Blackburn Blackburd

Blackburn Aircraft · United Kingdom · first flew 1918 · bomber

The Blackburn Blackburd was a British prototype single-engine torpedo bomber developed by Blackburn Aircraft in 1918 as a replacement for the Sopwith Cuckoo. It was unsuccessful, and only three were built.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	Slab-sided fuselage with the pilot sitting well back, with 17 ft of fuselage ahead of the windscreen
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Large three-bay biplane with unswept, unstaggered wings
Slab-sided fuselage with the pilot sitting well back, with 17 ft of fuselage ahead of the windscreen
Skid undercarriage that had to be jettisoned before the torpedo was dropped

A big three-bay biplane with a slab-sided fuselage, a Rolls-Royce Eagle VIII engine and a cockpit unusually far back along the fuselage.

Specifications

The Blackburn Blackburd has a length of 10.62 m (35 ft).
It has a wingspan of 15.98 m (52 ft).
Its maximum speed is 146 km/h (91 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

In January 1918 the Admiralty issued specification N.1B for an aircraft able to carry a 1,436 lb Mark VII torpedo. Harris Booth designed the Blackburd with simple lines to ease rapid production, and its wings could fold backwards for storage in a ship's hangar.

Variants

Three were built. The second and third aircraft were fitted with an enlarged rudder.

Where you'll see it

The first Blackburd flew in May 1918 and went to Martlesham Heath for evaluation against the Short Shirl. It was found to be unstable and the first prototype crashed before the trials were complete; it was not ordered.

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