Roe I Triplane
Alliott Verdon Roe · United Kingdom · first flew 1909 · light aircraft
The Roe I Triplane was the first all-British aeroplane to achieve sustained flight, making its historic first hop at Lea Marshes on 13 July 1909. Designed and built by Alliott Verdon Roe using paper-covered wooden wings and a minimal 9 hp JAP engine, it barely had enough power to leave the ground.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 7.01 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- First all-British aircraft to fly, 13 July 1909
- Three equal-span wings of paper-covered wood construction
- Tiny 9 hp JAP engine giving very marginal power
Unmistakeable as an Edwardian triplane with three short equal-span wings stacked closely together, an open framework fuselage, and a tiny engine driving a tractor propeller. The paper-covered wings and wire bracing are distinctive period details.
Specifications
- The Roe I Triplane has a length of 7.01 m (23 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 6.1 m (20 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 40 km/h (25 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
A.V. Roe built the Triplane in 1908–09 under a railway arch at Putney and conducted early tests at Brooklands before moving to Lea Marshes in East London. After months of frustrating hops just inches off the ground, it achieved a flight of approximately 100 feet on 13 July 1909. The success established Roe as one of Britain's pioneering aviators and led directly to the founding of the Avro company.
Variants
A second improved Triplane with a 20 hp Jap engine followed, achieving longer flights; both were single examples.
Where you'll see it
The original hangs in the Science Museum, London; the Shuttleworth Collection flies its Avro Triplane reproduction at Old Warden.
Related aircraft
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