Roe I Triplane

Infobox Aircraft
name=I Triplane


caption=
type=Experimental aircraft
manufacturer=Alliott Verdon Roe
designer=Alliott Verdon Roe
first flight=5 June 1909 (but sources differ as to which attempt should first be regarded as a "flight")
introduced=
retired=
status=
primary user=
more users=
produced=
number built=4
variants with their own articles=

The Roe I Triplane (often later referred to as the Avro Triplane) was an early aircraft, the first all-British aircraft to fly (Roe's previous biplane had a French engine). It featured not only a triplane wing, but a triplane tail as well. It was of extremely flimsy construction; financial hardship compelled Roe to use wood for structural elements where he would have preferred steel, and the wings and fuselage were paper-covered. Roe nicknamed the aircraft "The Blues" after the braces manufactured by his brother's firm that had helped pay for it. Beginning on 5 June 1909, he made a series of short hops on the Walthamstow Marshes in Essex. The triplane's wings were damaged by crashes during these attempts, but Roe persevered.

On 13 July, he achieved a flight of 100 ft (30 m), and ten days later, one of 900 ft (275 m). With confidence building, he swapped the original 6 hp (5 kW) JAP motorcycle engine for a 24 hp (18 kW) Antoinette. With this engine, he piloted the aircraft on several short flights at the Blackpool Meeting in October before it was damaged beyond repair in a crash at Wembley on 24 December.

Roe constructed three more machines to this design, powering them with ever-larger JAP engines. One example is preserved at the Science Museum in London, and the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester has a full-scale replica on display.

pecifications

aerospecs
met or eng?= eng

crew=one pilot
capacity=
length m=7
length ft=23
length in=0
span m=6
span ft=20
span in=0

wing area sqm=26.5
wing area sqft=285

empty weight kg=140
empty weight lb=300
gross weight kg=200
gross weight lb=450

eng1 number=1
eng1 type=JAP
eng1 kw= 15
eng1 hp= 20

max speed kmh=40
max speed mph=25

range km=0.5
range miles=⅓

References

*
*
* [http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=280 britishaircraft.co.uk]

ee also

aircontent

related=

similar aircraft=

sequence=
I (Biplane) - I (Triplane) -
II Triplane -
III Triplane -
IV Triplane

lists=

see also=