(Felixstowe) F.5 @·AIRCRAFTUBE

  • The Felixstowe F.3 prototype (N64) on its beaching trolley, Felixstowe 1917 The Felixstowe F.3 prototype (N64) on its beaching trolley, Felixstowe 1917
    The Felixstowe F.3 prototype (N64) on its beaching trolley, Felixstowe 1917
  • Short-built Felixstowe F.3 N4007 on a parade float in London, 19 November 1918 Short-built Felixstowe F.3 N4007 on a parade float in London, 19 November 1918
    Short-built Felixstowe F.3 N4007 on a parade float in London, 19 November 1918
  • A crew posing in front of a Felixstowe F.3 in chequered dazzle camouflage A crew posing in front of a Felixstowe F.3 in chequered dazzle camouflage
    A crew posing in front of a Felixstowe F.3 in chequered dazzle camouflage
  • Two RAF Felixstowe F.5s flying over an estuary Two RAF Felixstowe F.5s flying over an estuary
    Two RAF Felixstowe F.5s flying over an estuary
  • A US Navy Felixstowe F5L (A-3683) at Naval Air Station Pensacola A US Navy Felixstowe F5L (A-3683) at Naval Air Station Pensacola
    A US Navy Felixstowe F5L (A-3683) at Naval Air Station Pensacola
  • An F5L (American version of the F.5) built by Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd, Toronto An F5L (American version of the F.5) built by Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd, Toronto
    An F5L (American version of the F.5) built by Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd, Toronto
  • F5L hull under construction at Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd, Toronto, 1918 F5L hull under construction at Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd, Toronto, 1918
    F5L hull under construction at Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd, Toronto, 1918
  • F5L hull and tail framework at Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd, Toronto, 1918 F5L hull and tail framework at Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd, Toronto, 1918
    F5L hull and tail framework at Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd, Toronto, 1918
  • F5L hull with its Liberty engines in place, Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd, Toronto, 1918 F5L hull with its Liberty engines in place, Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd, Toronto, 1918
    F5L hull with its Liberty engines in place, Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd, Toronto, 1918
  • Civil F.3 G-EAQT (ex-N4019), converted into an 'air yacht' by Short, before shipment to Australia Civil F.3 G-EAQT (ex-N4019), converted into an 'air yacht' by Short, before shipment to Australia
    Civil F.3 G-EAQT (ex-N4019), converted into an 'air yacht' by Short, before shipment to Australia
  • Canadian Air Board Felixstowe F.3 G-CYBT hauled up the beach at Victoria Beach (Manitoba), 1921 Canadian Air Board Felixstowe F.3 G-CYBT hauled up the beach at Victoria Beach (Manitoba), 1921
    Canadian Air Board Felixstowe F.3 G-CYBT hauled up the beach at Victoria Beach (Manitoba), 1921
  • Canadian Air Board Felixstowe F.3 G-CYEN on the water Canadian Air Board Felixstowe F.3 G-CYEN on the water
    Canadian Air Board Felixstowe F.3 G-CYEN on the water
  • Engine change on Canadian Air Board Felixstowe F.3 G-CYEN, 8 August 1922 Engine change on Canadian Air Board Felixstowe F.3 G-CYEN, 8 August 1922
    Engine change on Canadian Air Board Felixstowe F.3 G-CYEN, 8 August 1922
  • Felixstowe F.3 three-view drawing Felixstowe F.3 three-view drawing
    Felixstowe F.3 three-view drawing

Felixstowe F.3 / F.5

The Felixstowe F.3 and F.5 were British twin-engined biplane flying boats designed during the First World War by Lieutenant Commander John Cyril Porte RN at the naval air station at Felixstowe, Suffolk (renamed Seaplane Experimental Station in 1918). The F.3, first flown in February 1917, was the most numerous of the Felixstowe boats and flew anti-submarine patrols over the North Sea and the Mediterranean during the last year of the war. The F.5, intended to combine the best qualities of the F.2A and the F.3, arrived too late for wartime operations but became the standard flying boat of the Royal Air Force until 1925. Built under licence in the United States (as the F5L) and in Japan, it was the last of Porte's biplane flying boats and an important step in the evolution of the military flying boat.

Design and development

Origins

The Felixstowe flying boats descended directly from the Curtiss America (H-1), a twin-engined biplane flying boat built in 1914 by Glenn Curtiss for an attempt to cross the Atlantic, on which Porte was to have been the pilot. When war broke out, Porte returned to Britain, rejoined the Royal Navy and was given command of the naval air station at Felixstowe. He persuaded the Admiralty to buy the two America prototypes and a batch of the similar Curtiss H-4, the first large flying boats in British service. These machines flew well but their hulls were too fragile for the rough waters of the North Sea, so Porte and his team designed new, stronger hulls with better hydrodynamic qualities. Fitted to the wings of an H-4, the first of these produced the Felixstowe F.1; a larger hull married to the flying surfaces of the Curtiss H-12 then gave the Felixstowe F.2, which entered production as the F.2A. The F.2A handled as well as the Curtiss boats in the air and far better on the water, but its offensive load was limited to two 230 lb (104 kg) bombs.

Felixstowe F.3

The F.3 was the first member of the family not derived directly from a Curtiss design. It was a larger and heavier development of the F.2A, with a greater wingspan and a longer hull, giving it a longer range and twice the bomb load of its predecessor (four 230 lb bombs). As it retained the same engines, the gain in size was paid for with lower speed and poorer agility, so the F.3 was less suited to fighting Zeppelins and enemy seaplanes than the F.2A. A new method of building the planing bottom was also introduced, but it proved disappointing and made the hull more prone to leaking.

The prototype (N64) first flew in February 1917, powered by two 320 hp (239 kW) Sunbeam Cossack engines. Large orders followed, the production aircraft being powered by 345 hp (257 kW) Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII engines. As with the F.2A, production was shared between several firms, including Short Brothers, Dick, Kerr & Co. and the Phoenix Dynamo Manufacturing Company, while 18 aircraft were built by the Dockyard Constructional Unit at Malta. The wooden hulls were often built by boatyards on the East Anglian coast, such as the Rowhedge Ironworks, Aldous at Brightlingsea and Rennie Forrestt at Wivenhoe, while the wings and tail surfaces came from aeronautical subcontractors, mainly in the Midlands. About 100 F.3s had been delivered by the Armistice; total production figures vary between sources, from 182 to more than 260 aircraft.

Felixstowe F.5

The F.5 was intended to combine the payload and range of the F.3 with the handling and performance of the F.2A. The prototype (N90), built at Felixstowe, flew in November 1917 (some sources give May 1918). It had a slightly deeper two-step hull, an entirely new wing of greater span and an open cockpit for the pilots, and in tests it proved superior to its predecessors. However, the gain was not considered sufficient to justify the cost of such a major change in production, and the design was revised to use as many F.3 components as possible, notably a barely modified F.3 wing. The production F.5 nevertheless introduced a plywood skin over the upper hull, replacing the doped fabric of earlier models. The result was an aircraft with a lower top speed and ceiling than both the F.2A and the F.3, but with greater endurance and good handling both in the air and on the water. A shortage of Eagle VIII engines meant that some aircraft were completed with the 325 hp Eagle VII, with a further loss of performance.

The F.5 was again built by several subcontractors, including Short Brothers, Dick, Kerr & Co., Phoenix Dynamo and the Gosport Aircraft Company, with S.E. Saunders and the Aircraft Manufacturing Company also involved and Boulton & Paul building hulls; about 160 were completed.

Felixstowe F5L

The US Navy was interested in the F.5, but wanted a version suited to American production methods and engines. Drawings reached the Naval Aircraft Factory (NAF) in Philadelphia in March 1918 and the design was immediately reworked: the Rolls-Royce Eagles were replaced by American Liberty 12A engines (initially 330 hp, later 400 hp), the hull was strengthened with a veneer skin instead of doped fabric, the streamlining was improved and dual controls were fitted. The prototype F5L flew on 15 July 1918, only four months after the drawings had arrived. A total of 227 were built: 137 by the NAF, 60 by Curtiss and 30 by Canadian Aeroplanes Limited in Toronto. Although often called the Curtiss F5L, most were in fact NAF-built. In 1919 the NAF built two F6Ls with an enlarged tail, which was later fitted retroactively to F5Ls in service; in 1922 the F5L was redesignated PN-5 and the F6L became the PN-6, the starting point of the long Naval Aircraft Factory PN series.

Operational history

First World War

The F.3 entered service in early 1918 and operated alongside the F.2A from Felixstowe, Great Yarmouth, Killingholme, Cattewater, Dundee, Scapa Flow and Catfirth in the Shetland Islands. Unlike the F.2A, it was also deployed overseas and was in great demand in the Mediterranean. Its main role was anti-submarine patrol, where its larger bomb load was particularly valuable. From the East Coast stations, the flying boats flew the "Spider Web", an octagonal patrol grid centred on the North Hinder light vessel, covering the waters that almost every U-boat had to cross to reach its operating area. Although no submarine was sunk by flying boats alone during this period, constant patrols forced many U-boats to cross the area submerged, disrupted their passage and reduced the time they could spend on station. The F.3 was less popular with its crews than the more manoeuvrable F.2A. A Malta-based F.3 took part in the Allied attack on the Albanian port of Durazzo on 2 October 1918. The type was also used for trials of an early automatic landing device and of servo-operated controls. The F.3 was declared obsolete in September 1921.

The F.5 did not enter operational service before the end of the war.

Royal Air Force after the war

After the Armistice, the F.5 replaced the earlier Felixstowe boats and the Curtiss flying boats to become the RAF's standard flying boat. In summer 1919 an early production aircraft, N4044, made a demonstration tour of Scandinavia, covering 2,450 miles (3,943 km) in 27 days and returning to Felixstowe fully serviceable; its arrival at Kristiania (Oslo) in July 1919 was filmed. The F.5 remained in front-line service until it was replaced by the Supermarine Southampton from August 1925, and was also used to train flying-boat crews at Calshot.

The F.5 served as a testbed for new hull concepts. In 1922 S.E. Saunders was contracted to build a ventilated "hollow bottom" wooden hull, fitted to N178 and delivered to the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment in September 1924; the trials were short-lived and the aircraft was scrapped in 1925. In parallel, Short Brothers built an all-metal hull of duralumin, then a largely untried material, derived from the Short Silver Streak. Fitted with F.5 wings and tail surfaces, this aircraft (N177, known as the Short S.2) first flew on 5 January 1925 and was subjected to severe tests at Felixstowe, including being stalled onto the water from 30 ft (9 m). It withstood all the trials and, after a year, showed only negligible corrosion. The experiment overcame official resistance to metal hulls, led to the order for the prototype Short Singapore, and from then on all Short flying boats were of metal construction.

Canada

Several F.3s were given to Canada in 1919 as part of the Imperial Gift. In October 1920 the Canadian Air Board organised the first trans-Canada flight to assess the feasibility of future air mail and passenger services; the leg from Rivière-du-Loup to Winnipeg was flown by Lieutenant Colonel Robert Leckie and Major Basil Hobbs in an F.3. Six F.3s served with the Canadian Air Board and the Canadian Air Force between 1921 and 1923, mainly from Victoria Beach in Manitoba and Jericho Beach in Vancouver, for forest fire patrols, survey and transport flights. F.3 G-CYBT carried the first treaty annuity payments delivered by air. On 31 July 1922 it struck a submerged rock on Pikangikum Lake in northern Ontario; it was refloated and repaired on site with the help of F.3 G-CYEN, which flew in men and material, but the repair barely lasted the flight home and G-CYBT was written off at Victoria Beach on 29 August 1922. A few days later, on 8 September, G-CYEN was badly damaged at its mooring in a storm, and at the end of the month all remaining Canadian F.3s were struck off charge.

Portugal and Spain

On 22 March 1921 an F.3 of the Portuguese Naval Aviation, crewed by the naval aviators Sacadura Cabral and Ortins de Bettencourt, the navigator Gago Coutinho and the mechanic Roger Soubiran, made the first flight between mainland Portugal and Madeira. The Spanish Aeronáutica Naval also used the F.3, three of which were carried aboard the seaplane carrier Dédalo.

Civil use

Two F.3s, G-EAQT (ex-N4019) and G-EBDQ (ex-N4177), were placed on the British civil register. G-EAQT was converted by Short Brothers into a luxury "air yacht" with three lounges upholstered in green and grey for ten passengers. It was then sold to The Aerial Company Ltd in Australia, but was damaged in transit; other projects planned to use F.3s for a passenger and freight service between the mainland and Tasmania, but none came to fruition. In 1919 one of the F.5s built by the Gosport Aircraft Company was civil registered as the Gosport Flying Boat and shown at the First Air Traffic Exhibition (ELTA) in Amsterdam; Gosport also proposed fire-fighting and six-passenger civil derivatives, which remained on paper.

Japan

From 1921 Short Brothers delivered F.5s to the Imperial Japanese Navy, which then acquired a manufacturing licence. The aircraft, known as the Navy Type F.5, were built by the Yokosuka and Hiro naval arsenals and by Aichi until 1929, and remained in service until 1930. The Hiro arsenal then developed its own derivative, the Hiro H1H (Navy Type 15), whose later versions had an all-metal hull and which served until 1938.

United States

The F5L entered US Navy service at the end of the war and remained its standard patrol flying boat until 1928, when it was replaced by the PN-12; it was used for coastal patrol and for spotting for coastal artillery. F5Ls were also exported to the Brazilian Naval Aviation and the Philippine Air Service.

Surplus F5Ls also found a second career with the airlines. The Aeromarine Plane and Motor Company converted eight of them into the Aeromarine 75, carrying ten to fourteen passengers and mail. Operated by Aeromarine Airways from 1 November 1920 between Key West and Havana, they carried the first international air mail of the US Post Office, and later served seasonal routes between Miami, Bimini and Nassau, New York and Atlantic City, and Cleveland and Detroit. The first in-flight film was shown aboard an Aeromarine 75 in August 1921, during the Pageant of Progress exposition in Chicago. On 13 January 1923 the Aeromarine 75 "Columbus" suffered an engine failure between Key West and Havana and alighted in the Straits of Florida; the hull flooded in heavy seas and four passengers drowned before the ship H. M. Flagler rescued the other occupants. In 1928 the Atlantic Coast Airways Corporation of Delaware converted ex-Navy F5Ls to carry up to 25 passengers. One F5L ended its days in 1932 as a sandwich shop in Bradenton, Florida.

Variants

  • F.3 prototype (N64) : Prototype built at Felixstowe, first flown in February 1917 with two 320 hp Sunbeam Cossack engines.
  • F.3 : Main production version, powered by two Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII engines; built by Short Brothers, Dick, Kerr & Co., Phoenix Dynamo and the Malta Dockyard.
  • Felixstowe F-III : F.3 built by Canadian Vickers for a transatlantic attempt.
  • Short F.3 Air Yacht : Civil conversion of G-EAQT by Short Brothers, with three lounges for ten passengers.
  • F.5 prototype (N90) : Prototype built by the Seaplane Experimental Station, with a new wing and deeper hull.
  • F.5 : Main production version, built by subcontractors and using many F.3 components.
  • Gosport Flying Boat : One RAF F.5 built by the Gosport Aircraft Company, civil registered in 1919. The Gosport Fire Fighter (ten-seat fire-fighting transport) and Gosport G5/G5a (six-passenger civil versions) remained projects.
  • Saunders hull : F.5 N178 fitted in 1924 with an experimental ventilated "hollow bottom" wooden hull.
  • Short S.2 : F.5 N177 fitted with an all-metal duralumin hull, first flown on 5 January 1925.
  • Navy Type F.5 : Japanese licence-built version, built by Yokosuka, Hiro and Aichi from 1921 to 1929.
  • Hiro H1H : Japanese derivative developed by the Hiro Naval Arsenal, with wooden then all-metal hull.
  • F5L : American version with two Liberty 12A engines; 227 built by the Naval Aircraft Factory, Curtiss and Canadian Aeroplanes Ltd. Redesignated PN-5 in 1922.
  • F6L : Two F5Ls built by the NAF in 1919 with an enlarged tail; redesignated PN-6 in 1922.
  • Aeromarine 75 : Civil passenger conversion of the F5L by Aeromarine, eight aircraft.
  • Atlantic Coast Airways F5L : Civil conversion of ex-Navy F5Ls for up to 25 passengers (1928).

Operators

Military

  • Brazil : Brazilian Naval Aviation (F5L).
  • Canada : Canadian Air Board / Canadian Air Force (F.3).
  • Japan : Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (F.5).
  • Philippines : Philippine Air Service (F5L).
  • Portugal : Portuguese Naval Aviation (F.3).
  • Spain : Aeronáutica Naval (F.3).
  • United Kingdom :
    • Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS).
    • Royal Air Force (RAF).
  • United States : United States Navy (F5L).

Civil

  • Australia : The Aerial Company Ltd (F.3 G-EAQT).
  • United Kingdom : Gosport Aircraft and Engineering Company (F.5).
  • United States : Aeromarine Airways (Aeromarine 75), Atlantic Coast Airways Corporation of Delaware (F5L).

Surviving aircraft

No complete Felixstowe flying boat survives. In March 1919 the Naval Aircraft Factory sent a specially built F5L (A-3882), only partially skinned to reveal its structure, to an aeronautical exhibition in New York. Given to the Smithsonian Institution in 1920, it was handed back to the US Navy around 1930, but the Smithsonian kept the hull, a wing float, a propeller and a bomb. These parts are held by the National Air and Space Museum, currently in storage. The nose section of an unidentified Felixstowe flying boat is displayed at the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum at Flixton, England.

— — — = = — — —

This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Felixstowe F.3 of Wikipedia ( authors )

Felixstowe F.3 / F.5

  • Role : Maritime patrol flying boat.
  • Manufacturer : Seaplane Experimental Station, Felixstowe (design) ; Short Brothers, Dick, Kerr & Co., Phoenix Dynamo, Malta Dockyard, Gosport Aircraft Co. and others.
  • Designer : John Cyril Porte.
  • First flight : February 1917 (F.3) ; November 1917 (F.5 prototype).
  • Introduction : February 1918 (F.3).
  • Retired : 1921 (F.3, RAF) ; 1925 (F.5, RAF) ; 1928 (F5L, US Navy) ; 1930 (F.5, Japan).
  • Status : retired.
  • Primary users :
    • Royal Naval Air Service.
    • Royal Air Force.
    • United States Navy (F5L).
    • Imperial Japanese Navy.
    • Canadian Air Board.
  • Number built : about 182 F.3 ; about 163 F.5 ; 227 F5L.
  • Developed from : Felixstowe F.2.
  • Variants :
    • Felixstowe F5L.
    • Aeromarine 75.
    • Hiro H1H.
  • Developed into :
    • Naval Aircraft Factory PN.
    • Short Singapore (via the Short S.2 metal hull).

    Specifications (F.3)

  • Crew: four.
  • Length: 49 ft 2 in (14.99 m).
  • Wingspan: 102 ft 0 in (31.09 m).
  • Height: 18 ft 8 in (5.69 m).
  • Wing area: 1,432 sq ft (133.03 m²).
  • Empty weight: 7,958 lb (3,610 kg).
  • Gross weight: 12,235 lb (5,550 kg).
  • Powerplant: 2 × Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII V-12 water-cooled piston engines.
  • Power: 345 hp (257 kW) each.
  • Maximum speed: 91 mph (147 km/h, 79 kts) at 2,000 ft (610 m).
  • Endurance: 6 hours.
  • Service ceiling: 8,000 ft (2,438 m).
  • Time to altitude: 5 min 15 s to 2,000 ft (610 m) ; 24 min to 6,500 ft (2,000 m).
  • Guns: 4 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis machine guns (one in the nose, three amidships).
  • Bombs: up to 920 lb (420 kg) beneath the wings (four 230 lb bombs).

    • Specifications (F.5)

  • Crew: four.
  • Length: 49 ft 3 in (15 m).
  • Wingspan: 103 ft 8 in (31.6 m).
  • Height: 18 ft 9 in (5.7 m).
  • Wing area: 1,409 sq ft (131 m²).
  • Empty weight: 9,100 lb (4,128 kg).
  • Gross weight: 12,682 lb (5,753 kg).
  • Powerplant: 2 × Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII V-12 water-cooled piston engines.
  • Power: 345 hp (257 kW) each.
  • Maximum speed: 88 mph (142 km/h, 76 kts) at 2,000 ft (610 m).
  • Endurance: 7 hours.
  • Service ceiling: 6,800 ft (2,073 m).
  • Time to altitude: 30 min to 6,500 ft (1,980 m).
  • Guns: 4 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis machine guns (one in the nose, three amidships).
  • Bombs: up to 920 lb (417 kg) beneath the wings.

— — — = = — — —

This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Felixstowe F.3 of Wikipedia ( authors )
Felixstowe F.3 : Your comments on this subject
Powered by Disqus
Top
Legal Credits FAQ Help Site Map

Terms of use for the services available on this site

By using this Website, Users agree to the following terms of use and rules :

Definitions

  • Webmaster : Head Administrator with all authority over the management and development of the Website.
  • Administrator : Anyone that was given by the Webmaster full or partial access to the Website's structure or with moderation rights on messages posted by Users.
  • User or Visitor : Any person visiting the Website pages.
  • Website : The following provisions apply to a single Website accessible via the www.aircraftube.com, www.aircraftube.org, www.aircraftube.net and www.all-aircraft.com. URL's
  • Service : All free informations and tools contained on the Website.
  • Comments : All text written by users on Blogs and comment pages available on the Website.
  • Media : All media available on or through the Website. One must distinguish the local media (photos, curves, drawings) and the external media (videos) which the Website refers.

    • Purpose of this site

    The purpose of this non-commercial site is purely educational. Reflecting a passion, it is also there to preserve the memory of all those who gave their lives, their health or energy in the name of freedom, aviation safety or simply our passenger comfort.

    Copyright

    Some media may have escaped the vigilance of Administrators with regard to copyrights. If a user reports copyright infringement, he will be asked to prove that he is indeed the rights's owner for the concerned media. If so, his decision on the Administrator's next action will be respected: A total suppression of the Media on the Website, or the addition of some owner's reference. The publication of a media on the internet normally having as a goal to make it visible to many people, the Administrators expect in any case that the second option will be most often chosen.

    Pursuant to the Law on copyright and related rights, the user has the right to download and reproduce information on the Website for personal use and provided that the source is mentionned. They cannot however be used for commercial or advertising purposes.

    Using Blogs and filing comments

  • Moderator : The Administrator reserves the right to prevent the publication of comments that are not directly related to the Service without providing any explanation. Similarly, all insults, out of scope or unethical material will be banned.
  • Identification : Persons wishing to post a comment or use any form of contact are required to provide identification by the means of a valid e-mail address.
  • Responsibilities : Comments are posted on the Website under the unique responsability of their authors and the Administrators may in no case be liable for any statements or claims that the users might have issued.

    • As the comment system is hosted and maintained on servers external to the Website, the Administrators may in no circumstances be held responsible for the use that administrators of these servers or other third parties may have with those comments or filed data.

    Content Liability

    The Administrators carefully check the reliability of the sources used. They cannot, however, guarantee the accuracy of any information contained on the Website, partly because of the multiple sources from which they come.

    JavaScript and cookies - Storing information

    This Website imperatively uses JavaScript and cookies to function properly. Neither of these technologies, or other means shall in no case be used on the Website for the retention or disclosure of personal information about Visitors. Exceptions to this rule will involve storing the Users banned for inappropriate comments they might have given as well as contact information for Users wishing to subscribe to future newsletters.

    When a user accesses the Website, the corresponding servers may automatically collect certain data, such as IP address, date and time of Website access, viewed pages and the type of browser used. This information is kept only for the purpose of measuring the number of visitors to the different sections of the site and make improvements.

    Donations - Advertising

    To continue providing the Service for free, the Webmaster reserves the right to insert advertising or promotional messages on any page of the Site. In the same idea, any donations will only by used to cover the running costs of the site, such as hosting, connection fees, hardware and software necessary for the development and maintenance of the Website.

    Links and other websites

    Administrators shall in no case be liable for the non-availability of websites operated by third parties to which users would access through the Website.

    Administrators assume no liability for any content, advertising, products and/or services available on such third party websites. It is reminded that those sites are governed by their own terms of use.

    Placing a link to third party sites or authorize a third party to include a link on their website refering to this Website does not mean that the Administrators recommend in any way the products or services offered by these websites.

    Modifications

    The Webmaster reserves the right to modify at any time without notification the present terms of use as well as all content or specific functionality that the Website offers.

    The modified terms and conditions immediately apply to the using Visitor when changes come online. Visitors are invited to consult the site regularly on the most current version of the terms and conditions

    Governing Law and Jurisdiction

    These general conditions are governed by Belgian law.

    In case of dispute regarding the interpretation and/or execution of the above terms, the parties agree that the courts of the district of Nivelles, Belgium shall have exclusive jurisdiction power.

    Credits page

    Wikipedia.org

    Wikipedia is a collaboratively edited, multilingual, free Internet encyclopedia.

    Youtube

    YouTube is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, view and share videos.

    Special thanks to all Youtube quality aviation vids providers, specially (Those I forgot, please excuse me or report) :

    Airboyd
    Andys Video
    Aviation videos archives
    Bomberguy
    Classic Aviation TV
    Historical Aviation Film Unit
    Horsemoney
    Jaglavaksoldier
    Joluqa Malta
    Just Planes
    Koksy
    Classic Airliners & Vintage Pop Culture
    Memorial Flight
    Octane130
    Okrajoe
    SDASM archives
    Spottydog4477
    The Aviators TV
    Valentin Izagirre Bengoetxea
    Vexed123
    VonBerlich
    Zenos Warbirds

    Bundesarchiv

    The German Federal Archives or Bundesarchiv are the National Archives of Germany.

    FAQ

    I don't see my comments any more!

    Please note that each page has it's own comment entry. So, if you enter a comment i.e. on the B-747, you will only see it on that related page.

    General comments are accessed via the "BLOG En" button.

    Comments are moderated, so please allow some delay before they appear, specially if you are outside Europe.

    Menus are developing below the page, because they are too long!

    But they remain accessible, for example by scrolling the mouse wheel, or with your finger (on the menu) on a smartphone or tablet.

    I see adds on all videos.

    Use a good free add remover software.

    The site is loading random pages at startup.

    We think it is a good way to bring back the memory of aircraft, persons or events sometimes quite forgotten.

    HELP PAGE

    Why this site?

    Discovery

    This website is dedicated to one's aeronautical passion (which I hope we share) and was realised mainly as an educationnal tool. Knowing that, you'll notice that each new visit brings random topics for the purpose of making new discoveries, some achievements or characters certainly not deserving the oblivion into which they have sometimes fallen.

    By these pages, we also want to pay tribute to all those who gave at one time or another, their lives or health in the name of freedom, aeronautical security or simply our comfort.

    Centralisation

    Internet is full of websites dedicated to aviation, but most are dedicated to subjects or periods that are very limited in space or time. The purpose of this site is to be as general as possible and thus treats all events as well as characters of all stripes and times while putting much emphasis on the most significant achievements.

    The same years saw birth of technologies like photography and cinema, thus permitting illustration of a large part of important aeronautical events from the start. Countless (and sometimes rare) media recently put online by enthousiasts finally give us access to these treasures, but the huge amount of information often makes things a little messy. A centralization effort is obviously most needed at this level.

    All persons who directly or indirectly contributed to the achievement or posting of such documents are here gratefully acknowledged.

    General

    Fluid website

    This site automatically fits the dimensions of your screen, whether you are on a desktop computer, a tablet or a smartphone.

    Bilingual website

    You can change the language by clicking on the flag in the upper left or via "Options" in the central menu. Of course, the videos remain in the language in which they were posted ...

    Browser compatibility

    The site is not optimized, or even designed to run on older browsers or those deliberately deviating from standards. You will most probably encounter display issues with Internet Explorer. In this case, it is strongly recommended installing a modern (and free!) browser that's respecting the standards, like Firefox, Opera, Chrome or Safari.

    Cookies and Javascript

    This site uses cookies and JavaScript to function properly. Please ensure that your browser is configured accordingly. Neither of these technologies, or other means shall in no case be used on the Site for the retention or disclosure of personal information about its Visitors. See the "Legal" page for more on this subject.

    Website layout

    Left menus

    Because of the lack of space on smartphones and small tablets, these menus are hidden. Everything is nevertheless accessible via the main menu option, located between the video and photo sections. This menu is placed there for compatibility reasons with some browsers, which play the videos over the menus.

    "Search" and "Latest" :
    The link "In Titles" restricts the search to the titles of different forms. Use this option if you are looking for a plane, a constructor, a pilot or a particular event that could have been treated as a subject.

    The link "In Stories" will bring you to a search in all texts (the "Story" tab) and will take more time. The search term will appear highlighted in green when opening the corresponding story.

    Would you believe, "Timeline" will show all subjects in chronological order.

    "Random" will reload the entire page with a new random topic.

    The bottom section keeps you abreast of the latest five entries. New topics are added regularly. Don't hesitate to come visit us often : add bookmark.

    Blogs and Comments central section

    Under the photos section comes the comments tabs window :

    You can enter general comments in your own language via one of the two buttons on the left (BLOG EN and BLOG FR). Note that these buttons are accessible regardless of the language to allow some participation in the other language.

    All comments are subject to moderation and will be published only if they comply with the basic rules of decorum, while remaining relevant to the purpose of this site.

    The third tab allows you to enter comments on the shown topic and is bilingual. Personal anecdotes, supplements and other information questions will take place here.

    The "Story" tab shows the explanatory texts. They are most often taken from Wikipedia, a site where we participate regularly.

    The "Data" tab is reserved for list of features and specifications.

    Right menus

    On a smartphone, the lack of space is growing and this menu is moved to the bottom of the page to give priority to videos and pictures.

    The top right icons are links to videos posted by third parties (on their own responsabilities) or by ourselves. The link below these icons will take you to the channel of the one who posted the video. Feel free to suggest other videos if you think they are of some interest (Use the BLOG button or the "Contact" link).