Blackburn Type D
Type D | |
---|---|
The Type D, the oldest British flying aircraft, of the Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden | |
Role | sports |
National origin | United Kingdom |
Manufacturer | Blackburn Aeroplane Co |
Designer | Robert Blackburn |
First flight | late 1912 |
Status | still active |
Number built | 1 |
The Blackburn Type D, sometimes known as the Single Seat Monoplane, was built by Robert Blackburn at Leeds in 1912. It is a single-engine mid-wing monoplane. Restored shortly after the Second World War, it remains part of the Shuttleworth Collection[1] and is the oldest British flying aeroplane.
Development
The Type D,
The design inherited some features from the earlier
It was a more pleasing-looking machine with a shorter
The aircraft first flew late in 1912. Some modifications followed in time: the engine cowling was extended into a semicircular shape to discourage the discharge of smoke and hot oil from the rotary into the cockpit; the wingtips were slightly rounded, and the crook-shaped skids were replaced by skids of hockey stick form.[3]
In 1913 the basic Type D design was developed into the two-seat Blackburn Type I.
Operational history
The Blackburn Type D monoplane was built in 1912 for Cyril Foggin.[4]
Later in 1913 Foggin sold the aircraft to Montague Francis Glew. Glew qualified RAeC #410 at the Blackburn school[7] on a "Blackburn monoplane",[10] apparently an earlier model. Glew gave flying demonstrations at towns in the English countryside, with several crashes,[11] and on at least one occasion was involved in air racing (from Cardiff to Ilfracombe, cancelled due to weather).[12] Glew crashed his aircraft in 1914, beyond his ability to repair as World War I began.
The remains lay untouched on the family farm at Wittering, until discovered by and sold to Richard Ormonde Shuttleworth in 1938. After World War II, the machine was restored by Shuttleworth's engineers. Almost all of the restored aircraft was original apart from the main wing spars, engine cowling, some minor wooden pieces and the fabric. The original Gnome was also discovered, though the restored aircraft used a slightly newer (1916) Gnome. The restored Type D flew on 17 September 1947, and still flies on quiet days with the Shuttleworth Collection, Britain's oldest active aircraft.[3]
Specifications
Data from Jackson 1968, p. 80
General characteristics
- Crew: one
- Length: 26 ft 3 in (8.00 m)
- Wingspan: 32 ft 1 in (9.78 m)
- Height: 8 ft 9 in (2.67 m)
- Wing area: 236 sq ft (21.9 m2)
- Empty weight: 550 lb (250 kg)
- Gross weight: 980 lb (446 kg)
- Powerplant: 1 × Gnome 7 Omega7-cylinder rotary piston engine , 50 hp (37 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 60 mph (97 km/h, 52 kn)
- Endurance: 2.5–3 hours
- Service ceiling: 4,000 ft (1,200 m)
References
- ^ The Shuttleworth Collection - Blackburn Type D Archived 19 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 31 Aug 2017
- ^ This type designation is used by the Shuttleworth Collection, though when writing his history of Blackburn aircraft in 1968, A.J. Jackson noted that the type letter was not known
- ^ a b c d e Jackson 1968, pp. 76–80
- ^ "Cyril Foggin".
- ^ Flight 12 April 1913
- ^ Flight 2 November 1912
- ^ a b "Montague Francis Glew".
- ^ "The Blackburn at Leeds", Flight 29 March 1913, p 359.
- ^ "Flight". 5 April 1913. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012.
- ^ "Flight". 8 February 1913. Archived from the original on 20 June 2015.
- ^ P.H.T. Green, "Lincolnshire's First Aviator", Lincolnshire Life, The County Magazine, pp. 32–34. September 1971: citing the Market Rasen Mail, advertisements dated 21 and 28 June 1913, articles dated 12 and 19 July 1913.
- ^ "Flight". 20 September 1913. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016.
- Jackson, A.J. (1968). Blackburn Aircraft since 1909. London: Putnam Publishing. ISBN 0-370-00053-6.
- "British Notes of the Week -Blackburn week". Flight. No. 12 April 1913. p. 419.