Martinsyde Semiquaver
Martinsyde · United Kingdom · first flew 1920 · light aircraft
The Martinsyde Semiquaver was a British single-seat racing biplane built by Martinsyde in 1920, powered by a 300 hp Hispano-Suiza V-8.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Upper wing mounted directly on top of a deep rectangular-section fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Single-bay racing biplane whose upper wing is slightly larger than the lower
- Upper wing mounted directly on top of a deep rectangular-section fuselage
- Ailerons on the top wing only, and a plywood-covered front fuselage
Look for a small, red-painted racing biplane with a single bay, a pilot sitting behind the trailing edge of the upper wing and a deep, slab-sided fuselage.
Specifications
- The Martinsyde Semiquaver has a length of 5.87 m (19 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 6.15 m (20 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 259 km/h (161 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Registered G-EAPX, it set a British speed record of 259.75 km/h on 21 March 1920 flown by F. P. Raynham. It was repaired and slightly reduced in wingspan after crashing at the end of the Aerial Derby.
Variants
In 1921 the fuselage was used for the Alula Monoplane, an experimental aircraft testing A. A. Holle's Alula wing mounted on struts above it.
Where you'll see it
Frank Courtney won the 1920 Aerial Derby in it at 246.95 km/h. It was entered for the 1920 Gordon Bennett Trophy but did not finish because of an oil-pump failure.
Related aircraft
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