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Wing-warping biplanes that served with the British air forces included the R.A.F. B.E.2a/b, to late-1915 operationally, then as trainers for a fair while longer; and, of course, the Sopwith Tabloid and Gordon-Bennett single-seaters, which both served with the RNAS, 1914-early 1915. Another 'early warbird' with wing-warping was the Martinsyde S.1 scout, one of which served to give 6 Squadron RFC's Lt. Louis Strange grey hairs one day in May, 1915, when he inverted it while struggling standing up on the seat to change a Lewis drum which had jammed in place - and hung on by his fingertips until he somehow managed to get a leg back inside the cockpit and give the stick a mighty kick to get back up the right way before he hit the deck. Regarded as the least-successful of the first-generation British 'scouts', was Martin and Handasyde's product, which served only until autumn 1915. Beautifully built aircraft, though . . .
And amongst the B.E.F's earliest inventory were such horrors as the B.E.8 'Bloater', one of which suffered 'lateral control failure' (believed to have been breakage of one or more of the warping cables), smashed the legs of its pilot, the great Robert Smith-Barry, and killed his mechanic passenger. But that's another story . . .
I'd be very grateful if someone could post a pic or two or, better still, a drawing of the control-cable routing on those wing-warping biplanes? B.E.2a/b, particularly.
Cheers!
(8:¬)}
Simba.
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30 January 2002, 12:28 PM
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