Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.8a

The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.8a was produced by fitting the rotary engined B.E.8 with the wings of the B.E.2c, giving it ailerons in place of the wing warping controls of the basic B.E.8. The B.E.8a was ordered straight off the drawing board, and the first of 42 production aircraft appeared early in 1915. It was never used as a front line aircraft, and spent its entire service career serving with reserve squadrons and training units. The standard B.E.8a used the same triangular fin as the B.E.2c, but some were later fitted with the larger curved fin of the B.E.2e in an attempt to make it harder to spin the aircraft.  

Engine: Gnome rotary or Clerget 7Z
Power: 80hp
Crew: 2
Wing span: 37ft 8.5in
Length: 27ft 4.5in
Height: 10ft 3.5in
Max Speed: 75mph at sea level

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How to cite this article: Rickard, J (9 April 2009), Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.8a , http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_RAF_BE8a.html

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