Free Flight, Free Speech

Another over winter project that may actually encompass 3 different planes: AVRO 504F with Bentley 160 Rotary, RAF BE12 with a 180 h.p. Hispano-Suiza V8 water cooled engine or in later development Wolsley 200 h.p., and a Sopwith Pup with 130 H.P. Clerget 9b

Image of the RAF BE12

The BE-12 looks familiar because it's an RAF BE2c with a longer nose and a Hispano-Suiza V8 replacing the RAF-4a V12 engine. The original HD BE2c's were found to be somewhat lacking in pursuit of high altitude Zeppelin flights, their engine's low compression and bad volumetric efficiency limited the best climb and speed below 7000'. Even with the RAF-4a V12 upgrade, the increase in weight added to the induced drag and couldn't overcome the parasite drag. And with the nearly twice as thirsty RAF 4a engine, almost halved their loiter time. A better solution had to be found.

In Flanders, during the last months of 1916, the Belgium air crews fighting in France, under their own colors, had acquired a number of old RFC and RNAS hand-me-downs that included the not-very-successful, cludgy re-purposed Be2c conversion to the BE12 escort fighter. It was also found to be no better than the BE2c for escorting observation flights. The Belgium crews were lucky enough to have access to SPAD-7's which were being re-engined with the newer Hispano-Suiza 180 hp engine. They rather ungracefully grafted the older but far much lighter and efficient Hisso-150 in place of the RAF 4a, which turned their BE12's into a satisfactory escort fighter for defending Farman and Voisin lattice-tail patrols.

The RFC in Flanders took note of this conversion and had the Royal Air Factory try building a few BE12 with Hispano-Suiza 150 and 180 by re-engineering the nose off the still in development SE-5. It proved to be a good match and the Hisso powered HD BE-12s were made in small numbers as 1917 progressed to supplement the BE2c home defenders. The radiator cooled Hisso added another benefit in that that the pilot could duct in some warm air from the engine compartment to the cockpit which allowed for extended patrol times at higher altitudes.

It looks quite beautiful!!

Flying in FG now..