https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_IV_Triplane
The Roe IV Triplane was an early British aircraft designed by Alliott Verdon Roe
and built by A.V. Roe and Company. It was first flown in September 1910.
The Roe IV Triplane resembled Roe's Type III, being a tractor configuration
triplane with the lower wing of smaller span than the upper two and a triangular
section wire-braced fuselage, which was uncovered behind the pilot's seat. The
middle wing was mounted directly above the upper longerons, and there was a gap
between the single lower longeron and the lower wing. The wings were connected
by four unequally-spaced pairs of interplane struts on either side, the
innermost pair on each side being just outboard of the upper longerons and the
outer pair connecting only the upper pair of wings due to the shorter span of
the lower wing.
Although the ailerons fitted to the previous design had been satisfactory, Roe
returned to wing warping for lateral control. The lifting triplane tailplanes of
the earlier design were replaced by a non-lifting single triangular tailplane
with a divided elevator and a small unbalanced rudder. The undercarriage
consisted of a pair of skids extending forward of the propeller, with a pair of
wheels mounted on each skid, and a sprung tailskid. It was powered by a 35
horsepower (26 kW) Green water-cooled four-cylinder inline engine, with the
radiator mounted above the fuselage between the front inner interplane struts.
Role
Trainer
Manufacturer
Avro
Designer
Alliott Verdon Roe
First flight
September 1910
Retired
August 1911
Number built
1
The single example built was used for a while as a trainer at the Avro Flying
School at Brooklands, where several pilots who were to become famous learnt to
fly in it, including Howard Pixton, who gained his Aero Club certificate in it
on 24 January 1911. During its service as a trainer it was crashed numerous
times, including at least twice into the notorious Brooklands sewage farm. After
a crash on 14 February the aircraft was rebuilt with the fuselage lengthened by
4 ft (1.2 m). It continued to be used for training until August 1911, when it
was scrapped.
A full-scale flying replica was built for the 1965 film Those Magnificent Men in
Their Flying Machines and was afterwards donated to the Shuttleworth Collection,
where it remains as of 2012.
Specifications as first flown)
General characteristics
Crew: one
Length: 30 ft (9 m)
Wingspan: 32 ft (10 m)
Height: 9 ft (3 m)
Wing area: 294 ft2 (27.3 m2)
Loaded weight: 650 lb (295 kg)
Performance
Maximum speed: 25 mph
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