Grahame-White Type VII

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Grahame-White Type VII "Popular"
Role Sports aircraft
National origin United Kingdom
Designer J. D. North
First flight 1913

The Graham-White Type VII "Popular" was an early British aircraft designed by J. D. North and built by the Grahame-White Aviation company, with the intention of producing a low-cost aircraft to popularize aviation. [1] It was initially produced with a 35 hp Anzani 3-cylinder Y configuration engine and offered for sale at a price of less than £400. Despite its low price the aircraft included structural refinements such as hollow-section interplane struts. It was first flown in 1913.

John Dudley North (1893–1968), CBE, HonFRAeS, MIMechE, was Chairman and Managing Director of Boulton Paul Aircraft.

Contents

Design and development

The aircraft was a pusher biplane with a square section nacelle mounted between the upper and lower wings, which were of two-spar construction, the spars being ash I-sections. To maintain the leading edge section there were half-ribs between each rib, these extending from the leading edge to the main spar. A single horizontal tailplane with a split elevator and a rudder divided into two part, half above and half below the tailplane, were carried on ash booms behind the wing, the booms being connected by hollow wooden vertical struts and tubular steel horizontal members. The booms were spindled to an I-section except at the points of attachment of the cross-members. [2] The upper wing was double the span of the lower and had wide-span ailerons occupying the whole trailing edge outboard of the tail booms. The wings were connected by a single pair of struts on either side, the outer section of the upper wing being braced by wires leading to inverted-V kingposts. The wide-track undercarriage consisted of a pair of long laminated wood skids each bearing pair of wheels on a short axle. No tailskid was fitted.

Pusher configuration arrangement of propellers on an aircraft to face rearward

In a vehicle with a pusher configuration, the propeller(s) are mounted behind their respective engine(s). According to British aviation author Bill Gunston, a "pusher propeller" is one mounted behind the engine, so that the drive shaft is in compression.

Nacelle

A nacelle is a housing, separate from the fuselage, that holds engines, fuel, or equipment on an aircraft. In some cases—for instance in the typical "Farman" type "pusher" aircraft, or the World War II-era P-38 Lightning—an aircraft's cockpit may also be housed in a nacelle, which essentially fills the function of a conventional fuselage. The covering is typically aerodynamically shaped.

<i>Fraxinus</i> genus of plants

Fraxinus, English name ash, is a genus of flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45–65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous, though a few subtropical species are evergreen. The genus is widespread across much of Europe, Asia, and North America.

The Type VII was built in both single and two seat versions and some were fitted with the 50 hp (37 kW) Gnome Omega engine, which would have increased the price considerably as well as improving performance, since this engine cost around £500.

Gnome Omega

The Gnome 7 Omega is a French seven-cylinder, air-cooled aero engine produced by Gnome et Rhône. It was shown at the Paris Aero Salon held in December 1908 and was first flown in 1909. It was the world's first aviation rotary engine produced in quantity. Its introduction revolutionized the aviation industry and it was used by many early aircraft. It produced 50 horsepower (37 kW) from its capacity of 8 litres. A Gnome Omega engine powers the 1912 Blackburn Monoplane, owned and operated by the Shuttleworth Collection, the oldest known airworthy British-designed aeroplane worldwide. A two-row version of the same engine was also produced, known as the Gnome 14 Omega-Omega or Gnome 100 hp. The prototype Omega engine still exists, and is on display at the United States' National Air and Space Museum.

Operational history

In March 1913, the British War Office, in an attempt to boost the numerical strength of the Royal Flying Corps announced the purchase of seven aircraft from the Grahame-White company, including two Type VII Populars and one two-seat VIIc Popular Passenger Biplane (which despite the name was unrelated to the single-seat Type VII). [3] [4] Although the purchase of two of the single-seat type VIIs was announced, it appears that only one was taken on charge. While allocated the serial number 283, the aircraft saw little if any use by the RFC. [5]

War Office department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army

The War Office was a Department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence. It was equivalent to the Admiralty, responsible for the Royal Navy, and the Air Ministry, which oversaw the Royal Air Force. The name "War Office" is also given to the former home of the department, the War Office building, located at the junction of Horse Guards Avenue and Whitehall in central London.

Royal Flying Corps former air warfare service of the British Army

The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War, until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC supported the British Army by artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance. This work gradually led RFC pilots into aerial battles with German pilots and later in the war included the strafing of enemy infantry and emplacements, the bombing of German military airfields and later the strategic bombing of German industrial and transport facilities.

Specifications

Data fromBritish Aircraft 1809-1914 [6]

General characteristics

Airfoil

An airfoil or aerofoil is the cross-sectional shape of a wing, blade, or sail.

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 50 mph (80 km/h; 43 kn)
  • Endurance: 4 hours

Notes

  1. ↑ Lewis 1962, p.280.
  2. 1 2 3 The 35 hp Grahame-White "Popular" Biplane, Flight 1 February 1913, pp. 112–115.
  3. ↑ Bruce 1982, p. 252.
  4. ↑ "Some of the Government's 101 Aeroplanes". Flight, 29 March 1913, p. 366.
  5. ↑ Bruce 1982, pp. 254–255.
  6. ↑ Lewis 1962, p.281

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References

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