Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.5

Royal Aircraft Factory · United Kingdom · first flew 1914 · reconnaissance aircraft

The R.E.5 was an early Royal Flying Corps reconnaissance and artillery-observation biplane, one of the Royal Aircraft Factory's first purpose-built two-seat military designs.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	Long unbroken fuselage with two open cockpits in tandem
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Equal-span two-bay biplane with a nose-mounted inline engine
Long unbroken fuselage with two open cockpits in tandem
Four-bladed propeller, unusual for the period

The long two-bay equal-span wings and unusual four-bladed propeller distinguish it from later, more numerous R.E. types.

Specifications

The Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.5 has a length of 7.98 m (26 ft).
It has a wingspan of 13.57 m (45 ft).
Its maximum speed is 126 km/h (78 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

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

History

It first flew on 26 January 1914, powered by a nose-mounted 120hp Austro-Daimler engine driving an unusual four-bladed propeller. On 14 May 1914 a modified example with extended upper wings, flown by Norman Spratt, set a new British altitude record of 18,900 feet.

Variants

A handful of R.E.5s went to France with the RFC on the outbreak of war in 1914, some fitted with extended wings like the record-setting machine for high-altitude work.

Where you'll see it

It served briefly on reconnaissance duties in the war's opening months before being superseded by more capable two-seaters such as the R.E.7 and R.E.8.

Related aircraft

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