Photograph:
(Photograph not yet available)
Country of origin:
Australia
Description:
Single-seat light sport biplane
Power Plant:
One 15 kw (20 hp) [698 cc] Blackburn Tomtit two-cylinder air-cooled engine
Specifications:
- Wingspan (upper): 7.31 m (24 ft)
- Wingspan (lower): 5.48 m (18 ft)
- Length: 5.97 m (19 ft 6 in)
- Wing area: 12.07 m² (130 sq ft)
- Max speed: 80 km/h (50 mph)
- Max altitude obtained: 61 m (200 ft)
- Empty weight: 147 kg (325 lb)
- Loaded weight: 238 kg (525 lb)
History:
The Flying Fox, as it was known, was designed by Captain R W Reid, MC, who had served with the Australian Flying Corps during World War I and was involved in the aero club movement in Queensland after the war. Construction of the aircraft was performed by Messrs Smith & Waddington Ltd, Motor Builders in Sydney.
The fuselage was built up on form hoops made from Australian ash, planked with Kauri pine, the fuselage then covered with aero linen, which was glued to the planking. The aircraft, which was never registered, was one of the entrants in the 1924 low-powered aeroplane competition held at Richmond aerodrome, west of Sydney, NSW. Like most of the aircraft in the competition, which was held during November / December that year, the aeroplane was found to be under-powered and, due to the hot conditions, had problems staying in the air. Specifications are those from official testing. Experts at the time considered the engine was not giving full power and this “could have caused problems when the pilot lost control and commenced to float to the ground with full power”. The ultimate fate of the aircraft is not known.