Short Admiralty Type 81
Short Brothers · United Kingdom · first flew 1913 · reconnaissance aircraft
The Short Admiralty Type 81 was a series of British two-seat floatplanes built before the First World War and used by the Royal Naval Air Service in the early years of the war.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 12.8 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Two-seat biplane floatplane
- Folding wings, hence the name Short Folder
- Gnome two-row 14-cylinder rotary engine
A large two-seat biplane floatplane with a rotary engine and folding wings.
Specifications
- The Short Admiralty Type 81 has a length of 12.8 m (42 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 20.42 m (67 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 in July 1913. It was powered by a 160 hp Gnome Lambda-Lambda 14-cylinder two-row rotary engine.
Variants
The folding wings aided storage on ship, which gave the popular name Short Folder, shared with other Short seaplanes.
Where you'll see it
Nine were built, the first delivered in July 1913.
Related aircraft
- Short S.80
- Short Admiralty Type 74
- Short S.36
- Short S.38
- Albatros B.I
- Albatros B.IIa
- Avro 511
- Burgess Model I
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