstowe during the First World War adapting a larger version of his superior Felixstowe F. ...

flying boats came into service.Thetford 1978, p.266-267

Variants

;N.T.4 :Initial batch of six aircraft. Powered by two 150 hp Hispano-Suiza engines. ;N.T.4A :Main production type. Powered by 200 hp geared Hispano-Suiza engines. 44 built. ;N2C :Improved version with hull similar to Felixstowe flying boats, powered by two

engines. Two prototypes only built in 1918.Donald 1997, p. 695

Operators

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Specifications (N.T.4A)

Notes

References

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External links

Norman Thompson N.T.4
British Aircraft Directory {{Norman Thompson aircraft 1910s British patrol aircraft Flying boats Twin-engined pusher aircraft N.T.4 Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1916