Harry Tate

Just a simple question:

Why were the RE8 nicknamed "Harry Tate"?

Peter Norell

Just say R E 8 with a "cockney" accent!!!!

[mike_baram]

I can't be sure, but the Cockney's have a habit of taking a phrase and reworking it into a slang term....so it could come from a corruption...."R" "E" "8" > "Arree-ate" > "Harry Tate"....
Of course, I have been wrong before (actually voted for Nixon once).

[mike_baram]

Steve,
Coincidence? or is it a case of GMTA (Great Minds Think Alike)?
Mike

I agree with the cockney pronunciation/slang theory above, but my favorite name for the R.E.8, as well as the most accurate one in my opinion, remains "The Flaming Coffin".
I do believe it was the most unfortunate piece of junk ever built.

Harry Tate was the name of a popular music hall performer of the time.

[mike_baram]

Melinda,
You obviously don't remember the Edsel.
Tom,
Thanks...there could be a connection, but it doesn't obviate the Cockney connection...after all, a popular performers name with a similar sound is natural fodder,
wudenchew agree, Govenah?
Mike

[stephen]

Tom is right... the accent sounded like the musical performer's name and the cliche stuck.

Sorry, Melinda, but the "flaming coffin" was actually the DH4, named so because the fuel tank had been located between the pilot and observer to equalize the plane's weight distribution. Both planes, the DH 4 and the RE 8, were outstanding aircraft and executed the job which they were designed to perfection. They were not designed for aerial combat and were intended to obtain protection from escorts and mutual support from their own formations. I had the privelage of knowing several men who flew these airplanes and not one of them had a bad word to say about either of them. In fact, they claimed that their planes were unduly maligned mainly because they weren't designed as glamorous fighters. Their jobs were quite mundane, but in those jobs the planes performed superbly, offering roomy rear cockpits for equipment storage, excellent visibility for the rear officer and a good field of defensive fire, outstanding inherent stability, the ability to carry suitable combat loads, and the versatility to perform multiple observation, recon and ground attack duties. Of course, the RE 8 in particular wasn't much of a challenge in a dogfight, but anyone dogfighting in an RE 8 was an idiot anyway. In a pinch it could put up a nasty fight when well handled, as evidenced by MvR's last mission and scores of other incidents, several of which were related to me by the participants.

Stephen, I hate to contradict you, especially when you wax so eloquent...BUT:
The fuel tank of the R.E.8 was placed so far forward, and the aircraft itself was so nose heavy, that it often nosed down into the ground during landings and caught itself on fire. The tail assembly was too small, giving poor rudder control, increasing the chances of a fatal spin...
Just LOOK at the miserable thing. I love these pilots for their unflappable loyalty, but it was not a prize-winning aircraft. It's a miracle of aviation history (and a credit to his markmanship) that Canadian ace Freddie McCall managed to bag 8 victories with one.
I wince every time I see a picture of one.

Melinda, the Ralph Nader wanna-be

P.S.
A kid in my high school actually owned an Edsel. Huge ugly car, red and white two-tones, windows so thick it looked like a greenhouse on wheels.
When I hear of a kid flying an R.E.8 to school, then I'll rewrite it as no.2 on my list of lemons.

[Richard_Schrader]

The performer, Harry Tate, was well known for falling down a lot, in the most comical way. The same could be said of the R.E. 8, hence it's nickname "Harry Tate".