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"It's a pixie!" Major Frank Goodden to Henry Folland upon landing after the first flight of SE5 prototype (A4561) at the Royal Aircraft Factory at Farnborough, 22 November 1916
"... the S.E.5 as the [Royal Aircraft Factory] turned it out was an abortion; it was the pilots of 56 Squadron who turned it into a practical fighter." Cecil Lewis
Disdained by pilots like Albert Ball, the Scout Experimental 5 was soon replaced with the improved S.E.5a. When it entered the war in 1917, it was superior to all its German opponents. Many pilots preferred it to the Sopwith Camel: it was easier to fly, it performed better at high altitude and its inline engine produced less noise. It was also faster than the Camel, allowing a pilot to break off combat at will. In the hands of airmen like William Bishop and Edward Mannock, the S.E.5a developed a reputation as a formidable fighter.
With 54 victories, South African Anthony Beauchamp Proctor downed more enemy aircraft with this plane than any other ace.
207 pilots died in combat and 79 pilots died from non-combat related causes while flying the S.E.5 and S.E.5a during World War I. |
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| Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 and S.E.5a Specifications |
| Country: |
Great Britain |
| Manufacturer: |
Royal Aircraft Factory |
| Type: |
Fighter |
| Entered Service: |
7 April 1917 (S.E.5)
June 1917 (S.E.5a) |
| Number Built: |
5,205 (S.E.5 and S.E.5a) |
| Engine(s): |
Hispano-Suiza, water cooled, 200 hp (manufacturing problems)
Wolseley W4a Viper, 200 hp |
| Wing Span: |
26 ft 7 3/8 in (8.11 m) |
| Length: |
20 ft 11 in (6.38 m) |
| Height: |
9 ft 6 in |
| Empty Weight: |
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| Gross Weight: |
1988 lb (902 kg) |
| Max Speed: |
120 mph (193 km/h) at 15,000 ft (4,572 m) |
| Ceiling: |
19,500 ft (5,944 m) |
| Endurance: |
2 hours 30 minutes |
| Crew: |
1 |
| Armament: |
1 Vickers .303 (port side of the
fuselage)
1 Lewis .303 gun (mounted atop the upper wing) |
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| Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 and S.E.5a Units |
| Australian Flying Corps: |
2, 6 |
| Royal Air Force: |
150, 151 |
| Royal Flying Corps: |
1, 17, 24, 29, 32, 40, 41, 47, 56, 60, 61, 64, 72, 74, 84, 85, 92, 111, 145 |
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| Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 and S.E.5a Aces (209) |
| 31 |
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McDonald, Ian Donald Roy |
17 |
| 32 |
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Burden, Henry John |
16 |
| 33 |
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Grosvenor, Robert Arthur |
16 |
| 34 |
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Highwood, Sidney William |
16 |
| 35 |
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Rose, Oren John |
16 |
| 36 |
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Smith, Francis Ryan |
16 |
| 37 |
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Tempest, Edmund Roger |
16 |
| 38 |
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Venter, Cristoffel Johannes |
16 |
| 39 |
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Crowe, Cyril Marconi |
15 |
| 40 |
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Richardson, Herbert Brian |
15 |
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| Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 and S.E.5a Books |
- S.E.5a in Action (Aircraft, No 69)
- John F. Connors, Kevin Wornkey (Illustrator) / Paperback / Squadron Signal Pub 1985
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