Alliot Verdon Roe transferred his experiments to Lea Marshes in 1909 and designed a triplane. Unable to afford the hire of the Antoinette engine, he built a triplane and covered its wings with brown paper in the hopes that it would be light enough to fly on 9 hp. On 13 July 1909 at Lea Marshes, with Roe at the controls, the Triplane No 1 became the first British built and piloted aeroplane to make a successful flight in England.
Testing at Wembley Park in January 1910, the 20 hp /JAP engine was sufficient to allow circuits of the airfield with few mishaps.
His triplane is now preserved in the National Aeronautical Collection at South Kensington.
In London movie makers needed a full-size flying reproduction of A.V.Roe’s 1909 triplane for the 1964 “Those Magnificent Men and Their Flying Machines”. Blueprints were available so Avro built one for the movie scenes.
Engine: 1 x 9hp JAP 2-cylinder / 20 hp JAP
Wingspan: 6.10 m / 20 ft 0 in
Wing chord 3 ft. 71 in.
Wing area 217.5 sq. ft.
Length: 7.01 m / 23 ft 0 in
Height: 3.35 m / 11 ft 0 in
Weight empty 136 kg / 300 lb
Take-off weight: 204 kg / 450 lb
Max. speed: 40 km/h / 25 mph
Crew: 1
All Aero 