Bristol Gordon England biplanes

Gordon England biplane

Picture - G.E.2 with Gnome engine

Role: Military utility aircraft
Manufacturer: Bristol
Designed by: Eric Gordon England
First flight: May 1912
Number built: 5

The Bristol-Gordon England biplane was an early British military aircraft that first flew in 1912. Designed for easy ground transport, the aircraft could be quickly disassembled. An unusual feature of an otherwise conventional design was that the lower wing was not directly attached to the bottom of the fuselage, but was mounted on struts - a distinctive design element that would be carried over to the Bristol Fighter.

The Gordon England biplane was submitted in the British military aeroplane trials of 1912, with two different engines, flown by Howard Pixton and Gordon England but was passed over in favour of the Avro Type E. Bristol nevertheless managed to sell two examples to the Turkish armed forces, which remained undelivered due to an Italian blockade of Turkish ports.

Variants

G.E.1 Prototype with 50 hp (40 kW) Clerget inline engine (1 built) G.E.2 Submissions for a military aeroplane competition. Two built - one with a 100 hp (80 kW) Gnome engine, the other with a 80 hp (60 kW) Daimler G.E.3 A new design using similar wings to the G.E.2 but with a new fuselage to meet a Turkish Government specification for a long-range biplane. A two-seater with 80 hp (60 kW) Gnome engine (2 built, not delivered)

Specifications (G.E.1)

General characteristics

Crew: Two, pilot and observer
Length: 29 ft 0 in (8.84 m)
Wingspan: 33 ft 8 in (10.26 m)
Wing area: 320 ft² (29.7 m²)
Powerplant: 1 x— Clerget water-cooled inline, 50 hp (37 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed: 65 mph (105 km/h)

Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. pp. 204.
Barnes, C. H. (1964). Bristol Aircraft since 1910. London: Putnam and Company Ltd. pp. 415.
britishaircraft.co.uk
The Transport Archive

Bristol Gordon England biplanes Pictures

Living Warbirds: The best warbirds DVD series.

Source: WikiPedia