Warringah
Radio Control
Society Incorporated (Incorporated under the Association Incorporation Act 1984) THE BE-2 |
| Warringah
Radio Control
Society Incorporated (Incorporated under the Association Incorporation Act 1984) THE BE-2 |
 The
Blériot Experimental 2 (BE-2) biplane was first developed by Geoffrey
De Havilland in 1912 and during the aircraft trials at Larkhill in August
1912 the two-seater broke the British altitude record, climbing to 10,560
feet. Equipped with a more powerful engine, the unarmed B.E.2a was introduced
in 1913. By August 1914 it was the standard military aircraft employed
by the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and was the first British aircraft to arrive
in France during World War I.. Although slow, it was stable and therefore
played an important reconnaissance role in the early part of the First
World War. The design of the plane was constantly being revised and during
the war there were five different versions.
The BE-2, with improved tail and wing design; was used by RFC for reconnaissance and light bombing on the Western Front during 1914. The BE-2b had better cockpit protection and more refined controls. By autumn 1915 the BE-2b had been withdrawn and replaced by the BE-2c. With its modified engine for extra stability and the addition of an observer's machine-gun, the BE-2c was Britain's attempt to cope with the superior German Fokker D-VII. The BE-2d could travel longer distances and the BE-2e (introduced in 1916) was faster than previous models. The BE-2e remained in use on the Western Front until the middle of 1917 but squadrons equipped with the B.E.2c suffered heavy losses to more maneuverable enemy aircraft.  In
1918 the BE-2 was mainly used as a defence against Zeppelin raids or on
anti-submarine duties for the Royal Navy. It was also widely used to train
pilots and a total of more than 3,000 had been manufactured by the end
of the War. |