Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5b

1918

Back to the Virtual Aircraft Museum
  FIGHTERVirtual Aircraft Museum / United Kingdom / Royal Aircraft Factory  

Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5b

The final aircraft built at Farnborough against contracts for 74 S.E.5s placed in 1917 was used early the following year for an experimental programme aimed at improving the performance and fighting ability of the type. Fitted with a 200hp Hispano-Suiza 8B engine and armed with the Lewis and Vickers gun combination of the standard S.E.5a, it had new single-bay wings of unequal span and chord. In addition, a retractable radiator was provided in the forward fuselage, and a large, shallow, propeller spinner was fitted, to combine with a re-profiled cowling and give better streamlining of the fuselage. The head-fairing behind the cockpit was also improved. Tests in 1918 revealed little performance gain or handling benefit, with the extra drag of the big upper wing offsetting gains from the more streamlined fuselage. Standard S.E.5a wings were fitted to the S.E.5b in 1919, as well as a modified horizontal tail, for comparative testing at Martlesham Heath, and this aircraft made an appearance at the RAF Pageant at Hendon in 1920.

Specification 
 WEIGHTS
  Take-off weight885 kg1951 lb
 DIMENSIONS
  Wingspan9.32 m31 ft 7 in
  Length6.35 m21 ft 10 in
  Height2.89 m10 ft 6 in
  Wing area25.83 m2278.03 sq ft

Comments
Roger Markman, e-mail, 02.05.2012 13:22

I am a member of the Manchester Aviation Art Society.
I have just written an article for the society's magazine about the SE5b and I am writing to ask for your permission to us this photograph as illustration for the article.
Full credit will be given to you for this.
Yours faithfully...........Roger Markman

reply

Do you have any comments?

Name    E-mail


COMPANY
PROFILE


All the World's Rotorcraft


All rhe World's Rotorcraft AVIATION TOP 100 - www.avitop.com Avitop.com