I know this is not glider orientated but I am hoping that some of our knowledgeable aerophiles out there will be able to identify an early aeroplane for me. A friend is researching her family and her grandfather was involved with aircraft in the First World War. She has come across a couple of photos from his collection and asked me if I can identify the machines. One was very easy being an SE5 however the other is confounding my efforts at research.
The structure bears some resemblance to either a Wright Flyer No3 or a Wright ‘Model A’ however one or two of the bracing struts don’t look quite correct (I almost said right there). It also has a semblance of a very early Maurice Farman aircraft, especially at the front. I would be grateful for a definite identification.
Brian.
It also has some similarities to the earliest Shorts aircraft, but the only photo I have doesn’t fully tie up. They did some licence building of Wright Brothers designs, and went on to modify and do their own thing.
Hi Brian,
matching the key recognition elements of the curved forward lower longeron, biplane foreplane and sidescreen radiators I could find only one possible candidate.
It is the Gibson biplane No.2, flown in August 1910 at Beautland Farm near Balerno.
No.2 was a reconstruction of No.1 of 1909 which failed to fly.
The aircraft were built by J and G.T Gibson who owned the Caledonian Motor and Cycle Woks of Leith, near Edinburgh.
Span 29 ft Length 30 ft Power 30hp Alvaston horizontally opposed two cylinder water cooled engine.
Rather enigmatically it is said the Gibsons built another 9 copies of No.2. Four were destroyed during testing and one was burned at an exhibition in Brussels. The others were sold but no detailed information of the design of those has been found. ( To me this sounds ucrtain as to whethr these 9 were actually the same as No.2)
Source p125 British Aircraft before the Great War - Michal H. Goodall and Albert E. Tagg published by Schiffer 2001
Hi Paul.
I have now googled the Gibson and it looks very similar as you say. The lady, Fiona, told me that her maternal grandfather was a pilot in the great war so the SE5 would make sense but also that the lived in the area around Edinburgh just after 1900.
I am ashamed to say that I knew nothing about this machine or the Gibsons. I can see that I have a bit of reading to do.
Many thanks for your help.
Brian.
