Warringah
Radio Control
Society Incorporated (Incorporated under the Association Incorporation Act 1984) THE SE5 and SE5a |
| Warringah
Radio Control
Society Incorporated (Incorporated under the Association Incorporation Act 1984) THE SE5 and SE5a |
 Shortly
after the development of the Scout Experimental 5, the improved S.E.5a
was introduced. When it entered the war in 1917, it was superior to all
its German opponents, the S.E.5a is one of the most important British combat
aircraft of World War I. Some of the greatest of all Allied aces utilized
the S.E.5a in combat including  Maj.
Edward Mannock with 73 victories (50 in the S.E.5a), Lt. Col. Billy Bishop,
and Capt. James McCudden. These and many other pilots considered the S.E.5a's
extraordinary strength and stability to be its most significant attributes,
though it was equally capable in terms of speed and maneuverability.
 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.
Disdained by Albert Ball, in the hands of airmen like William Bishop and
Edward Mannock, the S.E.5a developed a reputation as a formidable fighter.
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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.