Misplaced Pages

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74-551: The Blackburn B-5 Baffin biplane torpedo bomber designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Blackburn Aircraft . It was a development of the Ripon , the chief change being that a 545 hp (406 kW) Bristol Pegasus I.MS radial engine had replaced the Ripon's Napier Lion water-cooled inline engine. The Baffin was designed by Major F A Bumpus and was initially pursued as

148-646: A W shape cabane, however as it does not connect the wings to each other, it does not add to the number of bays. Large transport and bombing biplanes often needed still more bays to provide sufficient strength. These are often referred to as multi-bay biplanes . A small number of biplanes, such as the Zeppelin-Lindau D.I have no interplane struts and are referred to as being strutless . Because most biplanes do not have cantilever structures, they require rigging wires to maintain their rigidity. Early aircraft used simple wire (either braided or plain), however during

222-412: A biplane aircraft, two wings are placed one above the other. Each provides part of the lift, although they are not able to produce twice as much lift as a single wing of similar size and shape because the upper and the lower are working on nearly the same portion of the atmosphere and thus interfere with each other's behaviour. In a biplane configuration with no stagger from the upper wing to the lower wing,

296-608: A documented jet-kill, as one Lockheed F-94 Starfire was lost while slowing down to 161 km/h (100 mph) – below its stall speed – during an intercept in order to engage the low flying Po-2. Later biplane trainers included the de Havilland Tiger Moth in the Royal Air Force (RAF), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and others and the Stampe SV.4 , which saw service postwar in the French and Belgian Air Forces. The Stearman PT-13

370-509: A faster and more comfortable successor to the Dragon. As the available engine power and speed increased, the drag penalty of external bracing increasingly limited aircraft performance. To fly faster, it would be necessary to reduce external bracing to create an aerodynamically clean design; however, early cantilever designs were either too weak or too heavy. The 1917 Junkers J.I sesquiplane utilized corrugated aluminum for all flying surfaces, with

444-422: A given wing area. However, interference between the airflow over each wing increases drag substantially, and biplanes generally need extensive bracing, which causes additional drag. Biplanes are distinguished from tandem wing arrangements, where the wings are placed forward and aft, instead of above and below. The term is also occasionally used in biology , to describe the wings of some flying animals . In

518-510: A hundred miles to Pons Aelius (modern day Newcastle upon Tyne ). The town's name is simply from the Old English burh meaning "fortification" and is thus related to the terms borough and burgh . Brough was created a town by the Archbishop of York in 1239, granted the same liberties as Beverley . There is no record of these liberties having been employed, and the settlement operated as

592-507: A minimum of struts; however, it was relatively easy to damage the thin metal skin and required careful handling by ground crews. The 1918 Zeppelin-Lindau D.I fighter was an all-metal stressed-skin monocoque fully cantilevered biplane, but its arrival had come too late to see combat use in the conflict. By the 1930s, biplanes had reached their performance limits, and monoplanes become increasingly predominant, particularly in continental Europe where monoplanes had been increasingly common from

666-606: A post office. Brough also has a couple of public houses . Primary education at Brough is provided by Brough Primary School and newly moved, Hunsley Primary, previously near the secondary school in Melton . The nearest secondary school is South Hunsley School and Sixth Form College is approximately 2 miles (3 km) to the east of the town in Melton. Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC Yorkshire and Lincolnshire and ITV Yorkshire . Television signals are received from

740-406: A private venture. It was a conventional two-seat single-bay biplane of mixed metal and wooden construction with fabric covering. It had swept, staggered , equal-span wings, the lower having an inverse gull to provide clearance for the torpedo while retaining a short undercarriage . The engine was shifted forwards in comparison to that of the Ripon to retain its centre of gravity. Armament comprised

814-720: A relatively short service life with the FAA, who elected to withdraw the type in favour of newer aircraft prior to the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939. The only export customer for the Baffin was the Royal New Zealand Air Force , who had acquired 29 existing aircraft from the UK during 1937. These were largely used in reserve roles and for training, and were only operated for

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888-634: A short period into the conflict until their withdrawal sometime in 1941. During the early 1930s, the torpedo bomber squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) were equipped with the Blackburn Ripon . While the Ripon had only entered service in 1930, it was powered by the elderly Napier Lion engine. As early as 1928, Blackburn had promptly recognised that the replacement of the Lion with a modern air-cooled radial engine would present several advantages. Dispensing of

962-399: A single fixed-position forward-firing 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun and one free-mounted .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun in the rear cockpit, plus one 2,000 lb (910 kg) bomb, or 1,576 lb (716 kg) Mk VIII or Mk IX torpedo, or three 530 lb (240 kg) or six 250 lb (110 kg) bombs. First flown on 30 September 1932, the project caught

1036-463: A small degree, but more often was used to improve access to the cockpit. Many biplanes have staggered wings. Common examples include the de Havilland Tiger Moth , Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann and Travel Air 2000 . Alternatively, the lower wing can instead be moved ahead of the upper wing, giving negative stagger, and similar benefits. This is usually done in a given design for structural reasons, or to improve visibility. Examples of negative stagger include

1110-473: A somewhat unusual sesquiplane arrangement, possessing a more substantial lower wing with two spars that eliminated the flutter problems encountered by single-spar sesquiplanes. The stacking of wing planes was suggested by Sir George Cayley in 1843. Hiram Maxim adopted the idea for his steam-powered test rig, which lifted off but was held down by safety rails, in 1894. Otto Lilienthal designed and flew two different biplane hang gliders in 1895, though he

1184-610: A village for further centuries. The town is significant for its association with the highwayman Dick Turpin . About June 1737 Turpin boarded at the Ferry Inn at Brough, under the alias of John Palmer (or Parmen). Turpin travelled between and resided in Brough, until his capture and execution for horse theft in 1739. Over the past couple of years, there has been a shift in the socio-economic group of people living in Brough because of improved rail links and new housing developments, most recently

1258-665: Is being rebuilt by Don Subritzky at Dairy Flat. A second fuselage section was stored in Mapua, South Island, New Zealand as part of the late John Smith collection and has since joined the Subritzky collection. Data from The British Bomber since 1914. General characteristics Performance Armament Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Biplane Biplanes offer several advantages over conventional cantilever monoplane designs: they permit lighter wing structures, low wing loading and smaller span for

1332-547: Is better known for his monoplanes. By 1896 a group of young men in the United States, led by Octave Chanute , were flying hang gliders including biplanes and concluded that the externally braced biplane offered better prospects for powered flight than the monoplane. In 1903, the Wright Flyer biplane became the first successful powered aeroplane. Throughout the pioneer years, both biplanes and monoplanes were common, but by

1406-656: Is situated on the northern bank of the Humber Estuary , approximately 12 miles (19 km) west of Hull city centre. Brough has a long association with BAE Systems . The town was known as Petuaria during the Roman period, and served as the capital of the Celtic tribe of the Parisi . Petuaria marked the southern end of the Roman road known now as Cade's Road which ran roughly northwards for

1480-633: The Armstrong Siddeley Tiger engines that had powered the Blackburn Shark . A further factor was the political desire to expand the strength of the Fleet Air Arm. An additional three new production Baffins had the 580 hp (430 kW) Pegasus II.M3 engine and were termed the Baffin T8A. The aircraft is said to have inspired the coining of the word " Boffin ". Initial deliveries, including

1554-984: The Belmont TV transmitter. Local radio stations are BBC Radio Humberside , Greatest Hits Radio East Yorkshire , Nation Radio East Yorkshire and Capital Yorkshire . The town is served by the local newspaper, Hull Daily Mail . The town is served by Brough railway station on the Hull to Selby and Doncaster railway line. Direct rail services to London are provided by Hull Trains and London North Eastern Railway . Other services are TransPennine Express trains running west to Leeds , Manchester Piccadilly , Liverpool , and Northern to York , Doncaster and Sheffield . All east-bound trains run to Hull: some then run north to Cottingham , Beverley , Driffield , Bridlington , Filey and Scarborough . Most local bus services are provided by East Yorkshire Motor Services . The services run to Hull as well as other towns and villages in

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1628-524: The Bristol M.1 , that caused even those with relatively high performance attributes to be overlooked in favour of 'orthodox' biplanes, and there was an allegedly widespread belief held at that time that monoplane aircraft were inherently unsafe during combat. Between the years of 1914 and 1925, a clear majority of new aircraft introduced were biplanes; however, during the latter years of the First World War,

1702-580: The First World War -era Fokker D.VII fighter and the Second World War de Havilland Tiger Moth basic trainer. The larger two-seat Curtiss JN-4 Jenny is a two bay biplane , the extra bay being necessary as overlong bays are prone to flexing and can fail. The SPAD S.XIII fighter, while appearing to be a two bay biplane, has only one bay, but has the midpoints of the rigging braced with additional struts; however, these are not structurally contiguous from top to bottom wing. The Sopwith 1½ Strutter has

1776-684: The Grumman Ag Cat are available in upgraded versions with turboprop engines. The two most produced biplane designs were the 1913 British Avro 504 of which 11,303 were built, and the 1928 Soviet Polikarpov Po-2 of which over 20,000 were built, with the Po-2 being the direct replacement for the Soviet copy of the Avro 504. Both were widely used as trainers. The Antonov An-2 was very successful too, with more than 18,000 built. Although most ultralights are monoplanes,

1850-595: The Lite Flyer Biplane, the Sherwood Ranger , and the Murphy Renegade . The feathered dinosaur Microraptor gui glided, and perhaps even flew, on four wings, which may have been configured in a staggered sesquiplane arrangement. This was made possible by the presence of flight feathers on both forelimbs and hindlimbs, with the feathers on the forelimbs opening to a greater span. It has been suggested that

1924-539: The Nieuport-Delage NiD 42 / 52 / 62 series, Fokker C.Vd & e, and Potez 25 , all serving across a large number of air forces. In the general aviation sector, aircraft such as the Waco Custom Cabin series proved to be relatively popular. The Saro Windhover was a sesquiplane with the upper wing smaller than the lower, which was a much rarer configuration than the reverse. The Pfalz D.III also featured

1998-494: The Sopwith Dolphin , Breguet 14 and Beechcraft Staggerwing . However, positive (forward) stagger is much more common. The space enclosed by a set of interplane struts is called a bay (much as the architectural form is used), hence a biplane or triplane with one set of such struts connecting the wings on each side of the aircraft is a single-bay biplane . This provided sufficient strength for smaller aircraft such as

2072-419: The lift coefficient is reduced by 10 to 15 percent compared to that of a monoplane using the same airfoil and aspect ratio . The lower wing is usually attached to the fuselage , while the upper wing is raised above the fuselage with an arrangement of cabane struts , although other arrangements have been used. Either or both of the main wings can support ailerons , while flaps are more usually positioned on

2146-653: The Air Ministry, these were delivered in November of that year. The ministry subsequently approach the country seeking to sell further aircraft, thus 17 of the best-condition Baffins still in storage were also purchased and delivered throughout 1938. Despite the arrival of more capable types, these aircraft were equipped by the Territorial Air Force (reserve) squadrons based in Auckland , Wellington , and Christchurch as it

2220-468: The Brough South development. This change has brought more money into the area. As a result, the average wage rate and amount of spending has increased significantly. Brough has a range of shops and takeaways , and two supermarkets: Morrisons , Aldi , Sainsbury's Local , with a Lidl planned to be built. There are two dentists, two vets, hairdressers, a medical centre, a private hearing aid audiologist,

2294-503: The CR.42 was able to achieve success in the defensive night fighter role against RAF bombers that were striking industrial targets throughout northern Italy. The British Fleet Air Arm operated the Fairey Swordfish torpedo bomber from its aircraft carriers, and used the type in the anti-submarine warfare role until the end of the conflict, largely due to their ability to operate from

Blackburn Baffin - Misplaced Pages Continue

2368-518: The Caribou , performed the first non-stop flight between the Canadian mainland and Britain in 30 hours 55 minutes, although the intended target for this long distance flight had originally been Baghdad , Iraq . Despite its relative success, British production of the Dragon was quickly ended when in favour of the more powerful and elegant de Havilland Dragon Rapide , which had been specifically designed to be

2442-652: The East Riding such as Goole , Howden , North Ferriby and Beverley . National Express also stop at Brough. The town lies 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the main A63 from Hull to the M62 . It is about 1 mile (1.6 km) to the A63 junction east, 2 miles (3.2 km) to the junction west (and then a further 4 miles (6.4 km) to the M62 motorway). Humberside Airport is 19 miles (31 km) to

2516-503: The First World War, the British Royal Aircraft Factory developed airfoil section wire named RAFwire in an effort to both increase the strength and reduce the drag. Four types of wires are used in the biplane wing structure. Drag wires inside the wings prevent the wings from being folded back against the fuselage, running inside a wing bay from the forward inboard corner to the rear outboard corner. Anti-drag wires prevent

2590-565: The French Nieuport 17 and German Albatros D.III , offered lower drag than a conventional biplane while being stronger than a monoplane. During the Interwar period , numerous biplane airliners were introduced. The British de Havilland Dragon was a particularly successful aircraft, using straightforward design to could carry six passengers on busy routes, such as London-Paris services. During early August 1934, one such aircraft, named Trail of

2664-644: The Germans had been experimenting with a new generation of monoplanes, such as the Fokker D.VIII , that might have ended the biplane's advantages earlier had the conflict not ended when it had. The French were also introducing the Morane-Saulnier AI , a strut-braced parasol monoplane , although the type was quickly relegated to the advanced trainer role following the resolution of structural issues. Sesquiplane types, which were biplanes with abbreviated lower wings such as

2738-414: The Lion's heavy water-cooled radiators would reduce weight and thus increase payload; air-cooling would also simplify maintenance. The company had initially pursued this direct when it pursued export sales, an alternative powerplant in the form of the Armstrong Siddeley Tiger engine was adopted on those Ripons sold to Finland. Blackburn remained keen to use low-weight radial engines for its fighters during

2812-466: The Pegasus-powered version of the aircraft. During early 1933, Specification 4/33 was written up around the aircraft for it to serve as a short-term replacement for the FAA's Ripons. An initial order was issued to Blackburn for a pair of pre-production aircraft, which were speedily constructed. In April, acceptance trials at Martlesham Heath had commenced with the first pre-production aircraft, while

2886-407: The biplane naturally has a deep structure and is therefore easier to make both light and strong. Rigging wires on non-cantilevered monoplanes are at a much sharper angle, thus providing less tension to ensure stiffness of the outer wing. On a biplane, since the angles are closer to the ideal of being in direct line with the forces being opposed, the overall structure can then be made stiffer. Because of

2960-598: The competition aerobatics role and format for such a biplane well-defined by the mid-1930s by the Udet U 12 Flamingo and Waco Taperwing . The Pitts Special dominated aerobatics for many years after World War II and is still in production. The vast majority of biplane designs have been fitted with reciprocating engines . Exceptions include the Antonov An-3 and WSK-Mielec M-15 Belphegor , fitted with turboprop and turbofan engines respectively. Some older biplane designs, such as

3034-499: The completion of manufacturer tests, in February 1933, the two prototypes were delivered to RAF Martlesham Heath , Suffolk , for competitive evaluation flights. Partway through the evaluation, the aircraft were briefly returned to Blackburn's facility in Brough to be fitted with bomb rails and a Townend ring . The Air Ministry paid attention to these trials and expressed its preference for

Blackburn Baffin - Misplaced Pages Continue

3108-470: The drag from the number of struts used. The structural forces acting on the spars of a biplane wing tend to be lower as they are divided between four spars rather than two, so the wing can use less material to obtain the same overall strength and is therefore lighter. A given area of wing also tends to be shorter, reducing bending moments on the spars, which then allow them to be more lightly built as well. The biplane does however need extra struts to maintain

3182-535: The early 1930s. It drew up its own plans for a reengining of existing Ripons with either the Armstrong Siddeley Tiger and the second by the Bristol Pegasus engines, which were viewed as having particularly promising performance. As the detailed design of the aircraft was produced, there were no meaningful changes to the airframe save for a new type of engine mounting that was projected on steel struts and

3256-542: The end of World War I . At the start of World War II , several air forces still had biplane combat aircraft in front line service but they were no longer competitive, and most were used in niche roles, such as training or shipboard operation, until shortly after the end of the war. The British Gloster Gladiator biplane, the Italian Fiat CR.42 Falco and Soviet I-153 sesquiplane fighters were all still operational after 1939. According to aviation author Gianni Cattaneo,

3330-477: The formation of FAA aircraft during the Jubilee Board Review off Spithead on 15 July 1935. On 22 June 1936, one Baffin, while closely circling the French ocean liner SS Normandie , collided with one of its derricks and crashed onto its foredeck. In 1936 the Baffin began to be replaced in frontline service by more capable aircraft such as the Fairey Swordfish and the Blackburn Shark . No. 812 Squadron

3404-416: The gap between the wings, which add both weight and drag. The low power supplied by the engines available in the first years of aviation limited aeroplanes to fairly low speeds. This required an even lower stalling speed, which in turn required a low wing loading , combining both large wing area with light weight. Obtaining a large enough wing area without the wings being long, and thus dangerously flexible

3478-470: The hind limbs could not have opened out sideways but in flight would have hung below and slightly behind the fore limbs. Brough, East Riding of Yorkshire Brough ( / ˈ b r ʌ f / BRUF , locally / ˈ b r ʊ f / ) is a town in the East Riding of Yorkshire , England. It is part of the civil parish of Elloughton-cum-Brough with the neighbouring village of Elloughton . Brough

3552-485: The interest of the Air Ministry , who produced Specification 4/33 around the aircraft and placed an initial order with Blackburn for it in early 1933. The Baffin was initially procured for the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), who transferred many of their existing Ripons back to Blackburn for remanufacturing into the Baffin configuration; new-build aircraft were also produced. During January 1934, it was introduced to service. It had

3626-612: The low speeds and simple construction involved have inspired a small number of biplane ultralights, such as Larry Mauro's Easy Riser (1975–). Mauro also made a version powered with solar cells driving an electric motor called the Solar Riser . Mauro's Easy Riser was used by "Father Goose", Bill Lishman . Other biplane ultralights include the Belgian-designed Aviasud Mistral , the German FK12 Comet (1997–),

3700-519: The lower wing. Bracing is nearly always added between the upper and lower wings, in the form of interplane struts positioned symmetrically on either side of the fuselage and bracing wires to keep the structure from flexing, where the wings are not themselves cantilever structures. The primary advantage of the biplane over a monoplane is its ability to combine greater stiffness with lower weight. Stiffness requires structural depth and where early monoplanes had to have this provided with external bracing,

3774-561: The most famed copies was the Siemens-Schuckert D.I . The Albatros D.III and D.V , which had also copied the general layout from Nieuport, similarly provided the backbone of the German forces during the First World War. The Albatros sesquiplanes were widely acclaimed by their aircrews for their maneuverability and high rate of climb. During interwar period , the sesquiplane configuration continued to be popular, with numerous types such as

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3848-568: The new aircraft beyond the home region, leading to many being dispatched in kit form to a variety of overseas locations, such as Malta and the Middle East , to equip units in these regions as well. As early as January 1935, the Baffin was used at sea with No. 810 Squadron aboard HMS  Courageous . In August of that year, No. 811 Squadron aboard Furious also received the type, while No. 812 Squadron on Glorious converted during May 1935. A flight of six Baffins of No. 810 Squadron headed

3922-588: The night ground attack role throughout the Second World War. In the case of the Po-2, production of the aircraft continued even after the end of the conflict, not ending until around 1952. A significant number of Po-2s were fielded by the Korean People's Air Force during the Korean War , inflicting serious damage during night raids on United Nations bases. The Po-2 is also the only biplane to be credited with

3996-483: The outbreak of the First World War biplanes had gained favour after several monoplane structural failures resulted in the RFC's "Monoplane Ban" when all monoplanes in military service were grounded, while the French also withdrew most monoplanes from combat roles and relegated them to training. Figures such as aviation author Bruce observed that there was an apparent prejudice held even against newly-designed monoplanes, such as

4070-417: The production of 26 newly built aircraft along with 38 conversions of airframes from existing Ripons; these existing airframes were extensively refurbished during this process. The aviation author Aubrey Joseph Jackson noted that the rate of manufacturing was particularly fast. During 1935, a further 26 conversions of Ripons into Baffins were ordered due to the reliability problems that had become associated with

4144-478: The realisation of the threat posed by surface raiders, New Zealand's Baffins were returned to the active list. They were often dispatched on sea reconnaissance missions, aimed at maintaining awareness of nearby shipping and identifying potential threats. During March 1940, all of the surviving aircraft were merged into the NZ General Reconnaissance Squadron based at Whenuapai. In 1941, this unit

4218-424: The reduced stiffness, wire braced monoplanes often had multiple sets of flying and landing wires where a biplane could easily be built with one bay, with one set of landing and flying wires. The extra drag from the wires was not enough to offset the aerodynamic disadvantages from having two airfoils interfering with each other however. Strut braced monoplanes were tried but none of them were successful, not least due to

4292-634: The relatively compact decks of escort carriers . Its low stall speed and inherently tough design made it ideal for operations even in the often severe mid-Atlantic weather conditions. By the end of the conflict, the Swordfish held the distinction of having caused the destruction of a greater tonnage of Axis shipping than any other Allied aircraft. Both the German Heinkel He 50 and the Soviet Polikarpov Po-2 were used with relative success in

4366-426: The second remained at Brought for trials installation. Sea trials were later performed onboard the aircraft carrier HMS Courageous ; on 2 February 1934, the first catapult-assisted takeoff was performed at RAE Farnborough . During September 1933, it was announced that the Air Ministry had approved the name Baffin . On 10 November 1933, the first production aircraft made its first flight. Orders were underway on

4440-700: The series of Nieuport military aircraft—from the Nieuport 10 through to the Nieuport 27 which formed the backbone of the Allied air forces between 1915 and 1917. The performance of the Nieuport sesquiplanes was so impressive that the Idflieg (the German Inspectorate of flying troops) requested their aircraft manufacturers to produce copies, an effort which was aided by several captured aircraft and detailed drawings; one of

4514-558: The site was re-opened for a while for occasional use solely by Hawk aircraft taking off after manufacture to transfer by air to Warton near Preston in Lancashire for final flight testing and painting though the former Air Traffic Control building has now been transformed into the Brough Business Centre. On 3 April 2008 BAE Systems announced it would be losing 450 jobs from the Brough site. On 1 March 2012 BAE Systems announced it would be ending manufacturing at its site in Brough with 845 employees to be made redundant. Manufacturing at

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4588-417: The south-east (reached by driving across the Humber Bridge ), and overnight ferry services by P&O Ferries sail to Rotterdam and Zeebrugge from King George Dock, Hull (about 13 miles (21 km) away). BAE Systems (formerly British Aerospace), Brough, manufactured the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer aircraft at Brough Aerodrome . BAE provided apprenticeships to local school leavers. The runway at

4662-415: The structural problems associated with monoplanes, but offered little improvement for biplanes. The default design for a biplane has the wings positioned directly one above the other. Moving the upper wing forward relative to the lower one is called positive stagger or, more often, simply stagger. It can increase lift and reduce drag by reducing the aerodynamic interference effects between the two wings by

4736-614: The two planes when the high pressure air under the top wing and the low pressure air above the lower wing cancel each other out. This means that a biplane does not in practice obtain twice the lift of the similarly-sized monoplane. The farther apart the wings are spaced the less the interference, but the spacing struts must be longer, and the gap must be extremely large to reduce it appreciably. As engine power and speeds rose late in World War I , thick cantilever wings with inherently lower drag and higher wing loading became practical, which in turn made monoplanes more attractive as it helped solve

4810-402: The two prototypes and 33 production Baffins, were to Gosport for training purposes, such as dummy deck-landings and torpedo practice. During January 1934, No. 820 Squadron was the first to be re-equipping with the Baffin. On 7 March 1934, it was officially announced that the Baffin would be adopted as the standard torpedo bomber of the FAA. Through 1934, efforts were made to quickly disseminate

4884-400: The upper and lower wings together. The sesquiplane is a type of biplane where one wing (usually the lower) is significantly smaller than the other. The word, from Latin, means "one-and-a-half wings". The arrangement can reduce drag and weight while retaining the biplane's structural advantages. The lower wing may have a significantly shorter span, or a reduced chord . Examples include

4958-434: The wings from folding up, and run from the underside of the outer wing to the lower wing root. Conversely, landing wires prevent the wings from sagging, and resist the forces when an aircraft is landing, and run from the upper wing centre section to outboard on the lower wings. Additional drag and anti-drag wires may be used to brace the cabane struts which connect the fuselage to the wings, and interplane struts, which connect

5032-421: The wings from moving forward when the aircraft stops and run the opposite direction to the drag wires. Both of these are usually hidden within the wings, and if the structure is sufficiently stiff otherwise, may be omitted in some designs. Indeed many early aircraft relied on the fabric covering of the wing to provide this rigidity, until higher speeds and forces made this inadequate. Externally, lift wires prevent

5106-469: Was also shifted forwards so that the aircraft's overall centre of gravity could be maintained. According, during 1932, Blackburn decided to build two prototypes of radial-engined Ripons, each powered by one of these engines, as a private venture (i.e. without an order from the Air Ministry ). Both of the prototypes were completed in September 1932. On 30 September 1932, the Pegasus-engined prototype conducted its maiden flight , flown by A. M. Blake. Following

5180-462: Was felt that the Baffin's obsolescence did not impinge on its value for conducting local coastal defence operations. By September 1939, all three reserve squadrons had been fully equipped. It is believed that 24 Baffins were in an operational condition at the outbreak of the Second World War, 16 of which being stationed in Wellington while eight were based in Christchurch. These aircraft had been largely utilised as trainers prior to hostilities but, with

5254-404: Was more readily accomplished with a biplane. The smaller biplane wing allows greater maneuverability . Following World War I, this helped extend the era of the biplane and, despite the performance disadvantages, most fighter aircraft were biplanes as late as the mid-1930s. Specialist sports aerobatic biplanes are still made in small numbers. Biplanes suffer aerodynamic interference between

5328-571: Was redesignated 1 GR Squadron , at which point half its strength was transferred to 3 GR Squadron . Baffins continued to patrol the approaches to Lyttleton , Dunedin , and the Foveaux Straits up until this point. The type was replaced by the larger American-built Lockheed Hudson before the outbreak of war with Imperial Japan . The last Baffins were reportedly broken up at Rongotai in 1941. The wreck of RNZAF Baffin NZ160, which crashed during 1937,

5402-514: Was the final FAA unit to operate the Baffin, with most aircraft lost with the destruction of a hangar caused by a tornado in December 1936. During September 1937 all remaining aircraft were struck off and shipped back to Britain. Entering storage, the type did not reenter British service with the outbreak of the Second World War and played no role in the conflict. During August 1937, New Zealand arranged to acquire an initial batch of 12 Baffins from

5476-741: Was widely used by the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) while the US Navy operated the Naval Aircraft Factory N3N . In later civilian use in the US, the Stearman became particularly associated with stunt flying such as wing-walking , and with crop dusting, where its compactness worked well at low levels, where it had to dodge obstacles. Modern biplane designs still exist in specialist roles such as aerobatics and agricultural aircraft with

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