1930
Blackburn R.B.2 Sydney / C.B.2 Nile
Monoplane
Blackburn B-1 Seagrave / Piaggio P.12
The Blackburn Segrave Meteor was designed in 1929 by Sir Henry Segrave, Technical Director of the Aircraft Investment Corporation. This corporation had substantial interests in the Blackburn Airplane & Motor Co and Saunders Roe. The prototype, G-AAXP, was built by Saunders-Roe and flown on 28 May 1930 at Cowes.
A four-seat cabin monoplane powered by two 89kW de Havilland Gipsy Ills or similar engine. It had an all-wooden fuselage. It was flown in the 1930 King’s Cup Race, and registration finally cancelled in September 1938.
The production of an all-metal machine was given to Blackburn, a number of parts being made by Saunders-Roe. Two production machines, known as Blackburn Segraves were built; G-ABFP and G-ABFP. G-ABFP registration was cancelled in December 1934.
G-ABFR was used on the Hull-Grimsby ferry in 1932. Its last owner was British Air Transport Ltd of Redhill. It was withdrawn in August 1939.
A fourth, G-ACMI, had an experimental Duncanson single-spar wing. This spar was hollow and carried fuel.
G-ACMI was powered by Gipsy Majors, the others having Gipsy III’s. G-ACMI was originally registered G-ABZJ for a time at the end of 1932 but never carried these letters.
Two were built by Piaggio as P.12s.
Blackburn R.2 Airedale
1925
Blackburn Sidecar
The Blackburn Sidecar was a two-seat side-by-side ultra-light aircraft powered by one 40-hp ABC Gnat 2-cylinder engine. It was built by the Blackburn Aeroplane & Motor Co at Brough, West Yorks, in 1919. Only one was built (G-EALN), and was owned by a certian K. M. Smith. It was exhibited at Harrods, London during March 1919, afterwards being sold to Haydon-White, whereupon it was re-engined with a 100-hp Anzani engine in 1921.
Wingspan 27 ft 3 in
Length 20 ft 6 in
Empty weight 123 lb
Maximum speed 83 mph
Blackburn White Falcon
The White Falcon was built by Blackburn during 1915 for the personal use of their test pilot, W. Rowland Dring. It was a mid-wing, wire braced monoplane with open cockpits for pilot and passenger, powered by an uncowled 100 hp (75 kW) Anzani radial engine driving a four-blade 9 ft (2.74 m) diameter propeller. The wings were of parallel chord and generally like those of the Improved Type I, though 1 ft (31 cm) greater in span, similarly wire braced to an inverted ‘V’ kingpost and to the undercarriage. The wing warping wires also ran via the kingpost. The White Falcon initially used a standard B.E.2c undercarriage (Blackburn’s were one company manufacturing these aircraft during the war) but this was replaced later with a simpler structure without skids.
The fuselage was a standard Blackburn Warren girder structure, though of square rather than triangular cross-section. The decking was rounded. The tailplane was like that of the Improved Type I, and the fin and rudder formed a neat triangular shape with a vertical trailing edge.
It has been suggested that it was used by Dring to communicate with RNAS stations that had received Blackburn built B.E.2c machines, and to collect their delivery pilots. In the winter of 1916-17 it wore RAF roundels but no serial number. Rowland Dring died in a B.E.2c crash in Leeds on 12 May 1917.
Engine: one 10-cylinder Anzani radial, 100 hp (75 kW)
Crew: 1
Capacity: pilot and one passenger
Length: 26 ft 11.25 in (8.21 m)
Wingspan: 39 ft 6 in (12.04 m)
Wing area: 209 sq ft (19.4 sq.m)
Blackburn Type I
Developing precious designs, Blackburn built a two-seat version designated Type I, the first of these flying in August 1913. Powered by an 80-hp (60-kW) Gnome rotary engine, the Type I carried out a considerable amount of flying before another Type I followed. A single-seater with the same engine, and in turn an ‘Improved Type I’ appeared. It, too, saw much use, and was rebuilt eventually as a floatplane trainer with an Anzani engine for the Northern Aircraft Co. at Lake Windermere. Many pilots of the Royal Naval Air Service received their basic training on this ‘Land/Sea Monoplane’, before it was written off on 1st April 1916
Blackburn Single-seat Monoplane / Type D
Following the Blackburn Type Es, Robert Blackburn’s next design was the Single-Seat Monoplane sometimes refered to as the Blackburn Type D, built for Cyril Foggin in 1912. A wooden, fabric-covered single-seat monoplane which, for the first time, Blackburn fitted a rudder bar in preference to his “triple steering column”.
The aircraft first flew late in 1912. Some modifications followed in time: the engine cowling was extended into a semicircular shape to discourage the discharge of smoke and hot oil from the rotary into the cockpit; the wing tips were slightly rounded; and the crook-shaped skids were replaced by ones of ‘hockey stick’ form.
First flown in 1912, it was powered by a 50-hp (37-kW) Gnome rotary engine and accumulated a considerable number of flying hours before it was almost destroyed in a crash of 1914.
Blackburn used the Type D for a series of demonstration flights from Lofthouse Park, situated between Leeds and Wakefield, from March to May 1913. He also flew to neighbouring towns: to Stamford, dropping leaflets; to Harrogate, where he landed; and on three successive days in late July to York, carrying bundles of the Leeds-printed Yorkshire Post. Foggin sold the aircraft on to Montague Glew, who crashed it in 1914 on the family farm at Wittering, where the remains lay untouched until discovered by Richard Ormode Shuttleworth in 1938. Restoration was undertaken at Old Warden, flying again on 17 September 1947. Although only a single example was built, it has the distinction of being the oldest airworthy British aircraft.
Blackburn Type E
Nine months before competitive trials were scheduled on Salisbury Plain, Robert Blackburn built two monoplanes with the designation Type E. The first completed, in April 1912, was a single-seater powered by a 60-hp (45-kW) Green inline engine, built for Lieutenant W. Lawrence, for use in India. That idea did not come to fruition.
The other Type E two-seater, built for the War Office trials, was completed in June 1912, and was powered by a 70-hp (52-kW) Renault ‘V’ engine, which proved too heavy for flight. Blackburn then went on to his next design, The Single-Seat Monoplane.
Blackburn Mercury / B
The need to train pilots led Blackburn to develop a larger, two-seat monoplane, which he christened Mercury. The Mercury was the third aircraft built by Robert Blackburn at the factory in Leeds. Powered by a 50hp (37 kW) Isaacson radial engine, it was a two-seater and flew early in 1911 flying from the beach at Filey with the newly formed Blackburn Flying School. The new machine, sometimes known in retrospect as the Mercury I, joined the Second Monoplane at the Blackburn Flying School.
The Mercury I was displayed at the Olympia Aero Show in March 1911.
In May 1911, it flew from Filey to Scarborough and back in 19 minutes at an average speed of 50 mph, reaching an altitude of 1200 feet. This aircraft crashed the next day when the engine seized and the propeller flew off.
Interest had been aroused in the Mercury and orders were received for eight aircraft. The first two, known under the designation Mercury II, were single-seaters, each with a 50-hp (37-kW) Gnome rotary and were built for the Daily Mail Circuit of Britain contest, which offered £10,000 in prize money. The first machine was lost in a take-off accident, while the second, being converted to a two-seater, and later being revised as a school machine with wings of greater span and receiving the designation of Type B. Of the remaining six Mercurys, the first (Mercury Passenger Type or Mercury III) had a 60-hp (45-kW) Renault engine, the second a 50-hp (37-kW) Isaacson engine, the third, fourth and fifth machines were powered by the 50-hp (37-kW) Gnome rotary, and the sixth had an Anzani engine of similar power.
Reported in November 1911, Hurbert Oxley had the new Blackburn passenger machine out. This is fitted with a Renault motor and had just been completed. He made one or two straight flights, taking the pupils as passengers, at its first appearance. Next day he was again out trying the same machine. Several short flights were made with passengers. The estimated speed of this machine is 65 mph when fully loaded.
The Renault engined Mercury crashed at Filey in December 1911, killing an instructor and passenger.
Other Blackburn Monoplanes were built for private owners and examples were shown at the Olympia Aero Shows in 1911 and 1914, and also took part in the Daily Mail sponsored Circuit of Britain Race in 1911.
Constructor number 725 was built in 1912 for Cyril Foggin. Stored at Wittering by Francis Glew until 1938 it was again stored during WW2 In 1947 it was restored to flying condition.
Mercury I
Engine: 1 x 50 hp Isaacson
Wing span: 38 ft 4 in
Length: 33 ft
Gross weight: 1000 lbs
Max speed: 60 mph
Number built: 1
Mercury II
Engine: 1 x 50 hp gnome
Wing span: 32 ft
Length: 25 ft
Gross weight: 750 lbs
Max speed: 80-85 mph
Number built: 1
Mercury III
Engine: 1 x 60 hp Renault
Wing span: 38 ft 4 in
Length: 33 ft
Gross weight: 800 lbs
Max speed: 85-90 mph
Number built: 9
c/n 725
Engine: Gnome, 50 hp
Wingspan: 32 ft 1 in
Length: 26 ft 3 in
All up weight: 900 lb
Max speed: 60 mph
Blackburn 2nd Monoplane
The Blackburn Second Monoplane (sometimes described as The Light Type Monoplane) of 1910 used the then new and untried Isaacson 40-hp radial engine. It first flew from Filey Sands in Yorkshire on 8 March 1911. Surviving damage on that occasion, it subsequently went on to achieve a number of successful flights (and landings).
This aircraft marked the acceptance of Robert Blackburn as a leading British aircraft designer.
Engine: Isaacson 40-hp radial
Wingspan: 30 ft
Length: 32 ft
Max speed: 60 mph
Number built: 1
