British Army Aeroplane No 1
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British Army Aeroplane No 1 | |
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Replica of Aeroplane No 1 as first flown, at the FAST Museum | |
Role | Experimental biplane |
Manufacturer | Army Balloon Factory |
Designer | Samuel Franklin Cody |
First flight | 16 October 1908[1] |
Number built | 1 |
The British Army Aeroplane No 1 or sometimes Cody 1 was a biplane built by Samuel Franklin Cody in 1907 at the Army Balloon Factory at Farnborough. It made the first recognised powered and sustained flight in the United Kingdom on 16 October 1908.[1]
Background
In the early years of the twentieth century, the
Development and design
The Army Aeroplane No. 1 was a biplane of similar configuration to that designed by the
The aircraft had a long history of alterations, but as first built it had a short square-section wire-braced wood
The engine drove a pair of
Operational history
First flight and Army career
Cody's friend, assistant and biographer G. A. Broomfield would later claim that the first flight took place in May 1908. A. V. Roe was at that time claimed to have flown in June 1908 and Broomfield wanted to give primacy to Cody. Both claims were later disallowed, with Broomfield's claim for Cody being exposed as an outright hoax.[3]
Cody carried out taxiing trials of the aircraft during September, briefly leaving the ground on the last of these. The aircraft was then returned to the workshop for the first of a long series of modifications to be made. The small ailerons were removed, a nosewheel added, the radiators moved outboard from their central position to the forward interplane struts, and modifications were made to the booms supporting the elevator. In this form, with a Union Jack flying from the strut between the upper and lower tail booms, the aircraft was presented to the press at Farnborough on 13 October. After further ground trials Cody finally judged conditions suitable for a flight trial on 16 October, and made the first recognised powered and sustained flight in the United Kingdom, which covered only 1,390 ft (424 m).[4]
The flight of 16 October ended when Cody attempted a turn to avoid trees and a wingtip touched the ground. The resulting crash caused substantial damage, and the rest of the year was spent in repairing it and making major modifications. The gap between the wings was increased from 8 ft (2.44 m) to 9 ft (2.74 m), the booms carrying both sets of control surfaces lengthened, and provision for lateral control made by installing a wing-warping system and fitting differentially-moving surfaces at each end of the elevator. The radiators were moved to the aft interplane struts, the triangle of canvas that had stretched between the trailing edge of the upper wing and the top of the rudder was removed, and the small vertical stabiliser was moved from above the top wing to a position between the centre booms supporting the elevator, and linked to the rudder control. New larger propellers were fitted.[5]
On 6 January 1909 this work was complete and testing continued,[6] on this occasion with a number of streamers attached so that the airflow might be observed. More ground trials were made, the ailerons moved to a position in the middle of the aft interplane struts, and the radiators moved forward slightly to adjust the aircraft's trim. In this form Cody made another flight on 20 January covering about 1,200 ft (370 m) and reaching a height of 25 ft (7.6 m) but crashed after a turn, Cody being unhurt.[7] The aircraft was again taken back to the factory for alterations and repairs. The ailerons were discarded and a pair of horizontal stabilisers were fitted in front of the rudder.[8] Cody flew the aircraft again on 18 February, this time landing with no more damage than a burst tyre and a broken rigging wire. Further successful flights were made on 22 February, after which the rear stabilisers were removed and the ailerons repositioned, now being placed on short outriggers trailing from the forward interplane struts, and the front rudder was moved to a position above the elevator.
Despite the fact that Cody's aircraft could now be considered a success, in February 1909 a report by the Aerial Navigation Sub-Committee of the
Subsequent use
Cody's personal relationship with Capper was unharmed, and he continued to operate the aircraft at Farnborough. On 14 May 1909 he made a flight of over a mile between Laffan's Plain and Danger Hill. Later the same day he attempted to repeat the performance at the request of the Prince of Wales, who was observing Army manoeuvres at Aldershot. Unluckily, on takeoff he was caught by a gust as he turned the machine to avoid some troops on the ground, and was forced to land, the aircraft sustaining some damage to the tail. The Prince was nevertheless satisfied, telling Cody of his pleasure at seeing a British aeroplane that could fly.[12]
Back in the workshop, Cody made further adjustments, discarding the twin rudders and moving the radiators so that they were now in front of the front interplane struts. The tailwheel was removed and replaced by a substantial skid. In mid-July Cody flew the aircraft again, managing to complete a circular flight of four miles on 21 July, after which he decided to fit a 60 hp
Apart from very minor adjustments, this was the aircraft's final form. It was flown for three miles on 11 August. Cody was initially startled by the experience provided by the new seating position, recording "I find my new position in front of the engine has a much more sensational effects on the nerves than the old position, in fact until last night I never knew I had any nerves. I think, however, I shall get over this slight timidness after a few runs".[14] but the aircraft was now performing well and after several flights on 13 August Cody considered it safe enough to take a passenger. The next day this honour went to Capper, and later that day Cody took his wife for a three-mile flight, making her the first woman to fly in an aeroplane in the United Kingdom.[15]
On 8 September 1909 he made a flight lasting over an hour, covering around 40 miles (64 km), landing because he was out of fuel.[16] He also flew the aircraft at the Doncaster Flight Meeting in October 1909. Although he did not win any of the prizes on offer, Cody made use of his appearance to publicly take British citizenship on 28 October, and promptly entered his name for the Daily Mail prize for the first British aircraft to make a circular flight of over a mile.[17] However, the Doncaster meeting had not been sanctioned by the Royal Aero Club, and so any flights made there could not be officially ratified, and the prize was eventually won by J.T.C. Moore-Brabazon on 30 October.
In January Cody had hoped to win the £1,000 prize offered by Sir William Hartley for a flight between Manchester and Liverpool, which had to be made before 26 January. Although he took the aircraft to Aintree, his attempt was prevented by fog.[18] After this flight Cody concentrated his efforts on the new aircraft he was building, the Cody Michelin Cup Biplane.
Nomenclature
Originally Cody's aircraft was officially called the Army Aeroplane No. 1. After the War Office stopped supporting Cody's experiments, it was simply referred to as the Cody Flyer or the equivalent. Any attempt to describe its various forms as the Cody 2 and so forth run the risk of confusing this aircraft with subsequent aircraft built by Cody, and were certainly not used in contemporary sources. Subsequent aircraft tend to be referred to as "Mr Cody's new aeroplane", subsequently being known by his most notable achievement in the aircraft, as in the
Replica
A full-size replica was built in 2008 by a large team of volunteers at the Farnborough Air Sciences Trust. It was not designed to be flown, but attempted to reproduce faithfully the materials and construction of the original.
Specifications
Data from Biplanes, Triplanes, and Seaplanes[1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 38 ft 6 in (11.73 m)
- Wingspan: 52 ft 4 in (15.85 m)
- Height: 13 ft 0 in (3.96 m)
- Wing area: 640 sq ft (59.46 m2)
- Powerplant: 1 × Antoinette , 50 hp (37 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 65 mph (105 km/h, 56 kn)
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
References
Notes
- ^ ISBN 1-58663-300-7.
- ^ The Cody FlyerFlight28 May 1954
- ^ Walker, P.; Early Aviation at Farnborough, Vol. II: The First Aeroplanes, Macdonald 1974, Pages 145 ff.
- ^ [1] Hops and Flights - A Roll Call of Early Powered Take-Offs]Flight 3 April 1959
- ^ Lewis 1962, p. 187
- ^ The British Army Aeroplane Flight 16 January 1909
- ^ Penrose 1967, p.146.
- ^ Penrose 1967, p.148.
- ^ Driver, 1997, pp. 209–11
- ^ Hare 1990, p. 10
- ^ Penrose 1967, p.152.
- ^ "Mr Cody Flies a Mile" Flight 22 May 1910
- ^ Lewis 1962, p 188
- ^ Penrose 1967 p. 181
- ^ Lewis 1962, p.189
- ^ "Mr Cody Flies for Over An Hour" Flight 11 September 1909
- ^ Three Blank Days Flight 30 October 1909
- ^ Aviation News of the Week- Mr Cody Flies Again, Flight 29 January 1910
Bibliography
- Driver, Hugh The Birth of Military Aviation. London: The Boydell Press for the Royal Historical Society, 1997 ISBN 0-86193-234-X
- Hare, Paul R. The Royal Aircraft Factory. London: Putnam, 1990. ISBN 0-85177-843-7
- Jarrett, Philip (July–August 1999). "Cody and his Aeroplanes: Samuel Franklin Cody: His Life and Times". Air Enthusiast (82): 6–17. ISSN 0143-5450.
- Lewis, P. British Aircraft 1809–1914. London, Putnam and Co., 1962
- Penrose, Harald. British Aviation: The Pioneer Years 1903–1914. London: Putnam, 1967
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982–1985). Orbis Publishing.
External links
- First powered flight's centenary BBC item about the 100th anniversary of powered flight in Great Britain featuring film of a replica of British Army Aeroplane No 1.