The Aerodrome Forum - View Single Post - Different flying characteristics Spad XIII vs SE5a

izstew · 29 March 2008, 08:59 PM

I wonder if anyone can help me. I am writing a book and at a stage where I need to describe the differences that a pilot would notice when he flew these 2 aircraft around April 1918. I believe I know that the Spad would be trickier to fly with a nasty stall and a glide like a brick needing power to land. There appear to be differences of opinion re relative speed but most sources have the Spad around 135mph vs SE5a in the high 120s. At least one person claims that the Spad could only be outclimbed the the Fokkers DVII and DR1 but I cant find any verification . The small gap in combination with the center cutout of the upper wing gave the pilot excellent visibility over the top of the wing. The cockpit was close behind the engine with the pilot's feet and part of his legs located in aluminum tunnels beneath the engine. The exhaust pipes being so far behind the cockpit apparently made the Spad unusually quiet for the pilot. Of course the machine gun configuration was different.

But unlike most other major aircraft I cant find any literature constrasting these 2 aircraft by someone who has actually flown both. The best i can find is

Cecil Lewis in

Sagittarius Rising who writes about a fly off with Guynemer. There he says that that Guynemer had 3 aircraft, 1 standard Spad, 1 high compression and his famous cannon spad. Lewis says standard Spad and SE5a were same speed, and same climb with the high compression Spad climbing slightly faster than the SE. But if McCudden's high compression SE were there, it sounds like it may have outclimed the Spad since McC often talked about how other SE5s climbed a lot less well than his. Lewis says that the Spad was a lot more maneouverable but admits that Guynemers flying ability would have had a lot to do with this & I cant find anyone else who sings the maneouverability of the Spad XIII, indeed many do so for the VII and there seems to be a feeling that the XIII traded off some of that maneouverability for ruggedness and speed.
Does anyone out there know more than this or have experience of flying the two aircraft? If so I would love to hear.

29 March 2008, 08:59 PM	#1 (permalink)
izstew Observer Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: currently based in Florida keys Posts: 12	Different flying characteristics Spad XIII vs SE5a I wonder if anyone can help me. I am writing a book and at a stage where I need to describe the differences that a pilot would notice when he flew these 2 aircraft around April 1918. I believe I know that the Spad would be trickier to fly with a nasty stall and a glide like a brick needing power to land. There appear to be differences of opinion re relative speed but most sources have the Spad around 135mph vs SE5a in the high 120s. At least one person claims that the Spad could only be outclimbed the the Fokkers DVII and DR1 but I cant find any verification . The small gap in combination with the center cutout of the upper wing gave the pilot excellent visibility over the top of the wing. The cockpit was close behind the engine with the pilot's feet and part of his legs located in aluminum tunnels beneath the engine. The exhaust pipes being so far behind the cockpit apparently made the Spad unusually quiet for the pilot. Of course the machine gun configuration was different. But unlike most other major aircraft I cant find any literature constrasting these 2 aircraft by someone who has actually flown both. The best i can find is Cecil Lewis in Sagittarius Rising who writes about a fly off with Guynemer. There he says that that Guynemer had 3 aircraft, 1 standard Spad, 1 high compression and his famous cannon spad. Lewis says standard Spad and SE5a were same speed, and same climb with the high compression Spad climbing slightly faster than the SE. But if McCudden's high compression SE were there, it sounds like it may have outclimed the Spad since McC often talked about how other SE5s climbed a lot less well than his. Lewis says that the Spad was a lot more maneouverable but admits that Guynemers flying ability would have had a lot to do with this & I cant find anyone else who sings the maneouverability of the Spad XIII, indeed many do so for the VII and there seems to be a feeling that the XIII traded off some of that maneouverability for ruggedness and speed. Does anyone out there know more than this or have experience of flying the two aircraft? If so I would love to hear.