Short Biplane No. 2

A 60 hp (45 kW) Green engine had been ordered to power the aircraft, but this had not been delivered when the airframe was completed in September, so an Ateliers Vivinus engine, salvaged from one of Moore-Brabazon's Voisin biplanes, was fitted. Using this engine, a successful flight of nearly a mile was made on 27 September at Shellbeach on the Isle of Sheppey, where both the Short Brother's works and the Royal Aero Club's flying field were located. A second, shorter, flight was made on 4 October, ending in a heavy landing which caused minor damage. While this was being repaired the Green engine was delivered and fitted, but the attempt to win the Daily Mail prize was delayed by poor weather and did not take place until 30 October, when Moore-Babazon succeeded in rounding a marker post set half a mile from the takeoff point and returning to land next to the launch rail.^[3] A few days later, he responded to a challenge to disprove the saying "pigs can't fly" by making a 3 1/2-mile (5.6 km) cross-country flight with a piglet in a basket strapped to one of the interplane struts.

On 7 January it was flown the 4 1/2 miles from Shellbeach to the Royal Aero Club's new flying field at

• Crew: one
• Length: 32 ft 0 in (9.75 m)
• Wingspan: 48 ft 8 in (14.83 m)
• Wing area: 450 sq ft (42 m²)
• Gross weight: 1,485 lb (674 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Green D.4 in-line 4-cylinder water-cooled, 60 hp (45 kW)
• Propellers: 2-bladed

Performance

• Maximum speed: 45 mph (72 km/h, 39 kn)

Notes

References