Wight Converted Seaplane
J. Samuel White (Wight Aircraft) · United Kingdom · first flew 1916 · reconnaissance aircraft
The Wight Converted Seaplane was a British twin-float patrol seaplane produced by John Samuel White & Company (Wight Aircraft).
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Twin floats under the fuselage plus floats at the tail and wing tips |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Three-bay unstaggered biplane with unequal-span wings
- Twin floats under the fuselage plus floats at the tail and wing tips
- Four-bladed propeller on a nose-mounted V-12
A three-bay biplane seaplane with twin floats under the fuselage and additional floats at the tail and wing tips. Fifty were ordered for the RNAS, of which only 37 were completed.
Specifications
- The Wight Converted Seaplane has a length of 13.63 m (45 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 19.96 m (65 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 135 km/h (84 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was developed from the unsuccessful Wight Bomber for use as an anti-submarine patrol aircraft, and was a straightforward adaptation of the landplane bomber to a seaplane.
Variants
Initial production aircraft had a 322 hp Rolls-Royce Eagle IV, while later batches used a 265 hp Sunbeam Maori because of shortages of Eagles.
Where you'll see it
It entered Royal Naval Air Service service in 1917, operating from Calshot, Dover, Portland and Cherbourg. On 18 August 1917 one sank the U-boat UB-32 with a single 100 lb bomb, the first submarine sunk in the English Channel by direct air action.
Related aircraft
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